The return of supersonic flight?

New York to Paris in three and a half hours? Those with the money enjoyed amazingly quick travel times across the Atlantic, courtesy of the Concorde, for 27 years. Alas, those flights ended in 2003, following the aircraft's fatal (and first) crash in July 2000 and the general troubles that impacted the airline industry following 9/11.

The Concorde may be gone, but interest in supersonic travel -- which cuts flying in time by more than half in most cases -- remains high. The only real trouble, of course, is all the noise. Once a plane passes through the sound barrier (Mach 1), a defeaning sonic boom erupts. The loudness of that crack has prevented supersonic flight from ever being allowed over inhabited areas due to the disturbance it creates on the ground below.

Now comes word that there might be a solution to the sonic boom issue, with NASA and aircraft manufacturer Gulfstream collaborating on the creation of system that would severely dampen the loud crack of a sonic boom. The idea: A telescoping pole that sticks out up to 24 feet from the front of the aircraft and which disrupts the formation of the sonic boom almost completely. According to Pilotbug, the so-called Quiet Spike still causes the aircraft to create a sound, but one which is "10,000 times quieter than the Concorde." Additional improvements in the design of the aircraft's wings and body also help to muffle the noise.

The FAA has said it's interested in seeing the system in action, and has said that if supersonic aircraft can meet its general noise restrictions it would likely approve supersonic flights over U.S. territory. LAX to JFK in two hours? It's hardly anything you'd want to put money on yet, but it just might be on the horizon...