Russia - Air Force Tupolev Tu-22M3 27

Farnborough International Airshow - Airbus A380 and A400M

USA - Air Force Boeing VC-25A 82-8000

Q300 leaving Woodbourne

Thai Airways Airbus A380 F-WWAN

Brazil - Air Force Elbit Hermes 450 7802

Son of Concorde

‘Son of Concorde’ – a realistic prospect, or just another pipe dream?
The Concorde is a much-missed aircraft, but a new-generation of supersonic jets could be within touching distance. Rumours and reports are swirling that a prototype aircraft, dubbed ‘Son of Concorde’ and collaboratively designed by Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Gulfstream, and NASA, is to be revealed during the Farnborough International Airshow next month.

We’ve heard this sort of claim before, and usually reports of a viable Concorde successor aren’t to be taken too seriously; indeed, all such claims have so far proved unfounded. But could it be a different story this time, given the companies involved and the pieces of information they are putting out there?

The supersonic commercial passenger aircraft would have the ability to fly from London to Sydney in four hours – a journey which would normally take over 23 hours – at a speed of more than 2,485 miles per hour, almost twice as fast as the original Concorde. It would initially be aimed at the business jet market.

The aircraft, codenamed X-54, might fly soon after 2020 and be available as a full-sized jet carrying about 300 passengers in 2030, if the new technology used proves reliable and successful. As well as X-54, a number of supersonic prototypes are set to be unveiled at Farnborough, with lighter composite materials, more advanced engines, and smaller fuselages expected to be part of the designs being outlined.

One of the biggest drawbacks of the original Concorde was the sonic boom produced, but those working on the X-54 project say they are close to overcoming this obstacle. A Gulfstream engineer described the sound the new jet would make as closer to a “puff or plop”, according to a report in UK newspaper The Daily Mail. To add more substance to the claims, NASA has previously released images of a test aircraft in a wind tunnel which appear to show that the sonic boom could nearly be silenced using super-thin wings and hidden engines.

So could a commercially successful supersonic jet really be a viable prospect by 2030?

Jason Holland, Editor, Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance
jason.holland@ubmaviation.com

Atlas Air Boeing 747-200F N540MC

Arkefly Boeing 767-300ER PH-AHX

Stearman

DR1s

Experimental Aircraft Association Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N5017N

Messerschmitt BO 105 - Red Bull

Boeing 777 Cockpit

Lufthansa Family

The Flying Bulls Vought F4U Corsair OE-EAS

Atlas 5 and Delta 4 Rocket Family

KLM Boeing 747-400 PH-BFU

BE.2C

F-18 Super Hornet

Mustangs!

USA - Air Force Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor 09-4183

Curtiss P-40

American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER N751AN

Italy - Air Force Aermacchi M-346 MM55144

Rio!

Wizz Air A320

And Over We Go

American Boeing 737 Max Concept

American Boeing 787

Cargolux Boeing 747-400F LX-UCV

Yak-18

Air Force's mini space shuttle prepares for landing

Air Force's mini space shuttle prepares for landing
BY JUSTIN RAY
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: May 30, 2012

After 15 months circling the planet on its clandestine military mission, the Pentagon's miniature space shuttle will be coming back to Earth for a pinpoint touchdown at Vandenberg Air Force Base in the next couple of weeks.

File image of first X-37B spaceplane on the runway after landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in 2010. Credit: Air Force

The base, located about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, announced Wednesday that preparations are underway to receive the second reusable spaceplane in the "the early- to mid-June timeframe."

The exact landing date and time "will depend on technical and weather considerations," the base said in a statement to reporters.

The Orbital Test Vehicle will use Vandenberg's three-mile-long concrete runway once envisioned to support manned space shuttle landings from polar-orbiting military flights.

"The men and women of Team Vandenberg are ready to execute safe landing operations anytime and at a moment's notice," said Col. Nina Armagno, 30th Space Wing commander.

Operating on a sophisticated autopilot and GPS navigation, the OTV will fire its propulsion system to brake from orbit and plunge through the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean towards the Air Force installation for a tire-smoking touchdown.

"Space professionals from the 30th Space Wing will monitor the de-orbit and landing of the Air Force's X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission, called OTV 2," Vandenberg's statement said.

The base said its crews have conducted extensive, periodic training in preparation for landing.

Photo of the first X-37B spaceplane on the runway after landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in 2010. Credit: Boeing

Launched atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral on March 5, 2011, the winged craft has been operating in low-Earth-orbit carrying out a mission of unknown purpose. The military considers the payload classified.

Its pickup truck-size payload bay could be filled with experimental equipment being exposed to the harsh environment of space for proof testing or the cargo hold could contain operational instruments for reconnaissance.

"Although I can't talk about mission specifics, suffice it to say this mission has been a spectacular success," General William L. Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, said in a recent speech.

Built by Boeing's Phantom Works division, the spaceplane is 29 feet long with a wing span of 14 feet. It can weigh up to 11,000 pounds fueled for launch. The in-space design life is 270 days, but good performance on this mission enabled ground controllers to keep it aloft significantly longer.

Hobbyist satellite trackers have kept close tabs on the vehicle since its launch, monitoring it in an initial 206-mile (331 km) orbit inclined 42.8 degrees to the equator. Last summer, the orbit was raised slightly to 209 miles (337 km).

"It maintained this altitude against the effects of drag through frequent small orbit maneuvers," said Ted Molczan, a respected hobbyist tracker.

Earlier this month, however, the craft began lowering its altitude, briefly slipping out of the observers' sight until being discovered in the new orbit of 182 miles (293 km) tilted 41.9 degrees relative to the equator.

The new orbit causes its ground track to repeat, almost precisely, every three days; the previous altitude repeated every two days. Molczan said satellites with ground tracks repeating at intervals of two, three or four days have long been favored for U.S. imagery intelligence satellites, potentially offering a clue to the craft's mission.

This is the second of the Orbital Test Vehicles to fly in the X-37B program, following the maiden mission in 2010 that spent 224 days in space, frequently maneuvering in what was considered to be a shakedown cruise to demonstrate the spaceplane's capabilities.

The original vehicle has been refurbished for shipment to Cape Canaveral and a return to space. Another United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will haul the craft to orbit in a liftoff targeted for October.

Korean Airlines Airbus A380 HL7614

F-15 EAGLE - AGRESSOR

Spitfire

Spitfire and Mustang

KLM Cityhopper Embraer 190 PH-EZT - Cockpit

Volga Dnepr Airlines Antonov An-124 RA-82042 - Cockpit

Cargolux Boeing 747-400F LX-PCV

Boeing 737-100

Worlds First Skydiver To Land Without Parachute

Awesome Finnair MD-11 Go Around The Complete Approach And Landing Cockpit View

Boeing 747-8

Germany - Air Force Lockheed F-104G Starfighter 21+53

Pan Am Boeing 727-200 (Adv) N556PE

Airbus A380

Boeing 747-8 Engines

Pair of Fokkers

KLM Boeing 747-400 PH-BFS