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The golden age of supersonic aviation ended with the withdrawal of the Concorde. One of the most iconic planes of all time that even covered the odd route in Spain but that today rests in museums or near airport facilities.
Now, almost two decades after the withdrawal of the last flight of the supersonic giant, the Virgin company has just picked up the baton of the aircraft developed by Great Britain and France in the 60s, which was born as a sign of the good political harmony between both countries . The bet is very similar to the one offered by the Concorde: fast flights between two big cities for those who do not mind paying a little more in exchange for ‘wasting’ as little time as possible on travel.
Richard Branson, who owns the entire Virgin empire, has plenty of experience with air travel. One of its main sources of income is Virgin airline which operates flights, between all subsidiaries, on various continents around the globe. He is also in charge of Virgin Galactic, one of the most important companies of tourist flights to space and that a few days ago presented the passenger cabin of your spaceship.
Concorde de Virgin
Today’s commercial airliners don’t even reach caress the speed of sound. The standard cruising speed today ranges from Mach 0.82 (0.82 times the speed of sound) for most aircraft to Mach 0.85 for some moles like modern Boeing 747s. This at a time when people are already beginning to talk about hypersonic speeds – greater than Mach 5- in missiles and there are even passenger and freight flights in that speed spectrum.
Virgin’s supersonic plane
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It was strange that no manufacturer dared, with current technology, to take over the generation from the Concorde and design a supersonic aircraft. Until the association of Virgin Galactic con Rolls-Royce, the second as one of the most important manufacturers of aviation engines in the world, has presented its new project for the future.
The announcement was made after completing the so-called Mission Concept Review Program (MCR), a milestone that every project must pass through which establishes all the needs, objectives and requirements to carry out the program. Also, confirm that it is a realistic and achievable proposal within existing technology today. They have waited, according to the company in the press release, to have the authorization of the Center for Emerging Concepts and Innovation, framed within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to “work with Virgin Galactic in the delineation of a framework of certification “. The first step to validate a new type of aircraft.
For such a complex adventure they have sought one of the best manufacturers of aviation engines. Rolls-Royce was also the in charge of providing engines to the Concorde, the first commercial supersonic aircraft. They are also responsible for pushing thousands of planes around the world with millions of accumulated hours.
“We are excited to complete the Mission Concept Review and unveil this initial design concept of a high-speed aircraft, which we envision as a combination of safe and reliable business travel with an unmatched customer experience, “said George Whitesides, Virgin Galactic Chief Space Officer.
Virgin’s supersonic plane
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Business passengers
In terms of specifications, Virgin Galactic expects to accommodate between 9 and 19 passengers at an altitude above 60,000 feet (about 18,000 meters), almost double that of any current commercial flight. Inside, according to the company, different seating schemes can be accommodated including business class and first class. In terms of speed, the Virgin Galactic plane is expected to reach Mach 3, that is, 3 times the speed of sound.
After the MCR is complete, the design team will focus on the next phase. They will have to “define specific architectures and configurations of the system and determine what materials to use in the aircraft.” One of the important points that they will have to work on, and that brought the Concorde engineers headlong, is the temperature reached by the aircraft at such high speeds. Structures capable of expanding and contracting for many cycles without losing mechanical properties were designed in European aircraft. In numbers, the aircraft was experiencing a growth of about 30 centimeters when flying At maximum speed, a considerable amount considering the dimensions of the aircraft.
British Airway Concorde landing in 1986
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Virgin Galactic’s supersonic aircraft will not need special infrastructure for its airport operation. An especially important fact if we consider that airplanes like the Airbus A-380 cannot land at any airport due to its size. The long-haul routes will be where the high cruising speed of the aircraft is most noticeable, in this way, you can travel the route between London and New York in less than 3 hours. Which takes more or less a flight between Madrid and Malta.
Musk’s hypersonic flights
And how could it be otherwise, Elon Musk also has his particular ‘airline’ in the making. On this occasion, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, seeks stretch speed further until reach hypersonic (greater than Mach 5).
It is a medium-term project that will require flights at a much higher altitude. Recall that the Virgin Galactic plane will go to 60.000 pies, same altitude at which the Concorde flew and ‘only’ 10,000 feet higher than some modern private jets reach.
SpaceX starship with which Elon Musk wants to perform hypersonic flights on Earth
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Elon Musk’s will be both passenger and cargo flights and more than airplanes they will use rockets pushing spaceships like the Starship, which will be the same model with which you go to Mars and the Moon. With this, he promises connect big cities like London and Hong Kong in just 34 minutes or Los Angeles and New York at 25.
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