The Engineer Q&A breaks the sound barrier

NASA and Airbus are among the organisations that have recently revealed that they are working on concepts for supersonic passenger vehicles, but after rhe commercial failure of Concorde, is there really a future for ever-faster transport? Can supersonic flight ever be fuel-efficient, quiet enough for flightpaths overinhabited regions, comfortable to use and affordable for enough people to make a profit for operators? Will supersonic planes always be small and exclusive?

We’re assembling a panel of experts from aircraft makers, propulsion specialists and airlines to answer these questions and any others our readers want explored. Please use the comments on this article to send in your questions on supersonic technologies for passenger flight by 5pm on Wedenesday 19th August, and we’ll publish answers to the most pertinent questions in our September issue and online.