Popping over to Spain for lunch a reality one day?

[igs942]

Now this is fast...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfo ... 228341.stm

[chornedsnorkack]

Spain? Too close.

What do you think is the real replacement of Concorde?

BA bought two A318 planes and will in 2009 equip them with 32 business class flat beds - 8 rows of 4 abreast. They are going to fly London City - somewhere in Ireland - New York.

32 seats per frame. Concorde had 100 seats per frame - one obvious problem was that 100 seats above first are impossible to sell.

Maybe it always was the trouble with Concorde that Concorde is too big?

Lapcat claims

http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/lapcat_veh.html

that

The vehicle is sized to carry 300 passengers since this is typical of future supersonic transport designs and thought to be the minimum to achieve a competitive seat/mile cost.

Er... yeah. Widely made claim, but suspicious nevertheless. Maybe one should start designing a supersonic vehicle for 32 passengers?

Once you complete the thing... how do you fancy taxiing a plane 143 m long - with no cockpit windows?

Does anyone have Lapcat A2 simulator?

[C]

On the radio earlier a chap from Reaction Engines was saying prices would be equivalent to a business class seat.

So they are doing there business model on selling 300 business class seats? Mmm

BA bought two A318 planes and will in 2009 equip them with 32 business class flat beds - 8 rows of 4 abreast. They are going to fly London City - somewhere in Ireland - New York.

The 32 seat config is likely to be a limitation of the aircraft (and possibly weight considerations to take afull fuel load), which itself is limited by being the largest aircraft certified to fly in to London City.

(PS, somewhere in Ireland is Shannon! )

[Ivan]

Mmm doubt if that one's gonna work... Last time that wing design was used it was killed by bureaucrats (Mya M-50)

[chornedsnorkack]

On the radio earlier a chap from Reaction Engines was saying prices would be equivalent to a business class seat.

So they are doing there business model on selling 300 business class seats? Mmm

BA bought two A318 planes and will in 2009 equip them with 32 business class flat beds - 8 rows of 4 abreast. They are going to fly London City - somewhere in Ireland - New York.

The 32 seat config is likely to be a limitation of the aircraft (and possibly weight considerations to take afull fuel load), which itself is limited by being the largest aircraft certified to fly in to London City.

(PS, somewhere in Ireland is Shannon! )

Shannon has been talked of - but not confirmed. They say they want to refuel the plane for the transatlantic trip and meanwhile do US preclearance. Something which cannot be done in UK, but could be done in Ireland - in Shannon but also in Dublin.

I have not seen a stopover at Dublin rather than at Shannon definitely ruled out yet.

But as for the 32 seats:

The BA Open Skies 757-200 is longer than A318 and could by my estimate carry 52 or 48 business class flat beds. Eos does carry exactly 48 on 757-200.

Open Skies does not: they have just 24 business class flat beds. The rest of plane is filled with 28 Premium "Economy" seats and 30 Economy seats.

So the clue: you do not need, and cannot sell, more than 24 or 32 business class flat beds on a plane.

On a plane which flies just 4-5 hours, you would not need flat beds either. So, you better consider designing an airframe around the payload requirement of 30 comfortable seats.

What would be the best 24 seater SST? 6 rows at 4 abreast? 8 rows at 3 abreast? 12 rows at 2 abreast?

[Chris_F]

I find a hard time believing that an engine company is going to be able to pull of designing and building a competitive aircraft, nevermind a supersonic one.  The "big boys" (Airbus, Boeing) would be a much more likely source for such a machine.

This is just an attention getter/advert for their new engine technology.  I doubt there's serious intent to build such a plane.