Latest news with #SonofConcorde
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
‘Son of Concorde' boss reveals how much tickets will cost on jet so fast you'll land in US at the same time you left UK
THE "Son of Concorde" boss has revealed how much tickets will cost on a jet so fast that it will land in the US at the same time it leaves the UK. Blake Scholl, 44, founder of Boom Supersonic and dubbed the Elon Musk of air travel, also detailed why he thought the original Concorde failed to take off globally. Advertisement 6 The "Son of Concorde" reached supersonic speeds in January Credit: Boom Technology 6 The founder of the jet revealed ticket prices Credit: Boom Supersonic 6 The boss promised that the breakthrough Boom Overture will be able to fly from London, Paris, Madrid or Berlin to New York before leaving Europe. The ambitious tech boss told The Telegraph: "Whenever I watch the videos of "From the Wright brothers to Concorde, every generation of aeroplanes was faster but we've gone backwards. "We're living in the dark ages. The world needs Advertisement READ MORE TECH NEWS Scholl promised that passengers on his new jet will be He also said the groundbreaking aircraft will also promise to slash the travel time of It will be able to carry around 60 to 80 passengers between any cities on Earth, and will hopefully fly at 1,300mph over water. A demonstrator for the firm, known as the XB-1 supersonic, has already completed 13 Advertisement Most read in Tech He said his successor to Concorde will "transform our lives, the way we meet people, do business, go on vacation". The jet, aptly dubbed the "Son of Concorde", has no audible sonic boom. 'Son of Concorde' supersonic jet completes second speedy test flight within a week ahead of major step early next year A number of orders from the likes of American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines have already been made for Boom Technology's passenger jet model, Overture. It comes after US President Donald Trump Advertisement And since Overture will be able to fly supersonic over land, the New York to San Francisco flight will only take four hours. This will mean travellers can leave New York at 9am and land in California at about 10am local time. Any two points on the globe will eventually be connected with super-fast flight, with a refuelling stop or two, the firm promised. Scholl revealed that fares for each of the flights carrying 60 or more passengers will be set by airlines. Advertisement But he expects them to cost about £5,000 for a return from London to New York City. He explained one of the reasons the original jet failed. He said: 'Concorde, with 100 seats and a near $20,000 ticket, made no sense, even on New York to London, the best possible route. 6 Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic Blake Scholl Credit: Boom Supersonic Advertisement 6 The world's fastest jetliner dubbed the 'Son of Concorde' will cross the Atlantic in 3.5 hours Credit: AP "It flew half-empty. If it had been half the size, the fares would have been lower and it might have worked economically. That's what we're creating." He also said the Concorde did not prove to be successful as it was too heavy, too fuel-consuming, too uncomfortable and too pricey - all problems which Scholl promises to fix. The Boom Supersonic founder also said that not being able to fly over land posed a significant challenge for the short-lived aircraft. Advertisement But the Don's latest intervention has fixed this issue, Scholl explained. A spokesperson for Boom previously told The Sun after Trump's executive order: "While Boom is pleased to see the regulatory pathways to supersonic flight clearing, Boom's business case has never been predicated on regulatory change. "There are over 600 global routes that are economically viable for supersonic flight - even without going supersonic over land. "Now that rules are being updated to allow boomless supersonic flight over land in the US, additional routes will benefit from speedups." Advertisement They added: "Boom's supersonic airliner, Overture, will fly transatlantic routes, such as New York to London, at its full cruising speed of Mach 1.7 over water – about twice as fast as today's conventional airliners. "Boomless Cruise enables Overture to fly at speeds up to Mach 1.3 over land without an audible boom - up to 50% faster than subsonic jets - reducing US coast-to-coast flight times by up to 90 minutes." The company also revealed that Overture "remains on target " to get certification from relevant bodies including the FAA by the end of the decade so it can carry passengers. WHY DID CONCORDE FAIL? CONCORDE was the supersonic passenger jet considered the ultimate luxury in air travel. Air France and British Airways announced they would be The plane had its first commercial flight on January 21, 1976, so was retired after 27 years of service and 50,000 flights. Several reasons led to the decision to retire Concorde. Air France and British Airways cited low passenger numbers and high maintenance costs. By the early noughties, the planes were outdated and expensive to run, despite being incredibly advanced when they were first introduced almost three decades previously. The 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 majorly impacted passenger numbers, as people opted not to fly. Passenger numbers also fell after an The disaster The plane ran over a small It was also the only aircraft in the British Airways fleet that required a flight engineer. Image credit: Alamy Bosses are aiming to roll out the first Advertisement To accomplish that, they expect production of the first aircraft in the "Superfactory" to start next year. By the end of this year, they expect to produce thrust during fully-operational engine core tests for Overture's bespoke engine, Symphony. "Boom's current order book accounts for the first five years of production at the Overture Superfactory in North Carolina ," the spokesperson added. "Airlines have been very receptive to Overture and the competitive advantages of supersonic travel. Advertisement "In fact, the passenger research we have conducted indicates that 87 per cent of passengers are willing to switch from their preferred airline in order to gain access to supersonic travel." 6 Previous test flights have been successful Credit: Boom Supersonic
