Supersonic Business Jet Future

Remember the Concorde?

I can't believe it has been several years now since this supersonic jet terminated its flights from New York and London or New York and Paris. But the demand for supersonic long range travel has never diminished. Luckily a number of entrepreneurs are well- situated to meet that demand, fortunately - with supersonic business jets.

The fastest business jet presently, on the market is the Citation X. At 0.9 Mach, it almost matches the speed of sound; that's 90% (761mi/hr), that is at top speed approximately 685 mph (1102 kph).

However that's top speed, were not talking consistent cruising speed. At this speed you can still fly from N.Y. to London roughly around 5hrs.

Wouldn't it be terrific if that were nearer to 3 hours?

The prototype supersonic business jets that are on the drawing board right now have potential to do just that.

The first model is expected to be delivered by 2011, Aerion is backed by financing from Texas billionaire Robert Bass, and the know-how of knowledgeable engineers, and several highly experienced executives. Although any business plan can go wrong, notably when breaking new ground, the company has a solid plan and sensible technology.

Considerable amount of existing technology already has been used by SBJ, so the danger of failure due to untested technique is a great deal lower. The plane design, at the same time is pioneering in its handling of technical difficulties like airflow and sonic boom generation. However those two concerns are being properly deal with.

The laminar flow design works, this was proven through wind tunnel tests, Richard Tracy; the brains behind the project have been developing the idea for over 20 years.

What is Laminar flow or streamline flow? It is a steady uninterrupted flow of gas or liquid, between like layers.

Traveling or going above the speed of sound isn't allowed over major cities, but is allowed over open areas like the ocean. That suggests that supersonic jets can push the speed limits in areas where booms are permitted and fly just below Mach 1.

Many other jet designers and companies in the past decade have tried to develop a supersonic private business jet, but failed. Some of the notorious reasons for some of these failures are politics, technological limitations, joint business ventures, joint business and government venture or lose of interest over time. There's a Russian company called Tupolev; who's been working on this problem for many years with out any resolution. Gulfstream and a Moscow business called Sukhoi had a joint project going but it came to an end after a few years.

Well known for their expertise in this field, but no one know if they will succeed. More than twice the speed of a commercial jet, the jet will achieve the speed of 1,200 miles per hour (Mach 1.6).The luxurious 30-foot cabin will accommodate up to 12 passengers in comfort at the same time.

It appears that Lockheed and a few of its business partners have plans in the works, but it looks like they are way behind Aerion.

Is competition good for business?

Yes, competition in most cases is always a good thing.

The $80 million planned price tag is a little bit on the high side for a small business jet, but there is a market and many potential buyers are already lining up to purchase this jet once it's rolled out. It's very likely that Bass and Tracy can deliver on their promises to revolutionize the Supersonic business jet industry, and isn't that what this is all about.