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PEARL ISSUE - n° 17 - 2019 - € 10

The Art of Sailing

Turquoise 77m Go

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NICE-NEW YORK

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

Work is beginning on the first supersonic business jet. It will cost the same as an average-sized airliner but will enable eight passengers to cross the planet in a few hours by Sergio Barlocchetti - Ph. courtesy by New Aerion

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The New Aerion AS2 is scheduled to make its maiden flight in 2023. It can accommodate eight passengers flying in extreme comfort – Concorde’s stiff, minimal seats will be nothing but a memory

he supersonic airliner, Concorde, was an icon of speed, a

Electric will supply the engines, with flight instrumentation from

technological masterpiece and a symbol of progress, but

Honeywell Aerospace. Private jet operator FlexJet, which invested

it was withdrawn from service after the fatal incident of

in Aerion two years ago, once again announced at last October’s

25 July 2000. At that time it was said that combined with the

NBAA event in Orlando that it wanted to be the launch client

increasingly high cost of keeping it in service, the chemical and

for the new aircraft with a potential purchase of 20 jets costing

noise pollution the jet produced made it appear more of a symbol

120 million dollars each (as much a 220-seater Boeing 737 Max).

of obsolescence at a time when the world was developing an

According to the schedule we should see the first AS2 take to

increasing ecological awareness, stressing green issues above all

the air in 2023, mounting General Electric Affinity twin-shaft

others. Soon, however, the gap will be filled by the AS2 by New

turbofan engines powerful enough to push the aircraft to a speed

Aerion, an eight-seater jet with a top speed of 1,500 km/h, which

of Mach 1.4 at 60,000 feet, almost one-and-a-half times the speed

means it can fly from New York to Shanghai in seven hours, or less

of sound at a height of 18.30 kilometres, while remaining no

than three from Nice. The on-board furnishings aren’t limited to

noisier than a traditional business jet. Research carried out by

the minimal, rather spartan furnishings offered by the Concorde

NASA between 2014 and 2017 will reduce the level of sound

– here there are sofas, toilet, and kitchen, plus the connectivity

generated by the aircraft’s Affinity engine, managed by Honeywell

that’s now a must-have for air travellers.

electronics, especially its sonic boom. NASA’s research investigated

Based on the Aerion SBJ project begun in 1999, the AS2 has finally

the features supersonic aircraft will require to reduce the boom

found the partners that will make its construction possible. General

and limit the noise levels experienced by people on the ground, as

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The AS2 will cost around 120 million dollars. Powered by two General Electric Affinity engines, it will fly at Mach 1.4 at 60,000 feet, one-anda-half times the speed of sound at a height of 18.30 kilometres. New Aerion intends to begin series production of its jet in 2025

well as calculating where this will occur along the initial route and communicating the information to the pilot so that denselypopulated areas will not be affected. New Aerion says that 300 supersonic civil aircraft will be needed to meet demand from 2025, when the AS2 is set to obtain FAA certification and series production can begin. The project will also enable further development of new configurations for traditional airliners. The AS2 will be built at the Lockheed plant in Marietta, Georgia, with a test centre at a coastal airport to allow flights over the ocean rather than urban areas, while Europeâ€™s Airbus is to manufacture the parts. Although Airbus is already involved in similar research it is lagging behind at the moment, as it is currently prioritising investigations into electric, sustainable flight. Other companies are seeking to develop a supersonic aircraft - Boom in Denver has announced a so-far unconfirmed agreement with none other than Japan Airlines, and Spike Aerospace of Boston aims to develop its S-512 with Airbus.