Imagine getting from New York City to London in four hours. Sounds ridiculous, right? Believe it or not, this idea is closer than you might have thought because of the evolution of supersonic business jets.
With North American international trade having expanded beyond the BRIC countries, companies have increasingly found themselves doing business with destinations including Australia, Malaysia, South Korea, Turkey, South Africa, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. This increase in international trade has concurrently increased the demand for heavy aircraftcapable of traveling to Asia with one or no stops at all. With such heavy demand, there has become a market for people to buy and flip jets.
Despite some of the newest business jets (including the Bombardier Global 8000 or the Gulfstream G650) having the ability to travel to some destinations non-stop, these trips take a massive toll on those who travel regardless of how comfortable the flight experience is. It is not uncommon for executives to take at least one trip per month to do business in South America or Asia and vice versa. Although heavy jets are sufficient for some travelers, many are stuck wondering why aviation has not advanced to supersonic business jets.
Supersonic business jets are aircraft that are designed to fly at a minimum of Mach 1.0. The fastest prototypes are projected to fly at a remarkable Mach 1.8, and in comparison, the next closest business aircraft is the G650 which travels at Mach 0.925, almost half the speed of the prototypes. While there are currently no supersonic business jets on the market, there are a number of smaller companies that have been developing supersonic business jets with the intention of rolling their prototype out in the next couple years. Part of the reason the majoraircraft manufacturers have shied away from supersonic business jets is because of the Concorde.
THE CONCORDE TAKING OFF.
The Concorde is an aircraft that was the first supersonic aircraft that transported up to one hundred passengers and debuted in 1976. Concorde stayed in business for twenty-seven years and primarily serviced longer flights from Paris or London to New York. While only around twenty were produced, it was considered one of the most phenomenal developments in aviationuntil it tragically crashed on July 25, 2000, killing 113 people.
Another challenge that aircraft manufacturers face is the regulations the FAA and other organizations put on flying any aircraft faster than Mach 1.0. Their rationale is that flying anything above Mach 1.0 causes a loud boom that is capable of significantly disrupting everyday life. Although this is a valid point, one must also wonder if part of the regulation over this aircraft is a result of the tragic Concorde accident in the year 2000.
Through the regulation, danger and doubt, companies including Aerion and Spike have continued to develop their prototypes. In a recent interview with Aerion at NBAA in Vegas, a representative from Aerion indicated that they will begin testing their aircraft in 2019 and will release it to the general public in 2021. With a heavy backing and an equally heavy following, the hype for this and the Spike S-512 is tremendous. The Spike S-512 is a business jet with a similar interior configuration to the Aerion business aircraft; however, they are designing the aircraft without windows. Spike has concluded that by eliminating windows on their aircraft, they are able to reduce the drag and increase the speed of the aircraft. In place of these windows would be television screens on the interior. These screens will display views of the earth from space or a PowerPoint presentation during business meetings. These screens will also be customizable giving passengers the ability to brighten and dim the screens if the passengers want to sleep. Both Spike and Aerion’s business jets are expected to appear in market with a price tag between $80-$120 million.
With supersonic business travel visible on the horizon, one must wonder when the larger aircraft manufacturers will begin to update their prototypes, if at all. If this demand continues to increase, it will be highly likely that supersonic business travel will be available in the next decade. Are supersonic aircraft too risky of a development for the bigger players, or are these smaller manufacturers going to be the pioneers of supersonic business travel? Only time will tell.
This article was written by Johnny Sengelmann, COO and co-founder of Fresh Jets. Fresh Jets aggregates private jet schedule and pricing information in real-time matching inventory to the travel needs of businesses and individuals instantly. Want to know what is so great about flying private? Find out for yourself here.