Why aren’t commercial flights getting faster? Dig into the technological and environmental problems facing supersonic flight.

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In 1996, a British Airways plane flew from New York to London in a record-breaking two hours and fifty-three minutes. Today, however, passengers flying the same route can expect to spend no less than six hours in the air — twice as long. So why, in a world where everything seems to be getting faster, have commercial flights lagged behind? Alex Gendler details the problems facing supersonic flight.

Lesson by Alex Gendler, directed by Zedem Media.

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View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-airplanes-slower-than-they-used-to-be-alex-gendler
Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-airplanes-slower-than-they-used-to-be-alex-gendler#digdeeper

Animator's website: https://www.zedemanimations.com/
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