TheByte

Rob

Hypersonic Passenger Jet





The LAPCAT A2 is a proposed jet that could whisk passengers around the globe at a dizzying 6100km/h, about five times the speed of sound.

The A2 project - ponderously titled Long-Term Advanced Propulsion Concepts and Technologies (LAPCAT) - was funded by the European Space Agency, which challenged scientists to produce a commercial jet using space-travel technology.

Supersonic aviation as a workable model may have ended prematurely with the death of the Concord, but that didn't stop other people from attempting to bring back the hypersonic civil transportation. The LAPCAT project is a study, funded by Europa General R&D, that seeks to determine whether or not it is possible to create a plane that can cover long distances in a very short amount of time. The result? The A2 Mach 5 Civil Transport Concept.

Aside from being fast, the new jet would also be clean and green, burning a liquid-hydrogen fuel that gives off water vapor and nitrous oxide (laughing gas), instead of polluting carbon emissions. At 142 meters in length, the A2 would be about twice the length of the Airbus A380, the largest airliner in service today.

The term hypersonic flight relates to speeds above Mach 5, a velocity at which friction can cause an aircraft's wings to heat to 1000C.

Unfortunately, attaining such external temperatures would mean doing without windows, but designers may put flat-screen televisions where the windows would be, giving the impression of seeing outside.

Despite being capable of traveling at twice the speed of its predecessor, The Concorde, the A2 would be quieter. Senior engineer and managing director Alan Bond said the A2 could be here within 25 years.

The Diva

Oh yes! style, speed, legroom.

I love it already!

but 25 years till we can book a flight

Gullwing

How many people could it carry?
How many airports could it land at, take off from or taxi around at?

Rob

Hi Gullwing, I can answer that it could carry 300 passengers ....don't know about the airport logistics though.

I think one of the most interesting aspects is that its engines will run on liquid-hydrogen rather than jet-fuel.

I don't know if a hydrogen-fueled jet engine even exists yet

It would feel strange to be in a plane with no windows. I guess it would put an end to arguments over who gets the window seat .....but I always enjoy looking out of the windows when I'm flying.

According to my research, it currently takes about 11 hours to fly from London to Los Angeles, in this Hypersonic jet it would take just over 2 hours.

NarutoRamen

It will fly by the time most of us are pushing up daisies. I highly doubt this thing will be put into production in the next 20-30 years, hell it's taking us forever to bring out the "Dreamliner" which isn't even 10th as advanced as this thing is supposed to be.

Gullwing

I think it would hold more the 300 people.
Not much other then a few BMW 7 series run on Hydrogen.
No windows would be strange, but most people could deal with that for two hours instead of the usual ten+
I would suport this thing now, but then I would suport most "special planes or cars or..."

Centurion

Finally a successor to the concorde. You guys have no idea how big of a fan I am. Luckily I have had the pleasure of seeing it in real life and it was lounder than anything that has existed on this planet.