Rockwell Collins has received a two-year NASA contract to develop a concept for a cockpit display that will provide a visual representation of an aircraft’s sonic boom over the Earth’s surface in an attempt to mitigate its effect on populated areas. The avionics maker’s findings will be implemented in NASA’s High Speed Project, which is aimed at providing the research and leadership to develop a new generation of supersonic civil transport aircraft.
“For supersonic travel over land to happen, pilots will need an intuitive display that tells them where the aircraft’s sonic boom is occurring,” said John Borghese, vice president of the manufacturer’s advanced technology center. “Our team of experts will investigate how best to show this to pilots in the cockpit and develop guidance to most effectively modify the aircraft’s flight path to avoid populated areas or prevent sonic booms.”