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United States Supersonic Transport Program (Friedman) Collection

Online Media

Catalog Data

Creator:
Friedman, Robert K.  Search this
Names:
American Supersonic Transport Program  Search this
Boeing Company  Search this
Federal Aviation Administration  Search this
General Electric Company  Search this
Friedman, Robert K.  Search this
Extent:
5.45 Cubic feet ((5 records center boxes) (1 flatbox))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Correspondence
Publications
Charts
Audiotapes
Posters
Press releases
Reports
Date:
1960-1975
bulk 1962-1965
Scope and Contents:
This collection is the files of Robert K. Friedman (Chief, FAA SST Support Division) on the development of commercial SST capability in the United States. The material consists primarily of technical and research reports, but also press releases, marketing procedures, proposals, assessment and evaluation reports on the entire SST program. The collection also includes material on foreign and U. S. military research, applications of supersonics and sonic booms and marketing and presentation material from Lockheed, Boeing, North American and Convair. This collection also has miscellaneous items including copies of the first FAA anti-hijacking poster, seven open reel audio tapes (one on SST program, six on hijacking), and a set of charts used for demonstration and training on management of aircraft design and procurement.
Biographical / Historical:
The United States' Supersonic Transport (SST) program was initiated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1963. The program aimed for a Mach 2+ aircraft capable of carrying c.300 passengers with intercontinental range. The US aimed to outstrip the British Aerospace/Aerospatiale Concorde and Soviet Tu 144 programs through the use of advanced technology and materials. By the late 1960s contracts had been let to prime contractors Boeing (airframe) and General Electric (engines) but the program was four to five years behind the European and Soviet efforts, which had graduated to supersonic flight testing while the US program had yet to pass beyond the mockup stage. In 1971 the slow pace of technical; development, environmental concerns, high costs, and questions over the commercial feasibility of the aircraft led Congress to cancel the program.
Provenance:
Robert K. Friedman, Gift, 1987, 1987-0130, not NASM
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
Concorde, Production Airframe  Search this
Concorde (Jet transports)  Search this
Aeronautics -- Safety measures  Search this
Aircraft industry  Search this
Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this
Aeronautics  Search this
Airplanes -- Design and construction  Search this
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this
Aircraft industry -- United States  Search this
Supersonic transport planes  Search this
High-speed aeronautics  Search this
Tupolev Tu-144 Charger Family  Search this
Hijacking of aircraft  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Correspondence
Publications
Charts
Audiotapes
Posters
Press releases
Reports
Identifier:
NASM.1987.0130
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2d3cc8960-52bc-4dd7-a804-d07e6fc639b3
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-1987-0130