It is a plane that could fly from New York to London in just three hours – and finally end the argument over who gets the window seat.
A firm attempting to build a private supersonic jet has revealed a prototype of its radical new ‘son of Concorde’ has flown for the first time.
The jet is an early unmanned prototype of the company’s 18 passenger S-512 Quiet Supersonic Jet, and the firm says the tests were a ‘huge success’ – although it has not released any pictures or video of it.
The latest design from Spike Aerospace has a new ‘blended wing’ and cabin walls that are giant video screens showing movies and even a live feed from cameras outside. It will seat up to 22 passengers, with a range of 6200 miles and a cruise speed of Mach 1.6, saving 50% on flight times.
It hopes to have the S-512 aircraft flying by early 2021, with customer deliveries beginning in 2023.
The S-512 will seat up to 22 passengers, with a range of 6200 miles and a cruise speed of Mach 1.6, saving 50% on flight times.
Vik Kachoria, President and CEO of Spike, said ‘The SX-1.2 test flights were conducted in a real world situation, and provide significantly more data than wind tunnel tests done in an artificial environment.
‘We were able to test not only handling, but also a range of other considerations.’
In total, seven short flights were performed to test the design and flight controls of the jet.
Between each test flight, adjustments were made to the aircraft’s center of mass, balance and control surfaces.
Additional performance data was observed and collected.
KrishnaKumar Malu piloted the aircraft, assisted by Mike Ridlon, at a private airfield in New England, and said ‘These test flights are providing incredibly valuable information which we can use to refine the design.
‘I am very excited about how helpful these tests will be to our supersonic development program.’
Work on SX-1.3, the next in the demonstrator series, has also begun.
The engineers, who have previously worked for aerospace giants such as Airbus, Gulfstream and Bombardier, have spent the past two years designing the luxury aircraft and believe the jet will be capable of flying between New York and London in three hours.
Significant engineering resources and assistance was provided by Siemens, Quartus, Aernnova, Greenpoint, BRPH and others who have all been part of the development efforts to date.
In the final jet, the entire cabin wall is a screen that can be turned into a giant window.
‘Flying 450 mph faster than any other civilian jet, the Spike S-512 will enable customers to do more and enjoy more out of life,’ the firm says
In total, seven short flights were performed to test the design and flight controls of the jet in the latest tests
‘London will be just 3 hours away from NYC – making day trips for business possible.
‘Or Paris to Dubai for shopping and entertainment and back home in time for dinner.’
Live video from outside the plane can create a panoramic image – or the passengers of the $60m jet can opt to have their family snaps shown or even watch a movie on the walls.
The original design was developed in 2013.
According to Senior Engineer Dr. Anutosh Moitra ‘the new delta wing of the S-512 delivers high aerodynamic efficiency and improved flight performance in both low-speed flight and supersonic cruise.
‘The highly swept leading-edge reduces wave drag and consequently reduces fuel burn and increases range.’
The new S-512 design allowed us to eliminate the horizontal tail resulting in further reduction of drag and weight, the firm said.
‘As we continue our engineering efforts, there will likely be additional changes to the aircraft that optimize flight and performance characteristics.
‘The latest design meets at the intersection of engineering, business requirements and market demand for an incredible supersonic business jet.’
Live video from outside the plane can create a panoramic image – or the passengers of the $60m jet can opt to have their family snaps shown or even watch a movie on the walls.
The supersonic jet has a revolutionary windowless passenger cabin. Instead, the interior walls will be covered with a thin display screen.
The Spike Aerospace S-512 claims to be the ‘first supersonic business jet’ and promises to cut flight times in half so that busy billionaires will be able to travel from New York to London in just three hours.
However, such convenience and speed comes at a price, as the jet will cost between $60million and $80million (£36.3million and £48.4million).
The engineers, who have previously worked for aerospace giants such as Airbus, Gulfstream and Bombardier, have spent the past two years designing the luxury aircraft and believe the jet will be capable of flying between New York and London in three hours.
LA to Tokyo will take just five hours and London to Mumbai, four hours, according to the firm.
The new supersonic jet will also feature a revolutionary windowless passenger cabin so no more glaring sun and no more shades to pull down or push up.
Instead, the interior walls will be covered with a thin display screens embedded into the wall.
Earlier versions of the design had a more traditional wing design
Cameras surrounding the entire aircraft will construct breathtaking panoramic views displayed on the cabin screens.
Passengers will be able to dim the screens to catch some sleep or change it to one of the many scenic images stored in the system.
‘There are several reasons for removing the windows from the cabin,’ the firm said.
‘It has long been known that the windows cause significant challenges in designing and constructing an aircraft fuselage. They require addition structural support, add to the parts count and add weight to the aircraft. But until recently, it has not been possible to do without them.
‘With the micro-cameras and flat displays now available, Spike Aerospace can eliminate the structural issues with windows and reduce the aircraft weight. In addition, the very smooth exterior skin will reduce the drag normally caused by having windows.’
Companies including NASA and Boeing are currently trying to develop supersonic aircraft of their own to reduce the noise – or boom – that the jets make when breaking the sound barrier.
Vik Kachoria, President and CEO of Spike Aerospace, wrote in a blog that Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, told a New York times Dealbook conference that ‘there’s an interesting opportunity to create a supersonic, electric, vertical take-off and landing jet.’
‘It seems unlikely to come from Boeing or Airbus, given that they seem to be focused on very incremental improvements to their planes as opposed to radical improvements. So it could come from a start-up.
‘If I were to have another company in the future, which would not be any time soon, I think that would be the thing do,’ he added.