Concorde Successor?

Its been 7 years since the Concorde was retired. Now, the Aerion Supersonic Business Jet (SBJ) promises to bring supersonic air travel back into reality. Right now, it is undergoing proof-of-concept aerodynamic testing in NASA wind tunnels and under the belly of a NASA F-15 (TechNewsDaily).

The SBJ is planned to carry up to 12 passengers at speeds of Mach 1.5.

Design...

The new wing design of the Concorde is, according to Brian Barents, vice chairman of Aerion, the prime factor that allows the SBJ to fly economically at subsonic and supersonic speeds, because it reduces drag.

This wing design can also be seen on the F-104 Starfighter, but according the Barents, it is the advancement of materials, such as carbon fiber, that enabled this design to be incorporated onto a passenger plane.

Subsonic speeds...

Because of the wing design of the SBJ, it will be able to fly economically at subsonic speeds, which means that the SBJ will able to operate in the US where supersonic flight is banned due to sonic booms. Its speed will remain at Mach 0.98, which reduces coast-to-coast flight by 41 minutes vs conventional aircraft (TechNewsDaily).

The Future...

High performance while satisfying environmental regulations, the SBJ already has orders and the company hopes that this new aircraft will be certified by the FAA and ready to go by 2015.

The Fall of the Concorde

The Concorde, introduced in 1976, was the first passenger airliner that traveled at supersonic speeds. This was the product of a joint venture between British and French companies and remained in operation until 2003.

The Concorde could supercruise at Mach 2.02 and had a top speed of Mach 2.04.

Design...

The Concorde utilized a revolutionary dart wing design for passenger planes, obviously for increased speed. It also had a double-delta wing design that allowed for landing at lower speeds. Also, it had a nose that could "droop" down that allowed for better landing visibility.

Early production setback...

The original plan for the Concorde was to have 300 built. However, due to an Arab oil embargo, oil prices rose steeply and orders were swiftly cancelled. In the end, only 20 aircraft were ever built. These were operated by British Airways, Air France, Singapore Airlines, and Braniff International Airways.

Retirement...

The Concorde was facing retirement by the 21st century. It had a dated cockpit with analog dials and controls (since there were no competing aircraft, there was no pressure to upgrade) and an airframe worn down by close to 30 years of service.

The crash on July 25, 2000 sealed the deal. Although this was the only accident in Concorde history, the lost confidence in Concorde was never regained and passenger numbers remained low.

Finally, on November 26, 2003, Concorde G-BOAF of British Airways, the last Concorde still in service, made is retirement flight to Filton, Bristol, UK, her place of birth.

Fuel Efficiency (or inefficiency)...

The Concorde was a fuel consuming beast. The passenger mile to US gallon ratio for a 747 was 109 while the ratio for a Concorde was 14.

An Interesting Fact...

• The Concorde could cross the Atlantic in 3 hours, which meant that European passengers could arrive earlier than when they left!

Supercruise - What is it?

Supercruise is a term that describes sustained supersonic flight without the use of afterburners, hence the name super (supersonic) cruise (cruising).

The first plane that could supercruise was the English Electric Lightning introduced in 1954. From then on, many other planes had this feature.

Some of them include: the F-22 Raptor, the SR-71 Blackbird, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Su-35BM, the JAS 39 Gripen, and the Concorde.