Son of Concorde
Flying at more than twice the speed of Concorde and five times the speed of sound, this hypersonic airliner is set to be the future of modern air travel. Looking like a supersonic passenger plane from Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds, the revolutionary aircraft with a top speed of 3,400mph aims to fly between London (or Brussels) and Sydney in under five hours. Billed as the “Son of Concorde”, the commercial plane is designed to carry 300 passengers and will reach speeds of Mach 5 – five times the speed of sound.
The ground-breaking aircraft - known as the A2 – is the work of British engineers at Reaction Engines Limited in Oxfordshire. At 433ft long (132m), the A2 is half the length of the Titanic and weighs 400 tons, lighter than a Boeing 747. Yet despite its length, the aircraft will be able to land on current international airport runways. In addition, its hi-tech liquid hydrogen-powered engines will produce few carbon emissions, making air travel much greener.
Is there a downside? Well, apparently there will be no windows, so everyone will have to jocky for aisle seats. More…
Doug
Cousin Mike thought my readers might enjoy listening to the conversations between Kennedy Ground Control and Speedbird2 immediately prior to the last New York-London flight of the Concorde on October 24, 2003, as it prepared for its final departure and subsequent retirement from flight service. Unless you’re familiar these communications, it may sound a little confusing. “Speedbird2 Heavy” (the Concorde) is coordinating taxi and takeoff instructions with “Ground [Control]” (the tower) during which the air traffic controllers offer appreciation and farewells to Concorde, and the flight crew responds. It’s a memorable moment in aviation history.
To listen, click here. (Requires Quicktime)
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Reader Comments (9)
That is one big-ass plane! But no windows? I suppose that must be for safety reasons, but what a problem for claustrophobics!
In the artist's example, even the pilots are windowless. How can that be? They wouldn't even be able to taxi or take off. So maybe there will be windows, they just don't show in the drawing.
But it is still one big aircraft!
Dude, 4G is cheap for a flight that takes 4 hours from england to australia. as an australian, I would pay that much not to have to travel 26 hours plus.
I flew the Concorde twice. It was a sweet ride. The price for this flight, assuming they could keep it at that price, is actually LESS expensive than the original. I flew NYC to London Heathrow for around $3500 for one way, but that was during the clearance special a few months before they stopped flying it. Normally it would be around $4500 each way. I thought I could get hit by a truck so live the dream. The coolest part was once over the Atlantic, feeling a slight push from the afterburners kicking in, and watching the sign at the front of the cabin go Mach 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, up to Mach 2. Plus they fed you till you couldn't eat any more. The idea of going the other way, leaving London at 10:30AM and arriving in NYC at 9:15AM was surreal. You arrived before you left. Damn I miss that plane!
One major problem with this plane: International law will prevent it from breaking the sound barrier over land. So what kind of route it could take from Europe to Australia and maintain supersonic speeds would be a mystery.
If the plane were flying high enough, would int'l law apply?
I am not acquainted with International law as it applies to aircraft breaking the sound barrier over land. Does it have something to do with difficulty tracking on radar, or is it because we don't want to hear sonic booms? Can someone tell me the exact legal reference?
Probably will never be built but if it is it will be one BAJ (Big Ass Jet)!
And I will right up front in line to take a transcontinental flight on the behemoth. Hope there are windows; I want to see how the ground looks at 3000mph!
How much will it cost by the time it is built? Who cares! I want to be on board!
Very cool. If I start saving now, maybe I will be able to buy a flight on this thing when (if) they get it built. It would be a fantastic experience.