Are supersonic business jets coming back?

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It’s not as though traveling in supersonic speeds is a new technology; it has been around for years, epitomized by the once-success of the now-retired Concorde jets. There’s even “Flight of the Conchords,” an HBO series that pays a pun-based homage to the demise of the famed business jet.


The main turbulence the Concorde eventually had to face is its lack of commercial viability. Now, however, certain leaders and forerunners in the aviation industry are keen on bringing back the technology and improving vastly on it. For example, the company Boom claims that it can reduce the price of supersonic flights by up to 75 percent. This effectively means flight costs will be no different from a business-class flight on a 55-seater plane.

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Then there’s the Aerion S2 jet, a project being developed collaboratively by top aviation companies and backed by billionaire Robert Bass, who is valued by Forbes at $4.9 billion. The Aerion is, indeed, promising; it is a modification of the Boeing 737 GE engine core which can reach Mach 1.4 when in flight. It’s a huge leap from the current standard of Mach 0.9.


Most analysts and experts in the industry believe that what’s impeding the technology from being viable for commercial use is the general lack of suitable engines for sound fuel economy. Also, most high-end jet engine varieties are still limited to NASA and military fighter jet use.


Yet while the fuel consumption and its corresponding cost is a real issue, more and more companies worldwide are buying into the resurrection of the supersonic jet, believing that the demand exists. After all, we all want faster flights.


Aviation and aerospace professional Scott Beale is skilled in commercial sales and aviation products marketing, government contracting, and business startups. Check out this linkfor more aviation-related posts.

How to best prepare for your first travel abroad

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If you are among those who’ve just secured their passport and visa and now anxious about their first trip overseas, hereunder are some tips on how to be best prepared for your first adventure abroad. Remember that a little planning goes a long way to ensure that your trip goes hitch-free and truly become memorable for all the right reasons.


Firstly, don’t bring too much with you. Pack light and settle for a manageable suitcase. Decide carefully based on the weather in the destination country, and if you indeed need spares of certain pieces of clothing. Of course, this largely depends on how long you’d be staying there. The casual tourist visiting for a few days should not be lugging around heavy suitcases. Moreover, leave enough room in your baggage for souvenirs that you’d bring home.


Don’t forget to inform your bank that you are going abroad. Let your credit card firms know where exactly you’re going and when. This is to ensure that they will not flag it down for what they may deem as suspicious use or even suspected fraud in foreign soil.

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It goes without saying that you shouldn’t forget your medications if you have allergies or are under maintenance medicine. For prescription medication, keep them in their original containers to assure airport security that they are what they are. Pack over-the-counter medicine together and bring antacids and anti-diarrhea tablets to better let your stomach adjust to a foreign country’s food or diet. Also, don’t forget ibuprofen and anti-dizziness pills.


Carry just enough reading materials to keep you entertained. One book should suffice, as there will be other sources of entertainment in-flight. Bring a certified true copy of your passport with you and place it in your suitcase, just in case the original gets stolen. Finally, make sure to give your family or friends a copy of your travel itinerary.


Scott Beale is an aviation and aerospace professional who has led various aviation firms to attain growth in revenues with his competencies in strategic and tactical planning, account development and acquisition, government contract and management, sales team training and supervision, and financial reporting. For more aviation and travel-related reads, click here.

Aircraft talk: A closer look at the blended wing body concept

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The idea behind the blended wing body in aircraft is to provide a configuration that allows for the wings to blend smoothly into a wide and tailless fuselage. With this flat and wide fuselage comes better aircraft lift, even as the wings allow for needed balance.


The concept is meant principally to replace the standard cylindrical fuselage and improve fuel range and economy in modern aircraft. The smaller and less angular surface area will likewise lead to less drag, effectively creating gains in aerodynamics. Again, the blended wing body is premised on integrating the wing structure with the central body of the plane and should, therefore, allow for lighter structural weight.


Design-wise, these aircraft will be powered by three jet engines, which are placed on the back. Researchers believe that this will reduce noise levels during landings and take-offs, as the noise coming from the engine will be shielded by the aircraft itself.

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For now, a significant challenge in realizing fully deployable blended wing body models is how to make aircraft based on the design more stable and easier to control. After all, the presence of a tail is what allows for stability in current, standard planes. It may take some time before planes based on the design become commercially available, but the benefits of developing this technology are simply too significant for the industry to ignore.


Scott Beale piloted the successful business turnaround of a number of aviation companies, increasing their company’s profitability with new business and diversification efforts. For more information on Mr. Beale’s past and current projects, follow this page.

