Supersonic Transports-Life in the Heat Thicket

With the supersonic airplane's skin hot enough to broil a steak, the cabin atmosphere inside has to be as comfortable and safe as it is in subsonic jet transports. Factors that influence the design of the environmental system, such as amount of fresh air, composition of the cabin atmosphere, heat transfer, penalties, safety, and reliability, are briefly described.

From numerous possible systems, examples of three different approaches are given. The importance of establishing a correct and complete problem statement (before expenditure of effort toward solution of the problem) is stressed.