Supersonic Economy? Aerion SBJ Is Moving Forward
Sure, the global economy is pretty icky right now, but the forward thinkers are setting their sights on the day when things are back in place. Once things are back in place, the power-players are gonna want to get to those places asap. Enter the Aerion Supersonic Business Jet.
Reno, Nevada based Aerion Corporation has about 50 orders for the projected $80 million SST. And unlike the cramped Lear 23 which kinda invented biz jet travel in the early 1960's, the Aerion is designed to bring both increased speed AND comfort.
The SBJ cabin layouts range from 8 to 12 passengers with 6.2' cabin height, 6.5' cabin width and a completely flat floor. Looks like a pretty nice place to spend 2 or 3 hours.
The Aerion will be able to cruise at M.98 where sonic booms aren't allowed (like over the U.S.) and M1.1 where the boom is allowed but can't reach the ground. The best speeds are out over the water where the SBJ will have a max cruise speed of M1.6.
The company has a lot of hurdles to clear to bring this dream to reality, but thus far they are committed to that goal. They also are seeing enough interest in the idea to believe that the partners and the support needed will all come thru.
So, while we have a very subsonic global economy going on these days, I like the fact that both a company and potential customers are thinking ahead enough to be serious about putting a Supersonic Business Jet in the sky!
Check out AerionCorp.com for loads more info (all pictures: Aerion Corp.)
Reader Comments