Business Jet Fleet Report YE2020

INTERIVEW: AERION
will enable humanity to significantly reduce travel time and spend
more time doing the things they enjoy.
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR OPERATIONAL
DIFFICULTIES FACED BY SUPERSONIC
JETS AS OPPOSED TO NORMAL
BUSINESS JETS?
The AS2 will be consistent with the operational requirements of
other ULR business aircraft. The AS2 will require a BFL of 7,500,
having industry-leading reliability and warranty commitments and
offer DOC’s that are in line with other ULR aircraft when you consider
the reduced flight times on a trip-by-trip basis.
WHAT ARE THE ATTITUDES OF
DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT BODIES ON
SUPERSONIC JET TRAVEL?
We support any regulatory advancements that enable supersonic
flight. The FAA’s recent Final Rule marks a significant milestone
in the development of a new era in civil supersonic flight. We are
encouraged that the U.S. Department of Transportation and the
Federal Aviation Administration issued a final rule that streamlines
and clarifies procedures to obtain FAA approval for supersonic flight
testing in the United States. As we approach production and flight
testing of the AS2, this rule provides our company the ability to
test the AS2 aircraft over land in addition to the overwater testing
currently planned.
The AS2 will be the first aircraft to operate at Mach speeds overland
without a sonic boom striking the ground using our Boomless Cruise
technology. Aerion supports permitting supersonic flight over land
so long as no sonic boom is perceptible on the ground.
We have been and will continue working with the relevant authorities,
including the FAA and EASA, as we continue to advance the AS2
and remain hopeful on further modifications in global regulatory
standards for civil supersonic flight.
WHEN DO YOU THINK SUPERSONIC
BUSINESS JET TRAVEL WILL BECOME A
REALITY?
WHEN WILL WE SEE THE FIRST FLIGHT
OF THE AS2?
We made significant progress last year having finalized our design,
completed wind tunnel validation and selected a site for our future
global headquarters and manufacturing base (Aerion Park).
Our timeline is to start production of the AS2 at Aerion Park in
Melbourne, FL in 2023 with first flight in 2025.
HOW DO YOU SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF
THE SONIC BOOM?
Our core belief is that the only acceptable supersonic boom is no
boom at all so rather than focus our energies on trying to quieten
or soften the boom, our intent is to remove it, as far as those in the
flight path on the ground are concerned.
Boomless Cruise takes advantage of an atmospheric
phenomenology known as Mach Cut Off where the sonic boom,
when created, refracts off denser, warmer layers of air. To use this
phenomenology, you need the right combination of key ingredients
– speed, aerodynamics, mass, the avionics suite available on the
aircraft to name a few. Then, crucially, we need incredibly accurate
atmospheric tracking and predictability. Traditionally this would
have come from weather balloons, but we are working with Spire
Global and their proprietary constellation of satellites that will
provide high fidelity weather models in real time from space and
allow us to compute an optimized flight plan on board the AS2.
www.aerionsupersonic.com
It is closer than ever. In the 50+ years since the birth of the jet
age we have gone backwards in terms of speed. People are ready
for change and for change that is possible in a sustainable way.
In parallel there is a convergence of technologies that enable
sustainable supersonic flight in a way that was not possible before
such as the viability of SAFs and the first new supersonic engine in
55 years – the Affinity Supersonic turbofan by GE – which has been
developed to power the AS2. First flight of the AS2 is scheduled for
2025.
ASIA-PACIFIC BUSINESS JET FLEET REPORT – YEAR END 2020 39 39