The pilot for a plane dubbed the ‘Son of Concorde’ has spilled some details about the jet that would slash travel from London to New York to 3.5 hours.
The XB-1 prototype model, created by Boom Supersonic, has been in the works for many years.
Its design was first made public in 2016, and tests were conducted from the next year onwards.
Now, the test pilot has opened up about what it was like to fly the XB-1.
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Being part of the ‘Son of Concorde’ test flights
It’s been reported that the XB-1 had entered its final stage of testing, and was expected to be in the skies by the end of 2024.
Tristan ‘Geppetto’ Brandenburg has flown the plane twice in test flights which occurred over the Mojave Desert in California.
These exercises saw the aircraft reach heights of 10,400ft and reach top speeds of 277mph.
Tristan spoke out about his experience flying the XB-1 in an interview with The Sun.
You might think that flying such an important aircraft would conjure up some nerves, but that wasn’t that case.
Tristan said: “I wasn’t really that nervous for the flights in the XB-1. I knew the team I was working with, I knew the air.
“I know this airplane better than any airplane I’ve ever flown.”
The XB-1 is hoped to give way for the commercial airliner The Overture.
Carrying between 64 and 80 passengers, it’s expected to make its debut in 2030.
The next frontier in commercial travel
Boom have said the Overture will be able to reach New York from London in 3.5 hours.
Over the Pacific Ocean, the Overture will cut a flight from Tokyo to Seattle down to 4.5 hours.
Set to rival Concorde, the Overture is being tipped as the cheaper option.
Tristan told The Sun: “Part of the reason [the] Concorde isn’t flying anymore is just because it wasn’t a sustainable business model.
“The flights were so expensive that the average person just couldn’t afford to take those.”
Tickets for NYC to London flights are expected to cost $5,000, whilst Concorde flights would have racked up an eye-watering $20,000 by comparison.
In addition to being cheaper, it’s also set to have a simpler cockpit layout than Concorde.
Hopefully a decade from now, we’ll be enjoying cross-Atlantic flights shorter than we could have imagined possible.
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