In an era of aerospace marvels, the supersonic transport (SST) stood out. By the mid-1960s, multiple nations were pursuing the goal of an SST passenger jet. Imagine traveling from New York to L.A. in less than two hours ' it was the verge of a revolution in air travel! But there were problems. Budget overruns and projections of enormous operating costs were limiting the passenger SST's appeal. But the real death knell to an international fleet of SSTs was the excessive sound ' these super-fast jets were simply too noisy.