Beyond Concorde: The Rise and Fall of Boeing's 2707

Uncover the lost story of the Boeing 2707, a supersonic jetliner that could have revolutionized air travel. Delve into its design, development, and the compelling "what if" scenarios. Join us on Megaprojects and discover why the world should still be salty about its cancellation. If you've ever wondered about the untold potential of supersonic flight, this episode is a must-watch!

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[joelellis]

The B-1 Lancer was developed by Rockwell. Rockwell's Aviation division was sold to Boeing in 1996, well after the B-1 entered service. The design of the Lancer is not attributed to the Boeing SST project.

[Jayjay-qeum]

Seattle's NBA basketball team, formed in 1967, was named Seattle SuperSonics (shortened to "Sonics"). The name was inspired by the newly won SST contract.

[lorensims]

As a Sputnik baby, I grew up with the American space program, I also watched the development of the Boeing SST. In the early sixties, it was not unusual for us to experience sonic booms in East Central Illinois, with supersonic overflights being almost routine. These decreased markedly toward the end of the decade.
I remember reading detailed descriptions of the design decisions of the SST and the often over-the-top concerns of the environmentalists.
I remember the news when the SST was canceled and of all the layoffs in the Seattle area.
One day in the mid-eighties I was driving to work and I looked over at the city. The airport was across town and we often saw planes taking off overhead. I noticed a plane low to the horizon and marveled that the overlap of the wings and tail planes made it look like a delta wing.
I watched it occasionally as it climbed and the separate wings did not resolve. It WAS a delta wing!
It was in fact the Concorde! I had seen a story on the news that it was supposed to be making a stop at our airport. After reading about them for years this was the first time I actually got to see a real, functioning SST.

[thekeytoairpower]

Rockwell built the B1, not Boeing. Boeing just bought a few divisions of Rockwell in the 2000s

[shorttimer]

Mom, who worked as an engineering aid at Boeing's wind tunnel, took me along when Boeing set up walk throughs of the full size SST mockup. The only thing I really remember is it felt larger inside than what the Concord looked like, and the way the nose folded down so the pilots could see the runway just looked weird.

I do not know if she worked on the SST, but I do know she was on the Dyna Soar project, a manned intercontinental ballistic bomber. I always wondered how the crew was supposed to return since they would no longer have that booster rocket...

[ScotsmanDougal]

Contrary to popular belief, the image at 11:17 isn't an aircraft hitting the sound barrier and creating a sonic boom. It's called a vapour cone which happens at transonic speeds, not supersonic.

[adamdubin]

You forgot the X-59 QUESST, It is a single seat proof of concept aircraft built by Lockheed Martin for NASA and if the aircraft lives up to the design work that went in, it could lead to significantly quieter super sonic aircraft.

[PhantomFilmAustralia]

I can't imagine the name *"BOOM"* would instill much comfort and reassurance to boarding passengers.

[jonmoceri]

I grew up in Seattle when the SST was canceled and remember seeing the billboard "Will the Last Person Leaving Seattle -- Turn out the Lights."


On April 16, 1971, real-estate agents Bob McDonald and Jim Youngren put the words, "Will the last person leaving SEATTLE -- Turn out the lights" on a billboard at S 167th Street and Pacific Highway S near Sea-Tac International Airport. The two realtors, who work for Henry Broderick, Inc., put up the billboard as a humorous response to pessimism generated by the national aerospace industry's nosedive, known locally as the Boeing Bust.

The recession came as The Boeing Company, the region's largest employer, went from a peak of 100, 800 employees in 1967 to a low of 38, 690 in April 1971. McDonald said their out-of-town clients "were amazed that Seattle wasn’t a ghost town with weeds growing in the streets. We wanted to counteract that attitude with a little humor" (Duncan). They chose a billboard site that they inevitably passed after picking up their clients at the airport. The men rented the billboard for $160.

The Boeing recovery began slowly: By October 1971 the firm employed 53, 300 workers.

