As a Mechanical Engineer with
As a Mechanical Engineer with some graduate level study of advanced aerodynamics & propulsion systems under Dr. M.H. Jones, I agree that the industry has stagnated with the loss of the Concord. Supersonic flight takes lots of energy, however such could become much more economical using electricity, and the flight technique of atmospheric skipping as proposed by NASA. If Elon Musk is touting the idea of electric flight, he likely already has some basic patents on how he would accomplish it. An electric propulsion system would likely be powered by a combination of batteries for high energy usage during takeoff and climb out, with fuel cells to provide energy for sustained flight in order to reduce the total weight requirements for sustained propulsion energy storage. It would be quite interesting to be part of his design team for this project.