theficklefinger
Doesn't matter, the issue is dealing with a moving center of pressure...you either move the wing forward as the wings angle back, or you create a lifting surface(F14) that provides a stable center of pressure. Your 'Glove' as you call it creates a lot of lift, like most wings nearer the root...so the outside part of the wing can move back and not affect stability as much.
So the gloves on later planes were indeed larger? I suppose you're right in that it does produce a steady source of lift in that area. Regardless, the fact that as the wing pivots, some of the leading edge comes out and some trailing edge goes in seems to reduce the effect of C of P shift in addition to the glove producing a stable C of P in the middle.
The only thing keeping an aircraft from going faster are the rules of no super sonic flight over land
What I'm wondering is, would hypersonic planes be allowed to go over land (once they were fully hypersonic)? It sounds odd, but hypersonic planes have shockwaves so highly swept back to the extent that they usually don't reach the ground (atmospheric conditions tend to keep the wave from reaching the ground). You would have to get away from land to accelerate from supersonic to hypersonic, but once up to speed you could fly over land without booming anybody as far as I know so long as you don't slow down.
pilots that can't handle fast aircraft
What would prohibit a pilot from handling a fast aircraft?
cost issues related to ticket prices and such.
Probably the biggest obstacle