Supersonic Airliner (Hansard, 3 December 1962)

§ 75. Mr. Bowles
asked the Minister of Aviation what is the estimated landing speed of the proposed new supersonic airliner.

§ Mr. Amery
It is estimated that the landing speed will be close to that of the Boeing 707, i.e., in the region of 135 knots.

76. Mr. Gresham Cooke
asked the Minister of Aviation whether the new supersonic airliners are expected to operate regularly from London Airport; and how their take-off noise is expected to compare with that of the Boeing 707.

§ Mr. Amery
Yes. The aircraft will climb away from the airport at a steeper angle than the Boeing 707 and at the check point, it is estimated that the noise will be lower than that of the 707.
On the ground at the side of the runway it is thought that the noise on take-off will be greater than that of the 707.

77. Mr. Gresham Cooke
asked the Minister of Aviation at what distance from the take-off airport the new supersonic airliners would be expected to produce a supersonic bang; and what study he has made of the effect of this on residents near the airport.

§ Mr. Amery
Supersonic speed would not normally be attained until the aircraft was about 100 miles away from the airfield from which it had taken off. The sonic bang produced would not, therefore, affect residents near that airfield.

§ Mr. Lubbock
asked the Minister of Aviation what is the anticipated cruising height of the Anglo-French mach 2.2 airliner.

§ Mr. Amery
It is estimated that the normal cruising height will vary between 55,000 and 60,000 feet.

§ Mr. Lubbock
asked the Minister of Aviation what would be the estimated dose in millirems sustained by the crew of an aircraft such as the mach 2.2 airliner in a typical year of maximum solar 131W flare intensity on the North Atlantic route, giving the components due to galactic and solar radiation separately; what is the value in rad of each type of radiation within the above categories; what are the Relative Biological Effectivenesses assumed for each; and on what basis are the Relative Biological Effectivenesses calculated, and by whom.

§ Mr. Amery
The dose received by the crew of an aircraft such as the mach 2.2 airliner in a typical year on the North Atlantic route would be derived almost solely from galactic radiation, since warning systems on the ground and in the aircraft would enable exposure to solar flares of appreciable intensity to be avoided. On the evidence at present available, it is estimated (on pessimistic assumptions) that this dose would be rather less than half that internationally accepted as the normal maximum (5,000 millirems) for radiation workers. The following table sets out the components of this close and shows the values of Relative Biological Effectiveness recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection:

— Dose in rads Relative Biological Effectiveness

Per cent.

1. High energy photons (e.g. gamma rays) 3 1

2. Singly charged non-nuclear interacting particles (e.g. electrons and mu-mesons) 40 1

3. Singly charged nuclear interacting particles (e.g. protons and pi-mesons) 40 10

4. Neutrons 17 10

—	Dose in rads	Relative Biological Effectiveness
	Per cent.
1. High energy photons (e.g. gamma rays)	3	1
2. Singly charged non-nuclear interacting particles (e.g. electrons and mu-mesons)	40	1
3. Singly charged nuclear interacting particles (e.g. protons and pi-mesons)	40	10
4. Neutrons	17	10