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Home / Travel

'New Concorde' could fly by next year

By Shivali Best
Daily Mail·
16 Nov, 2017 09:00 PM5 mins to read

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The Boom Supersonic plane is expected to reach speeds of more than 1,687mph - 100mph faster than the infamous Concorde. Photo / Boom Technology

The Boom Supersonic plane is expected to reach speeds of more than 1,687mph - 100mph faster than the infamous Concorde. Photo / Boom Technology

Flight times from London to New York could be slashed to just 3 hours 15 minutes by 2025, if plans revealed by Boom Supersonic plane go ahead.

The firm has previously revealed that initial test flights for its 1,451mph (2,330kph) aircraft, nicknamed 'Baby Boom', will begin by the end of 2018, MailOnline reports.

And now Blake Scholl, founder of Boom Supersonic, has revealed that commercial flights on the full-sized, 55-seater aircraft which is "better than Concorde", could begin running by 2025.

Artists renderings of the XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator jet. Photo / Boom Technology
Artists renderings of the XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator jet. Photo / Boom Technology

The full-size boom aircraft is expected to reach speeds of more than 1,687mph - 100mph faster than the infamous Concorde.

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Mr Scholl was speaking at the Dubai Airshow this week, when he revealed the latest details about the Boom Supersonic aircraft.

He said: "Think about for a moment the families that are separated because of the long flights.

"Think about the trips not taken because when you add up the lost hours, the trip just doesn't feel worth it.

"That's where we come in. We are a team of engineers and technologists, brought together for the sole purpose of making our world dramatically more accessible.

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"You won't have to be on the Forbes' list to be able to fly, it will cost about the same as flying business class today. The ultimate goal is to make supersonic affordable for anyone who flies."

While you might think that flying on such a high-speed aircraft could be a daunting experience, Mr Scholl reassured that passengers won't even notice the difference.

"This aircraft will be as quiet as the ones flying around the airports today,' he said, adding that it will also be 'significantly quieter than Concorde."

The firm has previously revealed that initial test flights for its 2,330kph aircraft will begin by the end of 2018. Photo / Getty Images
The firm has previously revealed that initial test flights for its 2,330kph aircraft will begin by the end of 2018. Photo / Getty Images

The news comes just months after Mr Scholl revealed that a smaller version of the plane, called the XB-1 will be tested next year.

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He also said that Boom had already received 76 orders for its passenger plane from five unnamed airlines.

Mr Scholl was speaking at the Dubai Airshow this week, when he revealed the latest details about the Boom Supersonic aircraft.

He said: "Think about for a moment the families that are separated because of the long flights.

"Think about the trips not taken because when you add up the lost hours, the trip just doesn't feel worth it.

"That's where we come in. We are a team of engineers and technologists, brought together for the sole purpose of making our world dramatically more accessible.

"You won't have to be on the Forbes' list to be able to fly, it will cost about the same as flying business class today. The ultimate goal is to make supersonic affordable for anyone who flies."

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The XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator could take passengers from London to New York in 3.5 hours. Photo / Boom Technology
The XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator could take passengers from London to New York in 3.5 hours. Photo / Boom Technology

While you might think that flying on such a high-speed aircraft could be a daunting experience, Mr Scholl reassured that passengers won't even notice the difference.

"This aircraft will be as quiet as the ones flying around the airports today,' he said, adding that it will also be 'significantly quieter than Concorde.'

The news comes just months after Mr Scholl revealed that a smaller version of the plane, called the XB-1 will be tested next year.

He also said that Boom had already received 76 orders for its passenger plane from five unnamed airlines.

Backed by Virgin tycoon Richard Branson, the 'Baby Boom' jet could usher in a new era of affordable supersonic travel.

It hit headlines earlier this year when Boom Supersonic announced it had received US$33million ($48million) in funding and was ready to build its XB-1 jet prototype.

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A concept image shows what the interior of the Boom passenger jet could look like. Photo / Boom Technology
A concept image shows what the interior of the Boom passenger jet could look like. Photo / Boom Technology

"I have long been passionate about aerospace innovation and the development of high-speed commercial flights,' Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, said at the time.

"As an innovator in space, Virgin Galactic's decision to work with Boom was an easy one."

The airline tycoon confirmed that Virgin has options to buy 10 of the supersonic Boom jets.

"Sixty years after the dawn of the jet age, we're still flying at 1960s speeds," said Mr Scholl.

"Concorde's designers didn't have the technology for affordable supersonic travel, but now we do.

"Today, we're proud to unveil our first aircraft as we look forward to its first flight."

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The Boom jet was created by top aviation experts with collective experience working at Nasa, SpaceX and Boeing.

All passengers would have a seat that sits both on the window and the aisle. Photo / Boom Technology
All passengers would have a seat that sits both on the window and the aisle. Photo / Boom Technology

Learning from the Concorde, they combined advanced aerodynamics, efficient engine technology and new composite materials to produce a 'safe and affordable' supersonic aircraft 2.6 times faster than current jetliners.

The prototype has been subjected to more than 1,000 simulated wind tunnel tests and features a tapered carbon fibre fuselage, and efficient turbofan jet engines.

In March, Virgin told MailOnline Travel: "Richard has long expressed interest in developing high speed flight and building high-speed flight R&D through Virgin Galactic and our manufacturing organisation, The Spaceship Company.

"We can confirm that The Spaceship Company will provide engineering, design and manufacturing services, flight tests and operations and that we have an option on the first 10 airframes. It is still early days and just the start of what you'll hear about our shared ambitions and efforts."

Speaking to Bloomberg earlier this year, Mr Scholl said: "The idea is for a plane that goes faster than any other passenger plane built before, but for the same price as business class."

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According to the simulations, Boom's design is quieter and 30 per cent more efficient than the Concorde.

It will be split into two single-seat rows, so everybody has a window and an aisle.

To reduce weight, the seats are of the standard domestic first-class variety, so no lay-down beds.

To cut flight time, Boom's plane will cruise at 60,000 feet, where passengers will be able to see the curvature of the earth, while going 2.6 times faster than other passenger planes.

Mr Scholl said about 500 routes fit the craft's market, including a five-hour trip from San Francisco to Tokyo and a six-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney.

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