Airbus presents concept for Mach 4 passenger plane

[Frank_G]

The guys at airbus have definitely played too much KSP... A passenger cabin on top of massive oxygen and hydrogen tanks... that is so kerbal...

http://www.gizmag.com/airbus-patent-mach-4-supersonic-jet/38782/

[Glaran K'erman]

Ha, that'll never go commerical. Near vertical ascent when firing rockets? Nope, passenger saftey rules won't like this at all. Kerbalesque indeed though lol.

[Captain Sierra]

It won't go commercial because its a huge up-front investment to make your fleet supersonic. Why would they spend small fortune for our convenience when we tolerate the current arrangement and they're making stupid amounts of money?

[Glaran K'erman]

It won't go commercial because its a huge up-front investment to make your fleet supersonic. Why would they spend small fortune for our convenience when we tolerate the current arrangement and they're making stupid amounts of money?

To make them the MOST convenient and therefore get MOAR CUSTOMERS! But yea I agree too.

[Wallygator]

Will likely only be built to carry 24 airdropped marines in powered luxury armour anywhere in the world to spread freedom.

But hey, at least someone is still thinking about it...

[LordFerret]

Considering their current track record, you won't find me riding on this any time soon.

[Elthy]

I would love to fly with it, but it will propably cost way, way to much...

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

*Literally drops all other KSP projects to replicate*

[Streetwind]

We've had supersonic passenger jets before... they carried more passengers than this, and required less special maintenance and less special infrastructure and fuels than this. They were discontinued due to general disinterest of airlines in using them.

I don't see this ever going into production. Nobody would buy it.

[Shpaget]

With capacity for only 24 passenger, how will they ever make it profitable?

[Ralathon]

Note how its a patent, not a build announcement. They're not going to build one, they're just locking down the patent.

[Shpaget]

Note how its a patent, not a build announcement. They're not going to build one, they're just locking down the patent.

Good point, but now that you mention it, what exactly is patentable here? A bit faster passenger plane than those we already have? Big deal. Rocket powered plane? Chuck Yeager would be chuckling in his grave if he wasn't still alive.

How the hell does crap like this get a patent?

[xenomorph555]

♪Patent troll, Patent troll, la la la Patent troll, Patent troll, la la doosh!♪

In all seriousness they should stop messing around and focus on a mach 2 concorde successor, an actual realistic proposal. Compared to this anyway.

[PakledHostage]

Why would they spend small fortune for our convenience when we tolerate the current arrangement and they're making stupid amounts of money?

I suspect that you haven't read a lot of airline's annual reports? Airlines might make on the order of 2% in a record profit year. And if you add up all the industry's profits and losses since the time of the Wright brothers, the airline industry has basically only broken even. They've been doing better in the last few years, it is true, but it isn't a business to get into if you want to make "stupid amounts of money".

[DerekL1963]

Good point, but now that you mention it, what exactly is patentable here?

It's a design patent, which is a very different kettle of fish than a technology patent.

[cantab]

Yeah, I rather suspect they're filing the patent because they feel they have to.

To me the most obvious impracticality is carrying three different engines. That's triple the maintenance cost, extra dead weight to carry around, and probably upping the development costs too. For anything like this you really need one engine. That's why Reaction Engines' work is so important, a jet that's good from a standstill to Mach 5. (And a rocket mode, but that's not directly applicable here).

[peadar1987]

Anybody else bothered by the fact that the concept design is supposed to travel at Mach 4.5, but has a bulbous, subsonic nose, like a conventional airliner? I know it's concept art and its main purpose is to look pretty, but dah!

[RainDreamer]

That looks ridiculous, honestly. Not even pretty.

[PB666]

Ha' date=' that'll never go commerical. Near vertical ascent when firing rockets? Nope, passenger saftey rules won't like this at all. Kerbalesque indeed though lol.[/quote']

250 kts below 10k and the pollution rules was a problem for the Concorde. It will probably never go commercial because of the 250 kts below 10k. If you had 3 mile runways and 300 kt limit below 10 k life is alot easier for SST.

- - - Updated - - -

Anybody else bothered by the fact that the concept design is supposed to travel at Mach 4.5, but has a bulbous, subsonic nose, like a conventional airliner? I know it's concept art and its main purpose is to look pretty, but dah!

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/EDF6/production/_84681906_84681004.jpg

They are probably only giving sketch details at the moment to keep people from psuedo copying the design. The Nacells don't follow the rule for supersonic the total crosssectional area of a near sonic or super sonic craft should be fusiform in graph.

Mach 4.5 is fine at 27,000 meters. How does this keep this cool. I suspect some of the engines are retractable into the fuselage.

[peadar1987]

That looks ridiculous, honestly. Not even pretty.

Yup, it's just slapped together. A contemporary airliner's front section slapped on a non-area-rule fuselage. What they've patented is essentially "what if we had a plane that could go really really fast?"

[xenomorph555]

Yup, it's just slapped together. A contemporary airliner's front section slapped on a non-area-rule fuselage. What they've patented is essentially "what if we had a plane that could go really really fast?"

"I see X company is trying to build a real fast plane to advance humanity, time to make lots of money" *Sues X company*

[windows_x_seven]

Someone important has been playing too much KSP.

Way too much.

[Scotius]

Typical publicity\money grab. If i'd read that Airbus is entering business agreement with Reactionary Engines or start investing into development of SABRE'esque engine i would believe they are actually intending to build such plane. A patent with an ugly,clumsy kitbash? Nah.

[magnemoe]

With capacity for only 24 passenger, how will they ever make it profitable?

its an more serious supersonic passanger plane who is even smaller, yes its not so fast either mach 2-2.5.

Makes more sense as you can use fighter jet technology for engines, as I understand it will have super cruise.

Yes you need an supersonic airframe but its also cheaper for an small plane.

My guess is that they plan to use sales to super rich to cover the fixed cost then sell more for rental.

[WestAir]

250 kts below 10k and the pollution rules was a problem for the Concorde. It will probably never go commercial because of the 250 kts below 10k. If you had 3 mile runways and 300 kt limit below 10 k life is alot easier for SST..

Aircraft, especially heavies, often request an exemption from this rule. The 250/10,000 is only applicable if the controller wants it to be.