Could We Fly From London to New York in an Hour?

Airbus Patent – Hypersonic Passenger Plane

A patent has been won by Airbus for hypersonic passenger plane that would possibly fly from London to New York within an hour. Named as Concord 2.0, it would be capable of flying for more than four times the speed of the sound. The documents that were lodged with the US Patent Office mention an `ultra-rapid air vehicle and related method for aerial locomotion’.

 As per the documents the jet is said to reach speeds as great as Mach 4.5 or four and a half times the speed of sound which compares to Mach 2 for Concorde. The patent application also states that the aeroplane would be utilising various engines which would be serving different purposes and power would be coming from hydrogen that is stored on-board.

Besides this, two turbojets beneath the fuselage and a rocket motor in the rear would be utilised at the time of take-off and would lift off vertically similar to a Space Shuttle. Once it is launched,. The turbojets would be shut down as well as retracted where the rocket motor would then kick in to ascend towards an altitude of over 100,000 feet.

Private Jet with 20 Passengers

Thereafter ramjets, which are usually used in missiles, would be kindled and the flight would reach a top speed of Mach 4.5.A website – PatentYogi, which has been dedicated in explaining patent ideas, had informed that the flight path of the jet would be making it the `highest rollercoaster ride in the world’.

Moreover, the jet would be with hammock like seats for passengers for sitting, necessary if they preferred to travel in comfort. Travellers would not have to share the cabin with others. The patent application has described it as more of a private jet with 20 passengers on-board at a time. This notion would also not be limited to commercial flight wherein, in the patent, Airbus has also listed military applications for the jet.

 In 2003, the iconic Concorde had been taken out of service due to high operating costs. The supersonic jet faced complaints with regards to the sonic booms as well as noise pollution developed by its four turbojet engines, in 1970.

Designs Reverberates Curves of Concorde

The outcome of it was that it was banned from operating over land and was never capable of becoming financially feasible. On the contrary, it operated as a high-altitude transatlantic taxi service for the wealthy.

The issue of sonic booms has been addressed in the patent application for the new jet. By ascending vertically, the latest design’s sonic boom would be degenerated in all directions and will not reach the ground. Besides this, the design has reverberates of the curves of Concorde which has been described as a `gothic delta wing’.

Airbus had been playing down the patents stating in a statement that the designs had been based on `concepts and ideas in a very promising stage of conceptualisation’ and the idea had first been published in 2011. It is only now that it has started being revealed since it had won approval from the US Patent Office.

Earlier, Airbus, known as the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company – EADS had said that it would take 30 to 40 years, if at all to enter service. Airbus had made a mention that it would be working on two hypersonic projects one being with Japanese partners while the other with Russian and Australian involvement for the purpose of conquering speeds up to Mach 6.