Elite Traveler Winter 2020

SPIKE AEROSPACE SPIKE S-512

AERION AS2 SSBJ

The Spike S-512 SSBJ is a sleek aircraft designed to cruise at Mach 1.6, a nearly 40 percent time savings over long flights. With seating for up to 18, the elegant S-512 has a 7,100-mile range and features Quiet Supersonic Flight technology, without the sonic boom effect. Instead of windows, the Boston-based company plans to deliver rich, full-color panoramic displays of the outside world in the main cabin; this

technology will also be used to watch movies or presentations — right on the cabin wall. Spike’s S-512 is the only supersonic jet in active development that expects to fly at Mach 1.6 without the disruptive sonic boom effect that is prohibited globally, thanks to a low 75 Pldb sound level on the ground — like soft thunder. spikeaerospace.com

With lofty goals of a zero carbon footprint, silent boomless operation and being 100 percent biofuel driven, Aerion’s AS2 is a Mach 1.4, 12-passenger aircraft expected to begin service in 2024. Its GE Affinity engine design mitigates the sonic boom issue, and its wing design is fuel efficient both above and below Mach 1, allowing operators to use the AS2’s high subsonic speed without suffering the range-limiting fuel consumption that plagued prior supersonic aircraft flying below the sound barrier. Look for the first flight of an AS2 in 2025 with entry into service in 2027. aerionsupersonic.com

Photos Spike Aerospace