In an era dominated by social media and advanced digital communications, the importance of air travel may seem diminished at first glance. With virtual meetings, video conferences, and instantaneous messaging platforms becoming the norm, one might question the necessity of physical travel. Spike Aerospace however believes that air travel absolutely remains a vital and irreplaceable element in fostering global connectivity, cultural exchange, and economic growth. To start with, we need to visit friends, family and colleagues on distant shores and experience the world’s cultures, food and people ..read more

The first chapter of supersonic civilian flight ended 20 years ago when the Concorde took off for the last time from London Heathrow on its final final farewell flight, November 26, 2003. But that was just the end of the first chapter of high-speed air travel — high noise, high emissions & fuel inefficient (Mach 2.0, 1350mph, 2158kph). The next chapter of supersonic and hypersonic high-speed travel has been in the works for some time now, pushing towards the reintroduction of supersonic flight — low-boom, low-emissions and environmentally responsible. Progress demands we make improvement ..read more

“Supersonic flights could be enjoyed by over 13 million passengers annually when flights begin in 2025,” according to Vik Kachoria, CEO & President of Spike Aerospace. “While supersonic aircraft might be ushered in by the wealthy, they will ultimately benefit anyone who wants and needs to get to their destinations faster. This is going to make the world smaller and easier to access, so passengers can personally experience and enjoy all the world offers.” To forecast demand for supersonic air travel, Spike Aerospace analyzed the flight routes taken by the 4 billion global passengers that fl ..read more

The “need for speed” is real. It is part of the human drive to go as fast as we can, as far as we can. Always pushing the boundary, always moving forward to greater horizons and opportunities. Personally, I can’t wait for Warp Speed so we can really explore the universe. :) Check out the cool video below from Red Side’s YouTube channel (originally posted on LinkedIn by Hermeus). The ability to travel faster, from camels and horses, to steamships and steam rail, to cars and planes has a tremendously positive impact on the world. In each advance, the technology developed and the value created he ..read more

Remember the lunar lander games from the late 70s? Just came across a modern version of those games. Had a little too much fun playing this game this morning. https://ehmorris.com/lander We used to write BASIC code on punch cards, put them in a card reader connected a refrigerator sized 4-bit computer and control the space ship with a teletype keyboard. Now, we have VR headsets. Maybe someday we will have real flights back to the moon? And a moon base?     ..read more

It has been a fascinating year for civilian supersonic flight but at the end of 2022, going “faster than speed of sound” seems further away than some expected we would be at this stage. Announced delivery dates continue to slip from 2008 (Aerion I) to now promised deliveries by the end of the decade. Lots of companies, Fortune 500s (Boeing, Gulfstream, Dassault) and startups (SAI, Aerion, Spike, Boom, Exosonic and others) have pursued supersonic flight with tremendous passion, hope and promise. Yet, 20 years after the Concorde was retired, supersonic flight still seems quite distant. Environm ..read more

Simple fact, aircraft need engines to fly. If there are no engines for supersonic flight, are all hopes for supersonic grounded? That is what many in the press have been suggesting in recent weeks based on discouraging news from two of the biggest aircraft engine manufacturers. Most recently, Rolls Royce publicly stated they were stopping further development of a supersonic engine for Boom Supersonic. In 2021, GE Aviation publicly stated they were terminating the Affinity engine program after Aerion Supersonic closed their doors. It is pretty amusing how quickly the tide can turn for ambitio ..read more

This is what childhood dreams are made off, well mine at least. Space probes exploring, landing on asteroids and returning samples to Earth. I’ve been waiting for 50 years to see “asteroid mining” happen. And here it is (Luke Bryan). It has taken way longer than I could have imagined in 1976 after reading High Frontier by Princeton University Prof. Gerard O’Neill. https://amzn.to/3vgL4TV   ..read more

Elon Musk, among his other humble activities, is also funding — to the tune of $100m — the X-Prize Carbon removal competition. https://bit.ly/3KhuOGO Amazing innovative research & development in the pursuit of capturing, converting, storing or otherwise dealing with the CO2 responsible for increasing global temperatures. Ambitious world-changing goals, as Musk tends to gravitate towards. Looking forward to seeing these technologies mature, scale and impact the world ..read more

Unfortunate news that Aerion Supersonic is shutting down. A lot of good  people have been working hard for years at the company to introduce their vision for supersonic flight. I personally know a number of their engineers and executives. Wish them all the best. https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2021/05/21/aerion-supersonic-abruptly-shuts-down-citing-challenges-securing-capital/5208809001/ Engineering, customers and partners are not all that are needed in such a high-capital project. Need capital that understands the risks and rewards.   ..read more