For Yahoo: Prototype unveiled of supersonic jet that could herald new era in aviation

Photo by WonHo Sung

Nov. 17, 2016

Supersonic flights that would cut international flight times by half are one step closer to becoming reality after Sir Richard Branson and an ambitious start-up unveiled a prototype of their “Baby Boom” jet in the US this week.

After first announcing their partnership back in March, Branson and the Colorado-based aeronautics company Boom pulled back the curtain on their XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator -- also dubbed Baby Boom --  in a Denver hangar this week.

The specs for the next-generation jet are impressive: At Mach 2.2, the aircraft would travel at more than twice the speed of sound, and 2.6 times faster than any other airliner.

That means flying from New York to London in 3 hours and 15 minutes -- half the normal flight time for a commercial aircraft.

Travelers flying from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia would also shave 8 hours and 15 minutes off their flight, and cross the Pacific in just under seven hours.

And flights between San Francisco and Tokyo would be halved, arriving in 5 hours and 30 minutes.

Read more at https://www.yahoo.com/news/prototype-unveiled-supersonic-jet-could-herald-era-aviation-141105712.html