The Irish Sun
19-07-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
NASA's ‘Son of Concorde' jet that will HALVE flight time from US to London step closer to take-off with runway test
NASA's supersonic "Son of Concorde" plane which will halve the travel time between London and New York is zooming ever closer to take-off. The X-59 jet will even 5 Concept illustration of the X-59 shooting through the sky Credit: SWNS 5 Nasa and Lockheed Martin are speeding ahead with tests of the supersonic X-59 jet Credit: Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice 5 The 30m-long and 9m-wide plane has a sharp, stiletto-style nose Credit: Alamy When up and running, Nasa revealed it struck The X-59 moved around purely under its own power for the first time at US Air Force Plant 42 on July 10. Taxiing is the final stage of ground tests before Nasa can take it up into the skies - and the maiden voyage is chalked for later this year. read more in tech Over the coming weeks, pilots will gradually increase the speed on the runway - leading to high-speed manoeuvres when it will travel fast enough to take off. Engineers tested key systems like steering and breaking during the low-speed run through. Nasa said: "These checks help ensure the aircraft's stability and control across a range of conditions, giving pilots and engineers confidence that all systems are functioning as expected." The X-59 is the crown jewel in Most read in Science Instead, the X-59 will produce a much quieter sonic "thump". Currently, commercial passenger planes are banned from going at such speeds – if they were able to – over land in the UK and US on account of the noise levels. Near-supersonic jet that can fly London-New York at speeds 'not seen since Concorde' unveiled with luxury living spaces The 30m-long and 9m-wide X-59 has a sharp, stiletto-style nose that engineers believe will reduce the noise The space agency believes their new jet could fly from London to New York in three-and-a-half hours. Lori Ozoroski, a project manager at Nasa, previously said: "We had a commercial supersonic aircraft, the Concorde. "But it was limited during its flights that it could not fly, say into, you know, somewhere in the middle of the U.S. "You were not allowed to fly supersonic over land. 5 The jet's F414-GE-100 engine is mounted on top of the aircraft Credit: Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice 5 The X-59 has a sharp nose designed to reduce the sonic boom Credit: Reuters "So most of the flights were back and forth just over the ocean. And so again, that ban has been in place for 50 years, over 50 years in the US. "A lot of international countries as well have similar bans. "And so the whole goal of this research that we're doing right now is to lift that ban and set a speed limit for commercial supersonic aircraft rather than a speed limit." Lori added: "The sound level is more like – we've done studies – it's more like a car door closing, you know, across the street at your neighbour's house rather than the very loud typical sonic boom." Supersonic and Hypersonic Jets There are several types of hypersonic and supersonic jets. A breakdown of what's been happening in the industry and what's expected in the coming years. Talon-A Built by Stratolaunch Reported speeds of Mach 5 The first test flight conducted in 2024 Built by Nasa and Lockheed Martin Predicted max speeds of Mach 1.4 The first test flight in 2025 - but subject to delays Built by Venus Aerospace and Velontra Predicted max speeds of Mach 6 First test flight in 2025 Built by Hermeus Predicted max speeds of Mach 2.5 First test flight in 2026 Built by Hermeus Predicted max speeds of Mach 5 First test flight by 2030 Built by China's hypersonic plane programme Predicted max speeds of Mach 6 First test flight in 2025 Built by Hypersonix Launch Systems Predicted max speeds of Mach 7 First test flight in 2025
Scottish Sun
19-07-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
NASA's ‘Son of Concorde' jet that will HALVE flight time from US to London step closer to take-off with runway test
