‘Son of Concorde’ supersonic jet achieves new speed record in major progress towards 3.5hr flights from London to NYC
A JET dubbed ‘the son of Concorde’ has achieved a new speed record in major progress towards 3.5 hour flights from London to New York.
Supersonic Boom’s XB-1 jet has been put to the test to try to bring back superspeed travel between the UK and US.
The aircraft was inspired by the 1969 Concorde which flew passengers from New York to London in under three hours at Mach 2 (around 1,345 mph).
The XB-1 is essentially the “test platform” for the Boom Overture, New Atlas reports.
If tests are successful a supersonic airliner carrying between 64 and 80 passengers could be available from 2029.
Creators want the aircraft to reach Mach 1.7 (around 1,300 mph).
Concorde flew at a maximum speed of 2.05, more than twice the speed of sound.
The XB-1, which has a range of 4,250 miles, achieved its fastest speed yet on October 7.
Chief test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg took the aircraft out for its fifth spin from the XB-1 from Mojave Air and Space Port.
Geppetto flew the jet 17,800 feet into the sky pushing it as fast as Mach 0.69 (around 492 mph).
However, it still has another five subsonic test flights to go before it breaks Mach 1 (around 667 mph).
During the XB-1’s fifth trial, its flutter excitation system (FES) reached Mach 0.6 a terrifying speed, especially for a test pilot.
The FES measures the structural vibrations of an aircraft in flight and provides dynamic force input to control them.
Managing structural vibrations avoids potentially devastating effects while up in the air.
A short history of the Concorde
THE CONCORDE was the first supersonic passenger-carrying luxury airplane.
Two decades ago the Concorde took its first-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.
Although the Overture will mostly fly over water, its noise reduction design will reduce sonic booms, which contributed to the end of Concorde in 2003.
Symphony, its turbojet engine, can run at both high and low speeds on sustainable aviation fuel.
Running at a lower speed means the Overture can land on the same runways as typical commercial aircrafts like the Boeing 737 or the Airbus A380.
Manufacturing for Overture will start in 2025, with test flights by 2027.
United Airlines could be the airline poised to snap it up, according to reports.
Timeline of the Boom XB-1 Supersonic
- Flight One
On March 22, 2024 with pilot Bill “Doc” Shoemaker in the cockpit, the XB-1 embarked on its first flight.
Doc achieved an altitude of 7,120 feet and speeds up to 238 knots (273 mph).
It flew for 12 minutes in the air.
- Flight Two
In August, 2024, the XB-1 flew for a second time with Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg.
Geppetto reached a max altitude of 10,400ft and a speed of 270 knots.
It flew for 15 minutes in the air.
- Flight Three
September 2024, marked the XB-1’s third run, with a max altitude of 15,000 feet and a speed of 289 knots.
Geppetto flew it for 32 minutes in the air.
- Flight Four
Also in September, the XB-1 reached a max altitude of 16,150 feet and a speed of Mach 0.617 (382 knots).
Geppetto flew it for 48 minutes in the air.