A plane officially called The Overture is in development by Boom Supersonic that will be able to fly from London to New York in just three and a half hours.
Nicknamed the ‘Son of Concorde’, it will be able to travel at twice the speed of a normal airline and supposedly won’t be noisy either.
The Overture’s features
This son of a Concorde is equipped with four powerful engines and will possess the world’s first automated noise reduction system. Meaning that it won’t sound like the fighter jets in the movies, which wouldn’t be ideal when we’re trying to watch our own movies to pass the time.
This Concorde Jr. aircraft will be able to carry 65-80 passengers while running on completely sustainable aviation fuel. It’s cruising speed is Mach 1.7 supersonic (speeds faster than the speed of sound) and Mach 0.94 subsonic (speeds slower than the speed of sound).
Contoured fuselage
The Overture’s fuselage (the main body of an aircraft) has a larger diameter toward the front of the aircraft and a smaller diameter toward the rear. Boom Supersonic have applied this design technique to minimise drag and maximise fuel efficiency at supersonic speeds.
Gull wings
The aircraft’s wings are sculpted to enhance supersonic performance as well as improve subsonic and transonic handling. The wing shaping also helps ensure safety and stability at any speed.
Carbon-composite construction
The Overture will incorporate carbon composite materials into the majority of the build that are lighter, stronger, and more thermally stable than traditional metal construction. Carbon composites can also be manufactured with highly complex curvature, contributing to the aircraft’s aerodynamic efficiency.
It’s interesting but perhaps fitting how its official name is The Overture which is defined as being either the orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera for example or the introduction to something more substantial. Perhaps Boom Supersonic are trying to say that this plane will be the introduction to a truly connected world if we can simply fly to a business meeting or to see family on another continent in just a few hours.
Boom Supersonic claim that process of creating the revolutionary aircraft consisted of 26 million core-hours of simulated software designs, five wind tunnel tests as well as the careful evaluation of 51 full design iterations.
“Aviation has not seen a giant leap in decades. Overture is revolutionary in its design, and it will fundamentally change how we think about distance,” said Boom Founder and CEO Blake Scholl. “With more than 600 routes across the globe, Overture will make the world dramatically more accessible for tens of millions of passengers.” says Boom Supersonic.
Suppliers that are collaborating with Boom Supersonic on the Overture program are Collins Aerospace, Eaton, Safran Landing Systems, and even Rolls-Royce. So, it’s safe to say that the Son of Concorde could have some impeccably designed interiors courtesy of the luxury car manufacturer.