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NASA's supersonic "Son of Concorde" plane which will halve the travel time between London and New York is zooming ever closer to take-off. The X-59 jet will even break the sound barrier when it flies - but won't produce a sonic boom, thanks to its unique design. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Concept illustration of the X-59 shooting through the sky Credit: SWNS 5 Nasa and Lockheed Martin are speeding ahead with tests of the supersonic X-59 jet Credit: Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice 5 The 30m-long and 9m-wide plane has a sharp, stiletto-style nose Credit: Alamy When up and running, the aircraft will hurtle along at altitudes of at speeds of 937mph at 55,000 feet up. Nasa revealed it struck another milestone in the plane's journey toward the skies with crucial low-speed taxiing tests. The X-59 moved around purely under its own power for the first time at US Air Force Plant 42 on July 10. Taxiing is the final stage of ground tests before Nasa can take it up into the skies - and the maiden voyage is chalked for later this year. Over the coming weeks, pilots will gradually increase the speed on the runway - leading to high-speed manoeuvres when it will travel fast enough to take off. Engineers tested key systems like steering and breaking during the low-speed run through. Nasa said: "These checks help ensure the aircraft's stability and control across a range of conditions, giving pilots and engineers confidence that all systems are functioning as expected." The X-59 is the crown jewel in Nasa's Quesst mission - which aims to prove supersonic flight is possible without a deafening sonic boom. Instead, the X-59 will produce a much quieter sonic "thump". Currently, commercial passenger planes are banned from going at such speeds – if they were able to – over land in the UK and US on account of the noise levels. Near-supersonic jet that can fly London-New York at speeds 'not seen since Concorde' unveiled with luxury living spaces The 30m-long and 9m-wide X-59 has a sharp, stiletto-style nose that engineers believe will reduce the noise The space agency believes their new jet could fly from London to New York in three-and-a-half hours. Lori Ozoroski, a project manager at Nasa, previously said: "We had a commercial supersonic aircraft, the Concorde. "But it was limited during its flights that it could not fly, say into, you know, somewhere in the middle of the U.S. "You were not allowed to fly supersonic over land. 5 The jet's F414-GE-100 engine is mounted on top of the aircraft Credit: Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice 5 The X-59 has a sharp nose designed to reduce the sonic boom Credit: Reuters "So most of the flights were back and forth just over the ocean. And so again, that ban has been in place for 50 years, over 50 years in the US. "A lot of international countries as well have similar bans. "And so the whole goal of this research that we're doing right now is to lift that ban and set a speed limit for commercial supersonic aircraft rather than a speed limit." Lori added: "The sound level is more like – we've done studies – it's more like a car door closing, you know, across the street at your neighbour's house rather than the very loud typical sonic boom."
Scottish Sun
17-07-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Solar-powered 236-foot ‘Skydweller' aircraft flies for mind-boggling 90 DAYS without stopping
The carbon fiber drone is set to fly for up to 90 days straight - far longer than existing aircrafts, according to its creators Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AEROSPACE boffins have unveiled a solar-powered surveillance drone that can fly for several months at a time - achieving near-constant eyes in the sky. US tech startup Skydweller Aero has partnered with French defence systems specialist Thales to build a new type of maritime surveillance drone. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 The carbon fiber drone is set to fly for up to 90 days straight - far longer than existing aircrafts, according to its creators Credit: Skydweller 5 While its initial flight milestone will be three months, the aircraft has the potential to fly almost continuously Credit: Youtube/Skydweller Aero 5 It takes it power directly from the sun, so there's no need to land and refuel Credit: Skydweller As tech on the ground gets smarter, so too must the machines in the sky. The carbon fibre drone is set to fly for up to 90 days straight - far longer than existing aircraft, according to its creators. While its initial flight milestone will be three months, the aircraft has the potential to fly almost continuously. It takes it power directly from the sun, so there's no need to land and refuel. READ MORE ON AEROSPACE AIR WE GO! Nasa trials TINY supersonic 'Son of Concorde' for racy 925mph flight in tunnel In May, British jet Zephyr broke the world record for the longest continuous flight - spending 67 days in the sky. That's the equivalent of 1,608 hours. The Skydweller has over 17,000 individual solar cells across its approximately 2,900 square feet (270 square meters) wing surface to capture the sun's rays and convert it into power. Its wingspan is 236ft - longer than a Boeing 747. Despite its similar wingspan, it weighs a whopping 160 times less than a traditional 'jumbo jet'. The surveillance drone doesn't really have capacity for much cargo either - sporting just 2.5 metric tons at maximum capacity in comparison to 400 tons for the 747 at full payload. In ideal conditions with minimal cloud cover, the solar cells can generate up to 100 kilowatts of power for the aircraft. Incredible plan for hypersonic 'Air Master' passenger plane that can hit 4,600mph & fly from London to NYC in 45 MINUTES The drone can only refuel when the sun is out, which means it relies on over 1,400 pounds (635 kilograms) of batteries to power it through the night. Skydweller flies slightly lower than the average commercial carrier, at an altitude of between 24,600 and 34,400ft, on average. However, it can fly as high as 44,600ft during the day, before dropping by between 4,900 and 9,800ft at night to minimise power consumption. Although as with any battery - these onboard