An exciting and amazing era in aviation has come to an end with the retirement of the supersonic transport (SST) plane from active duty. It all started with the invention of the jet aircraft engine by the Germans during WWII that gave man the ability to fly at hitherto unattainable speeds. Subsequent to this discovery, planes kept going faster and faster until the only limit was the sound barrier. This was the point at which the plane approached the speed of sound. When that happened, it was as if the plane hit a brick wall, and any attempt to penetrate it resulted in violent vibration and structural damage to the plane. The engineers then postulated that if this barrier could be penetrated rapidly enough, then the shock wave would be out in front of the plane instead of on the plane itself. So they designed a plane that was very streamlined and very powerful, and it worked. Once they passed through the barrier there was no vibration.
This research resulted in the SST; perhaps the most marvelous achievement of modern aeronautical engineering. The SST could fly at twice the speed of sound (Mach 2), about 1200 mph, and could make a transatlantic flight in four hours. However, there were four problems that ultimately led to its demise; first, because of the sonic boom it produced, it could not fly over inhabited land areas at supersonic speed, so it was restricted to flights over open oceans and landings at coastal towns; second, to attain such high velocity required a huge fuel supply, and as fuel and maintenance costs escalated, income could not keep up with expenses; third, the high price of a ticket limited the flights to the rich and famous; fourth, the aftereffects of 9-11, plus the competition of large capacity jets capable of transatlantic flight, caused a decrease in the number of passengers.
As advanced as it was in aeronautical design and speed, the SST is no match for a Super Light-speed Transport (SLT). Envisioned by sci-fi writers in Star Trek and other space adventure stories, the concept of warp, or super light speed, has been introduced. If there really are such celestial vehicles, they must travel at tremendous speeds to span the immense distances of space. The Bible feebly but picturesquely describes Jesus' return to earth to be like lightning {Matt. 24:27}, and His vehicle is described as a cloudy chariot (Acts 1:9,10). This celestial chariot must have a propulsion system that we can't even imagine, and an antigravity mechanism that will enable it to hover in a stationary orbit as the saints are being transported to it by angels. What a thrill it will be to board that magnificent flagship surrounded by a cloud of thousands of angels for a journey to the stars, to hear the voice of Jesus welcoming us aboard, to be a passenger on "the flight of the SLT."
