AN air-travel revolution is storming over the horizon – and it is travelling at 5,000mph.
Incredible plans for a new hypersonic passenger plane have been revealed – touted by its designer as the future of commercial flying.
Oscar ViñalsPlans for the new Hypersonic Air Master have been revealed[/caption] Oscar ViñalsSuper-powerful thrusters will rocket the plane along at 5,000mph[/caption] Oscar ViñalsThe length of the plane is around 120m[/caption]The Hypersonic Air Master is the dazzling concept for “a new first-class airplane that redefines luxury air travel“.
Its designer, Oscar Viñals, told The Sun: “What make the hypersonic concept plane so unique is it incredible speed.
“The ability to travel at six times the speed of sound and cover such long distances in a short time is simply unprecedented.”
Viñals believes his plane could whisk passengers from London to LA in just an hour and a half – slashing the current 11.5 hours.
He said: “In certain circumstances, with 50 passengers and no extra load, the Air Master could fly non-stop, completely all around the world in less than five hours.”
As the plane slices through the sky and past the sound barrier, it will trigger a thunderous sonic boom – just like Concorde.
But, unlike Concorde, this jet is “hypersonic” – meaning it can fly at more than five times the speed of sound.
If and when it takes to the skies, it would become the first hypersonic commercial flyer.
Unmanned planes have reached hypersonic speeds already, such as the US Airforce’s X-51 Waveride, so the technology does exists.
But now, the race is on to build a model that can transport passengers.
A US firm, Hyperian Aerospace, recently unveiled plans for their Hyperliner – chalked to outpace even the Air Master at a staggering 10 times the speed of sound.
Viñals says he was first inspired to design the concept because he likes a challenge – “and this is a great challenge”.
He said: “This will be the future of air transportation. I was excited to work on it because it saves people time. Time is life. And money of course.”
Insane time-warp speed is just one selling point – passengers will also enjoy the height of luxury.
Viñals said: “The Air Master will be kitted out with all kinds of luxuries.
“There will special seats for a comfortable trip at hypersonic speeds and virtual screens on the walls of the fuselage.”
Oscar ViñalsThe elongated nose allows the plane cut through the air more easily and absorb sonic boom pressures[/caption] Oscar ViñalsThe inside will be kitted out with the height of luxury[/caption] Oscar ViñalsThese aerodynamic plans show how the Air Master will slice through the air[/caption]He explained that the actual windows would be at the top of the plane to make it “more aerodynamic and to prevent overheating with the air friction”.
“We expect that the plane will be able to carry 150 to 170 passengers at a time,” he said.
That’s roughly the same as a normal narrow-body passenger plane, like the Boeing 737.
A cruising altitude of 30,000m is envisioned – about three times the height today’s sub-sonic airliners.
The shape of the fuselage prioritises streamlining above all else – with a highly elongated nose and small, downward-curving wings.
The wings boast another unique feature: their angle can be varied.
Viñals called this “morphed wing capacity”, and would achieve it by using Shape Memory Alloys.
These are a class of “smart materials” that can alter their shape at a certain temperature, and will return to their original shape when heated or cooled.
Viñals said that the main difficulty in designing a plane for such crazy speeds is finding materials that can withstand the extreme conditions.
Oscar ViñalsThe plane is designed for commercial use – and could race from London to LA in 1.5 hours[/caption] Oscar ViñalsThe Air Master alongside an Airbus A380[/caption]He said: “There are significant challenges in terms of materials capable of withstanding the elevated temperatures from atmospheric friction.”
Plans suggest that composite materials such as carbon fibre or aluminium alloys would be the best choice.
The sonic boom itself would also exert extreme force on the fuselage, because the pressure waves stack up and combine.
To proof the plane against damage, the plans include a “sonic boom nose”.
Another obvious challenge is building engines that pack enough punch to rocket the Air Master into hypersonic motion.
Technologies such as scramjet engines (supersonic combustion ramjet) and combinations of turbines and ramjets are being explored, Viñals explained.
The designer hasn’t taken his plans to a manufacturer yet, because it “isn’t ready to show the world”.
He adds:”But who knows where it could go.”
Oscar ViñalsOscar Viñals’s designs are the latest to join the race to make hypersonic air travel a reality[/caption] Read More Details
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