batteries will degrade over time, which could limit the maximum patrol duration of the aircraft. Other incredibly lightweight solar-powered drones have suffered catastrophic mid-air failures before when ascending or descending through medium altitudes, Live Science noted. The brains behind Skydweller are hoping to avoid this by designing the aircraft to operate specifically within this flight range. Using automatic gust-load alleviation software in the flight control system, the aircraft will be able to reduce the aerodynamic loads caused by turbulence. This eye in the sky will require a quadruple-redundant flight control system and sophisticated vehicle management system (VMS) to stay in the air reliably for up to 90 days. That means if one of the onboard systems fails, a backup system can take over to maintain the flight. The VMS will also have a clever computer algorithm that allows it to diagnose and fix any problems in the system - like its very own on-board IT specialist. 5 Skydweller flies slightly lower than the average commercial carrier, at an altitude of between 24,600 and 34,400ft, on average Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
15-07-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Nasa trials TINY supersonic ‘Son of Concorde' for 925mph flight in tunnel – but prototype airplane measures just inches
NASA researchers have been using a tiny aircraft dubbed "Son of Concorde" in trials to assess the impact of supersonic flights on residents. The tests took place in a wind tunnel in Japan measuring just 3ft by 3ft. 1 The tiny 'Son of Concorde' undergoes tests in a wind tunnel in Japan At present there is a The latest tests come after President Trump ordered the Federal Aviation Administration to scrap a longstanding ban on supersonic air travel across the US. He wants to replace it with a to-be-determined set of regulations that will allow faster-than-sound travel so long as the In an executive order signed in June, Trump directed the FAA administrator to begin the process of repealing a section of the Code of Federal Regulations that prohibits anyone in the United States from flying a civilian aircraft 'at a true flight Mach number greater than 1'. Read more in Tech That regulation was imposed in April 1973, at a time when the British and French governments were jointly developing Engineers from Nasa and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) completed the fresh round of supersonic testing using a miniature version of Nasa's X-59 quiet-supersonic experimental aircraft in the trials. Vid shows supersonic test launch in bid for 1hr cross-Atlantic flights in 5yrs The campaign was conducted at JAXA's facility in Chofu, Tokyo. It assessed how the aircraft's pressure signature, audible on the ground as a sonic 'thump,' will reach people beneath its flight path. Most read in Tech The X-59 demonstrator measures 99.7ft in length with a 29.7-ft wingspan, but the Chofu tunnel could only accommodate the miniature model, which is just 1.62% of the real jet. Engineers nevertheless subjected the replica to airflow conditions representing the aircraft's planned cruise of Mach 1.4 – about 925 miles per hour. By comparing the wind-tunnel data with detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics predictions, Nasa can validate how air will wrap around the jet's slender fuselage and long, highly swept wing. Critically, it will also show how its shock waves are expected to behave. Unlike conventional supersonic airplanes, whose shock waves combine into a single, ground-shaking blast, the X-59's carefully sculpted nose and chine are intended to separate those waves. The goal is a brief, low-volume 'sonic thump' rather than an ear-splitting boom, opening the door to overland supersonic passenger flight, reports Interest Engineering. The Chofu tests mark the third time the model has entered a wind tunnel, following earlier runs at JAXA and NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio. Researchers delivered 'critical experimental data to compare to…predictions", Nasa noted. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA's Quesst mission, an effort to prove that quiet supersonic flight is technically and socially viable. Once airborne, the jet will make a series of community overflights across the United States so researchers can gauge how residents react to its muted acoustic footprint. Their feedback, combined with the aerodynamic and acoustic data now being amassed in wind tunnels and ground tests, will inform regulators as they consider lifting the decades-old ban on supersonic flight over land. A short history of Concorde – from Live Aid to sonic booms Concorde was used 40 years ago this week to allow superstar drummer Phil Collins to perform at Two decades ago the Concorde took its last-ever flight. It became supersonic in 1969, flying passengers from New York to London in less than three hours. It was the only aircraft in the British Airways fleet that required a flight engineer. Concorde needed unsustainable amounts of fuel and created very loud sonic booms. Then, in July 2000, a horror accident saw 113 people killed when an Air France Concorde ran over a small piece of metal while taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport. It caused the tyre to explode and the engine to ignite. A year after the horrific crash, 9/11 majorly affected passenger numbers. Ultimately a combination of these events led to its downfall. By 2003, Air France and British Airways announced they would be retiring their fleet of Concorde planes.
