[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 24, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 30231]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-12742]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Civil Supersonic Aircraft Panel Discussion

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of meeting participation.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises interested persons that the FAA is 
conducting its fourth public meeting on civil supersonic aircraft 
research. The public meeting will include presentations on current 
research programs and a question and answer session for attendees. The 
purpose of the meeting is to raise public awareness of the continuing 
technological advancements in supersonic aircraft technology aimed at 
reducing the intensity of sonic boom.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on Thursday, July 14, 2011, in 
Washington, DC from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to either 
come early or stay later to visit the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation 
(Gulfstream) Supersonic Acoustic Signature Simulator (SASSII) that will 
be outside of the Department of Transportation (DOT) building.
    Meeting registration is required by June 23; there is no 
registration fee. All participants are requested to register at the 
following Web site: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEFEdlRnYzBiaHZtTUozTHVtbkF4d0E6M.Q

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the DOT Headquarters 
building, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590, Conference 
Room Oklahoma A-C. The DOT building is located across the street from 
the Navy Yard Metro stop on the Green Line. Attendance is open to all 
interested parties; however, for building security requirements, please 
register by June 23 (see above for information on registration).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurette Fisher, Office of Environment 
and Energy (AEE-100), Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591; e-mail [email protected], 
facsimile (202) 267-5594, telephone (202) 267-3561 and Sandy Liu, 
Office of Environment and Energy (AEE-100), Federal Aviation 
Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591; e-
mail [email protected], facsimile (202) 267-5594, telephone (202) 493-
4864.
    Background: Since March 1973, supersonic flight over land by civil 
aircraft has been prohibited in the United States. The Concorde was the 
only civil supersonic airplane that offered service to the United 
States, but that airplane is no longer in service.
    The interest in supersonic aircraft technology has not disappeared. 
Current research is dedicated toward reducing the impact of sonic booms 
as they reach the ground, in an effort to make overland flight 
acceptable. Recent research has produced promising results for low boom 
intensity, and has renewed interest in developing supersonic civil 
aircraft that could be considered environmentally acceptable for 
supersonic flight over land.
    The FAA has held three previous public meetings. The first meeting 
was held in Chicago, IL on Friday, October 24, 2008, as part of the 
O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission Symposium. The second meeting was 
held in Palm Springs, CA on Sunday, March 1, 2009, as part of the 
Annual University of California Symposium on Aviation Noise and Air 
Quality. And, the third meeting took place on Wednesday, April 21, 
2010, as part of the joint meeting of the 159th Acoustical Society of 
America and NOISE-CON 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland 21202.
    The purpose of these meetings is to raise public awareness on 
advances in supersonic technology, and for the FAA, the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and industry to get 
feedback from interested persons.
    Highlighting the effort to raise awareness, Gulfstream has 
supported the FAA's public meetings by making its Supersonic Acoustic 
Signature Simulator II (SASSII) available for attendees to visit. The 
SASSII is a mobile audio booth designed and equipped to demonstrate the 
``Gulfstream Whisper'', the aerospace company's latest effort to 
provide a solution to the traditional sonic boom.
    A supersonic aircraft such as the Concorde in cruise produces a 
traditional jagged ``N-wave'' sonic boom pressure wave, resulting in a 
loud, jarring double boom on the ground as it passes by. Gulfstream's 
patented spike for controlling and reducing sonic boom transforms the 
traditional N-wave sonic boom into a smooth and more rounded pressure 
wave shaped roughly like a sine wave or a sideways ``S''. This change 
in the wave shape results in a softer sound that is quieter than the 
Concord sonic boom by a factor of 10,000. Gulfstream developed the 
mobile SASSII so others could experience this dramatic sound 
difference. The simulator enables visitors to sense for themselves the 
dramatic difference in sound, reverberation, and intensity. Using a 
sophisticated, computer-based audio system, the acoustic engineer sends 
the audio feed into a sound booth where visitors can compare various 
sound signatures.
    Public involvement is essential in any future definition of an 
acceptable new standard that would allow supersonic flights over land. 
We anticipate that this will be one of many meetings informing the 
public on the continual developments in the research of shaped sonic 
booms and other technical and environmental challenges that need to be 
addressed in developing a new supersonic airplane.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 18, 2011.
Lourdes Q. Maurice,
Executive Director, Office of Environment and Energy.
[FR Doc. 2011-12742 Filed 5-23-11; 8:45 am]
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