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Airbus to help develop first supersonic business jet
How would you like to trim three hours off the current commercial jet flight time between Paris and Washington, D.C.? (www.cnn.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Sounds awesome! Hopefully it doesn't end up like Concord.
The 0.1% need a faster way to take our money.
As has been mentioned Gulfstream has been working on this for years. And on the "QT" I've been told they have had the technology for several years now. Two problems, restrictions still in place on super sonic flight over land, and size of the market. Airbus doesn't have the same issues with profitability that other manufactures have. Gulfstream's not going to build it if it's not going to be a money maker. They have stockholders to deal with.
The article simply announces and "sells" the new entrant, Aerion and Airbus, into the QSSBJ market. Interesting technology and business one-upmanship, but not very informative. Doubts as to the viability are reasonable in the near term, ten to twenty years. In the long term, I suspect it is inevitable.
I do see major obstacles. First, to be useful over land it will require a rewrite of the regulations on supersonic flight all over the world. Second type certification, and third actually delivering real ROI for the customer(s).
That last one is not easy. Fuel consumption goes up on a nasty looking curve above Mach1. The specific technical areas likely to impact that, are airfoil design, and engine nacelle and inlet designs. Great strides have been made since a quarter century ago, but the numbers still do not look good to me. Specifically to get a similar mass to a big Gulfstream, and and assuming fuel capacity as a design priority, one might expect a sub-sonic range just over 4000 miles. Dial it up to a Mach1.4 and your range is down in the mid two thousands.
Just for reference NYC to London is about 3500, (the 4k with a nice reserve). What do you do with an airplane that can only fly supersonic over water, but does not have the range to do intercontinental above Mach1? Regulations, and red tape will keep this in the dream stage for quite a while yet.
I do see major obstacles. First, to be useful over land it will require a rewrite of the regulations on supersonic flight all over the world. Second type certification, and third actually delivering real ROI for the customer(s).
That last one is not easy. Fuel consumption goes up on a nasty looking curve above Mach1. The specific technical areas likely to impact that, are airfoil design, and engine nacelle and inlet designs. Great strides have been made since a quarter century ago, but the numbers still do not look good to me. Specifically to get a similar mass to a big Gulfstream, and and assuming fuel capacity as a design priority, one might expect a sub-sonic range just over 4000 miles. Dial it up to a Mach1.4 and your range is down in the mid two thousands.
Just for reference NYC to London is about 3500, (the 4k with a nice reserve). What do you do with an airplane that can only fly supersonic over water, but does not have the range to do intercontinental above Mach1? Regulations, and red tape will keep this in the dream stage for quite a while yet.
Google "Sonic Whisper" and "Quiet Spike", and/or check out this link: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/apl/noise_emissions/supersonic_aircraft_noise/media/BaltimorePublicMeeting-Gulfstream.pdf
These paper airplanes will never fly. Mach 4 for the HyperMach jet?!? Even the SR-71 had a reported max speed of Mach 3.3-ish...
Interesting that there is no mention of Gulfstream's Quiet Supersonic Jet (QSJ) project... I guess they're keeping that one... Ahem... Quiet? ;)
Interesting that there is no mention of Gulfstream's Quiet Supersonic Jet (QSJ) project... I guess they're keeping that one... Ahem... Quiet? ;)