It is exciting to witness all of the different innovations occurring simultaneously in the world of private jet design. In this blog, we’ve covered the economical HondaJet, the electric hybrid Volta Volare GT4, and the massive double-decker Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental in just the past five months. Fuel efficiency is cool, and who doesn’t want to lie flat when traveling across the ocean? But now it’s time to increase the sexy factor: Speed!
Enter Aerion Corp. with its experimental Supersonic Business Jet (SBJ). This is gonna be cool. According to Bruce Dorminey of Forbes, here are the projected numbers:
Mach .99 — The jet’s overland speed in the U.S.
45,000 feet — The predicted cruising altitude
4.25 hours — The length of flight from NYC to Paris
148 feet — The length of the Aerion SBJ
8-12 — Capacity of the SBJ
1/20,000” — The leading edge of the Aerion SBJ wing (Yes, sharp as a knife!)
50 — The number of Letters of Intent Aerion already has
$80 million — The price tag
Of course, testing is still happening, and then Aerion has to partner with a manufacturer. Also, there are plenty of skeptics and the FAA to win over. In any case, Aerion hopes to have SBJs ready for delivery by 2017. Sign me up!