Clear Skies

posted by Riley

Almost one hundred years ago Orville and Wilbur Wright built the first fully functional airplane. In the last one hundred years, aeronautical engineers have been working towards the ultimate aircraft. As of this year, the European aeronautics scientists believe they have found that ultimate aircraft, project Lapcat or, Long-Term Advanced Propulsion Concepts and Technologies has designed an aircraft called A2 that will burn liquid hydrogen at Mach 5. The A2 is only in the design stage but Lapcat’s designers at Reaction Engines (http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/index.html) feel confident in its design.
The A2’s predecessor named Concorde wasn’t as successful. Many of the Concorde’s qualities were incapable of the goals that were hoped to be fulfilled. Now, Lapcat’s scientists are sure they will succeed after some minor adjustments are made. Scientists have estimated that the A2 will be able to fly at Mach 5. There are some problems though with such high speed planes. At mach five windows will be shredded in seconds. Another is that not all civilians are comfortable or safe at such speeds. The bright side is that a 22 hour flight would be reduced to four short hours. This is not a for-sure plane but it looks like a pretty good goal.