Son of Concorde News

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Aerion, the company developing the AS2 alongside Airbus, has announced that the jets will be powered by General Electric engines, allowing them to reach Mach 1.5, or one-and-a-half times the speed of sound.

The Aerion AS2 business jet will fly at a top speed of 1,150 mph (1,851km/h), which is almost as fast as Concorde, which flew at 1,350 mph (2,170 km/h).

The team has so far made initial designs for a carbon-fiber wing structure, fuselage, landing gear and a fuel system.

Design features include wings which reduce overall drag by 20 per cent, allowing for lower fuel consumption and longer range and a luxurious 30ft-long (nine-metre) cabin that will seat up to 12 passengers.

'We see clear and achievable technical solutions to the design of a supersonic jet, and a realistic road map for helping Aerion proceed toward construction and flight,' said Airbus senior vice president Ken McKenzie.

Airbus will provide all the major components and Aerion – a company backed by Texas-based billion Robert Bass - will complete the final assembly.

 

[P4-630]

@trump if you still have some cash left after being president, you want one....

 

[rtwjunkie]

Hmmmm ..... remarkably similar design to the F-104 Starfighter, which also looked good design-wise. Pilots called it the Widowmaker instead of the Starfighter.

 

[RealNeil]

Hmmmm ..... remarkably similar design to the F-104 Starfighter, which also looked good design-wise. Pilots called it the Widowmaker instead of the Starfighter.

You are right about the Starfighter, it was sold to other countries to use and it should have been retired.

As for the AS2,.....such little wing surface means very little gliding prowess if engine power is lost. This one needs those two GE engines to work flawlessly all of the time.

 

[Ferrum Master]

well... ain't it she?

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

The best glide ratio of the Concorde at subsonic speed is around 7/8 : 1 (dependent on load) which is about half of an A330 or B777

If a Concorde at it's cruising altitude of 60,000 feet lost power it could theoretically glide only about 80 miles.

 

[Ferrum Master]

Well best bet would be using variable sweep wings actually... Dunno why not.

 

[RealNeil]

If a Concorde at it's cruising altitude of 60,000 feet lost power it could theoretically glide only about 80 miles.

And that means little on a trans oceanic flight. (location would be key)
Also, landing that airframe without power would be a nightmare.

 

[ne6togadno]

very little gliding prowess

you'd be supriced what wing root extensions can achieve

This one needs those two tree GE engines to work flawlessly all of the time

normaly should be able to "land" even with only one engine running

 

[rtwjunkie]

normaly should be able to "land" even with only one engine running

Normal plane with larger wing area, yes, although with difficulty in some cases. This thing, not so much. That design is aerodynamic and has very little lift unless at near-supersonic or above speeds with those stubby little wings.

 

[qubit]

I'm not terribly impressed. Concord was designed in the 60s and could do mach 2, so any replacement should so at least that much, maybe mach 3. Interesting that it doesn't have a delta wing design, which would look way cooler and is usually the best shape for supersonic aircraft. Perhaps they designed them like this so that the aircraft would have a lower takeoff and landing speed.

 

[rtwjunkie]

Perhaps they designed them like this so that the aircraft would have a lower takeoff and landing speed.

Except less lift (small wing area)= more speed needed for both landing and takeoff. Low speed= instability with this design.

 

[Gasaraki]

@trump if you still have some cash left after being president, you want one....

He's making hand over fist as president. I don't see how he can't buy one.

 

[rtwjunkie]

He's making hand over fist as president. I don't see how he can't buy one.

No salary for him. Living on his savings and investments from the businesses. so while he might still be makling money hand over fist, it's not in his capacity as president.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I seem to remember a fighter jet that looked like this... Either made by the Russians or the Koreans. I dont know the model name so I can only google image search it so im not sure if it actually exists or if its something that i saw in Ace Combat games


::EDIT::

Not the one im looking for but similar...

X-3 Stiletto

X-15 Rocket Plane

 

[qubit]

Except less lift (small wing area)= more speed needed for both landing and takeoff. Low speed= instability with this design.

Yes, the wings do indeed look a little tiddly. That usually implies a faster aircraft, so I dunno what's going on with this design. I guess you'd have to ask them, lol.

 

[rtwjunkie]

I seem to remember a fighter jet that looked like this... Either made by the Russians or the Koreans. I dont know the model name so I can only google image search it so im not sure if it actually exists or if its something that i saw in Ace Combat games


::EDIT::

Not the one im looking for but similar...

X-3 Stiletto

X-15 Rocket Plane

Are you sure you aren't thinking of the F-104, which I mentioned earlier?

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Are you sure you aren't thinking of the F-104, which I mentioned earlier?

nope, though the starfighter was the first thing that passed my mind when i clicked on the thread

 

[rtwjunkie]

nope, though the starfighter was the first thing that passed my mind when i clicked on the thread

Hmmm, now you've got me curious.

 

[Fourstaff]

I wonder if the drag by additional engine is worth the extra safety.

 

[infrared]

Looks like a nice design. Although the wings are short they are quite broad, I doubt they'll have any problems with lift and no-power landings. I'm surprised they haven't gone for mach 2+ though, maybe they're trying to make it more economical to run.

It'll be cool to have another supersonic passenger aircraft, concord was an incredible plane, I was gutted when they grounded them.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

I wonder if the drag by additional engine is worth the extra safety.

a few parachutes would be cheaper.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Looks like a nice design. Although the wings are short they are quite broad, I doubt they'll have any problems with lift and no-power landings. I'm surprised they haven't gone for mach 2+ though, maybe they're trying to make it more economical to run.

It'll be cool to have another supersonic passenger aircraft, concord was an incredible plane, I was gutted when they grounded them.

The Problem with the A52 is it can only carry 12 passengers. Its really just a glorified private jet that will get you and your entourage halfway across the world faster. Price of a seat for commercial purposes will be phenomenal.

 

[64K]

I guess people who would want the convenience of really fast trans-atlantic flight would be willing to pay the bill but wasn't that one of the things that ended the Concorde? Financial problems due to the costs to run and it sat 92 to 128 passengers?

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

To break even Concorde needed 33 passengers though i often saw her fly with a lot less on board. The service was run no matter how many passengers were on board, for positioning purposes.

During the time that Concorde was out of service many of her passengers were lured away by other airlines and of course the world changed a lot after 9/11.

The overriding factor is the cost and supply of certified parts.