[Shannon-ijpm]

Years ago I worked for Boeing at the Everett plant (think 777, 767 and 747) and during lunch one day I wandered around the West end of the plant and walked into a large storage warehouse and a full sized mock up of the SST was just sitting there. I was just staring, gobsmacked, looking at history. When Simon said it was beautiful, it really was.

[sundragon]

Concerns with respect to high altitude sonic booms are over-rated if not fear-mongering. When I was a college student in eastern Washington in the 1980s, SR-71s routinely flew over when returning from their missions. Though a dot in the sky that left two contrails, SR-71s were the ridiculously fastest dots in the sky. The sonic booms that followed were much less than a weak door slam. If you want jarring, try an F-16 executing a high speed pass at a big air show where no car alarm would be safe. (Ever wondered what 15, 000 car alarms sounds like?)

[willfrankunsubscribed]

Boeing didn't design or build the B-1 Lancer. It was designed by Rockwell. None of Boeing's design elements for their SST went into the B-1's design.

[goodfes]

I always remember an english engineer when Concorde was being developed stating the B2707 just wanted fly too fast, the technology for a commercial plane at such a speed every few hours just didn't exist. Concorde (& the tu144) were really pushing the boundaries. I think the fact nothing commercially has come since backs that statement from the 70's up 100%. In 50 years since there is nothing to match these aspirations. If I was a betting man probably space-x might deliver the next big transcontinental breakthrough not

[maximusmagni]

Those advancements that you mentioned: better engines, lighter and stronger materials, etc would have also helped make subsonic planes even cheaper. Also with the TSA requiring 2+ hours to get through security, saving a few hours off your flight isn't as big of a deal. I would imagine there would be even more pressure on supersonic flights to makes the seats even smaller than they already are. The more efficient subsonic flights could have bigger and more comfortable seats for the same cost, at the expense of twice the flight time but not the TSA time.

[Turbo]

I would love to see a video on that Boom overture aircraft, that would be pretty dope. Thanks as always for the content, love you Simon!

[samseal]

Boeing got into a death spiral with the SST (if you’ll excuse the horrendous pun). It was designed to be bigger and up to 50% faster than Concorde. It was the speed that eventually killed it because the technology wasn’t there yet. The spiral they got into was more speed, more weight, fewer passengers, reduced profit margins, bigger plane, bigger engines, more weight etc etc etc
That 50% speed advantage was an attempt to get to Mach 3 over Concorde’s Mach 2, with more than double the passenger numbers. At the time nobody could have made a plane to hit those goals.

[ignitionfrn]

1:10 - Chapter 1 - Design & development
6:50 - Chapter 2 - What would have been
13:50 - Chapter 3 - Hindsights's 20/20
PS: Farewell the Hop-flight !!! RIP to the GOAT...

[raymondhowsham]

I understand the Rolls-Royce who Boom had contracted to do a feasibility study on developing engines for the Overture have concluded that while physically possible it would not be economically viable.

[justandy]

I'm still absolutely astounded by the engineering hurdles Concorde engineers had to overcome to build this aircraft. It is a true marvel of engineering prowess!
I must of watched a tonne of documentaries about it and it still amazes me. This was all done in the age before computers.
On of the major factors that led to the downfall of the 2707 was boeing was in severe financial trouble. The development of both the 747 and the 2707 had the company hemorraging money. And the lenders were just about ready to pull the plug. So boeing had to take drastic measures to save the company. They had to drop the 2707 sadly.
Luckily the 747 was a booming success and it all worked out. They had to make the sacrifice, they didn't have much choice.

[dazzlernator]

Simon: "At the end of this video, you would be salty."
No, Simon, I'm already a salty Brit over 2707. When Boeing pulled the plug, it essentially became a case of "If the US can't have its own supersonic airliner, we'll limit the opportunities for everyone else." Banning supersonic air travel over the US was definitely a ruse to curb Concorde's commercial opportunities, even with the truth of sonic booms causing building damage.