Get Inspired / USA / Mainland USA Watch out, World. Concorde JNR’s Coming for You! Share on email Print this article Share on Facebook Get Inspired / USA / Mainland USA Watch out, World. Concorde JNR’s Coming for You! story by: Anna Sarjeant Hot off the press, Airbus have been granted US approval for a new patented supersonic jet, or rather an "ultra-rapid air vehicle". It’s a jet that could potentially fly from London to NYC in less than one hour. Or Tokyo to Los Angeles in approximately 3.5 hours, rather than twelve. But don’t start smashing your piggy bank just yet, the project alone is a long way from getting off the ground, never mind the runway. But hey, once upon a time the humble car looked like an unfathomable dream. Let’s take a closer look at the super-craft already deemed Concorde’s slicker, speedier and sexier offspring: Great heights & breaking barriers To get some feeling for the sheer capacity of Airbus’ most recent proposal, we need to compare it to papa Concorde. A jet which flew at 60,000 feet above the ground (the average aircraft cruises at 35,000) at speeds of over 2090km/h, compared to the 920km/h of a Boeing 747. Concorde’s deluxe Rolls-Royce engines broke the sound barrier and passengers could get from London to New York in little more than three hours. Effectively, you could land in NYC before you’d even taken off from England. Impressive? Well yes, but with this new ‘air vehicle’, you could be in the USA a mere hour after departing the UK; you’ll pretty much be going back to the future. Bigger & better Here’s the thing, Concorde JNR will travel at four times the speed of sound (that’s twice faster than dad) at a mind-blowing 4000km/h. To reduce the colossal sound pollution caused by a sonic boom, it will be required to cruise at 100,000 feet. The world will look like little more than a distant curve – why? Because at that height you’ll be flirting with the edges of space. The technical bit Now for the techy bit. The craft is going to be small and streamlined, much more so than Concorde. It’ll carry just 20 passengers – Concorde could pack in between 100 and 120. To get off the ground, it’ll use three different engines; a rocket motor powered by hydrogen and oxygen, ramjets and a conventional airplane jet (how pedestrian!) In other words, it’s rocket-based technology. And that’s about as detailed as it gets at this point. But will it happen? Unsurprisingly, rather than a passenger jet, the new proposal has sparked interest from the military but as yet we can neither confirm nor deny that this is a project that will ever take form. Cynics don't believe Concorde’s flashier heir will ever be built… but as the saying goes, ‘they laughed at Galileo’. Enquire Now First name* Last name* Email* Phone How can we help? My preferred House of Travel Store* Select Outlet Auckland Auckland Central: Ellerslie Auckland Central: Newmarket Auckland Central: Parnell Auckland Central: Ponsonby Auckland East: Howick Auckland East: St Heliers Auckland North: Albany Auckland North: Browns Bay Auckland North: Devonport Auckland North: Milford Auckland North: Orewa Auckland North: Takapuna Auckland North: Whangaparaoa Auckland South: Botany Junction Auckland South: Takanini Auckland West: Hobsonville Auckland West: New Lynn Bay of Plenty Mt Maunganui Papamoa Rotorua Taupo Tauranga CBD Tauranga: The Crossing Canterbury Ashburton Timaru Christchurch Barrington Christchurch City Church Corner - Upper Riccarton Ferrymead High St Lanes Hornby Merivale-Shirley Northlink Rangiora Riccarton Hawke's Bay Hastings: Jenny Nilsson Havelock North Manawatu Palmerston Nth: Broadway Palmerston Nth: The Square Nelson / Marlborough Blenheim Motueka Nelson Richmond Northland Kerikeri Whangarei Otago / Southland Alexandra Balclutha Dunedin Lakers Invercargill Wanaka Taranaki New Plymouth Waikato Calder & Lawson: Hamilton East Coromandel: Whangamata Hamilton City: Cnr Bryce & Victoria St Morrinsville Taupo Te Awamutu Wairarapa Masterton Wanganui Wanganui Wellington Paraparaumu: Kapiti Coast Wellington Central: Brandon Street CBD Wellington Central: Hunter St CBD Wellington North: Johnsonville Wellington North: Lower Hutt West Coast Greymouth Westport I would like to receive email updates on the latest HOT holiday deals * required fields Your privacy is very important to us. By proceeding, you confirm you have read and agree on behalf of all travellers to our Privacy Policy, and consent to the transfer of personal information to overseas travel providers and other supporting entities for the quote and any travel services to be facilitated and processed (acknowledging that they may not be subject to the same standards of privacy protection as applicable in New Zealand). Done this? Tell your friends about it.