The possibility of a single-pilot passenger plane

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There was a time when passenger planes had three pilots on the flight deck. Then in the 1980s, the development of Boeing 757 transformed the way cockpits are designed. The number of pilots had also been reduced to two with the help of the progress of flight technology.


Decreasing that number further to one has proven to be difficult. Firstly, current European aviation regulation requires passenger planes with at least 19 seats to be flown by a minimum of two pilots for safety, especially in long-haul journeys, and security. Passengers would also probably be concerned of flying in a single-pilot plane because of news of accidents, deliberate or otherwise, of aircrafts.

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But having commercial jets that can be operated by one pilot may become a necessity in a few years. There is currently a pilot shortage, which is exacerbated by the fact that the aviation industry is continuing to grow. Furthermore, airline companies can save billions of dollars in salaries and training expenses by requiring just a single pilot.


Aircraft manufacturers are designing advanced cockpits that can be operated by a single person. For example, the vast array of knobs and switches can be changed into more digital interfaces. It may not be in the near future, but single-pilot passenger aircrafts are becoming more and more possible.


Scott Beale is an accomplished business developer, entrepreneur, and aviation professional. His expertise includes commercial sales and marketing of aviation products, government contracting, FAA certifications, maintenance report operations, and startup operations. Visit this website for more information about him.

The need for speed: The fastest aircraft

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Flight has always captured man’s imagination. When the Wright Brothers first came out with the airplane, people were amazed. When jet planes emerged after World War II, they changed aviation forever.


Over the past few decades, aircraft manufacturers have pushed the envelope on the development of airplanes. Together with the advancement of technology, few of the things the aviation industry only dreamed about were developed to challenge the very laws of physics. Here are a few of the fastest aircraft in the world.


Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird: As far as fast jets go, this is the most popular one. The SR-71 Blackbird was manufactured by Lockheed for the purpose of reconnaissance and surveillance. It is also equipped with stealth features and with its 2,200 mph top speed, it’s even faster than missiles themselves.


North American X-15: The X-15 is a rocket-powered aircraft that has as its top speed, a staggering 4,520 mph. Its design, which includes an exaggerated tail and rocket thrusters (which are used to steer), allows the aircraft to reach such a mind-boggling speed. Many industry experts consider the X-15 to be the world’s first space plane.

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Bell X-2 Starbuster: The X-2 Starbuster has a tragic story. Test pilot Milburn G. Apt took the plane and broke the record as the aircraft went past Mach 3, at 2,094 mph. He died due to pilot error while making a sharp turn. The aircraft was deemed too dangerous, and flights were stopped in less than a year.


Aviation and aerospace professional Scott Beale was responsible for expanding FlightWorks from a $1.5 million-dollar business when he purchased it in 2000 to a $90 million enterprise when he sold the business in 2010. For more reads on the aviation industry, visit this page.

Important points on airplane maintenance and airworthiness

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One cannot emphasize enough the importance of airplane maintenance and airworthiness. To keep all the parts of an airplane in perfect working order is a must, and the job has no room for error. This is why flying is still considered one of the safest ways to travel.


There is considerable effort in keeping an aircraft airworthy. To make the plane fit to take people to the skies, it has to comply with strict conditions. But once these conditions are met, people can be assured that it is safe to ride.


Factors for airworthiness include overall design, redundancy features, and the continued maintenance of its parts. Every time a plane lands after a long flight, especially through rough weather, it is inspected for airworthiness.


The maintenance of airplanes is significant to its airworthiness. Repairs have to be made and completed, in the proper way. Incomplete or improper repairs may not show up right away, but may very well lead to disaster.

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Thankfully, in the aviation industry, people responsible for airplane maintenance and airworthiness are thoroughly trained, therefore, highly skilled. They undergo strict examination processes to make sure they never miss so much as a single loose bolt.


Do you love flying? What are the things that make you feel safe during the travel? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below.


Scott Beale has led various aviation firms in attaining growth in revenues with his competencies in strategic and tactical planning, account development and acquisition, government contract and management, sales team training and supervision, and financial reporting. More reads on aviation here.

Flight: The ultimate hobby

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A lot of people, especially those who don’t have a pilot’s license, see flying as a job. Except for the occasional recreational flyer, the masses see flying as work. However, an overwhelming majority of pilots will have to disagree.


Flying is more like a vocation, something someone is called to do, a passion. In that sense, one can view flying as the ultimate hobby. It’s fun, fulfilling, but takes a lot of time and hard work.


Recreational flyers, of course, can afford to pay to fly. And for them, flying really is a hobby. Love for the adventure of flight then sustains commercial airline pilots who have to endure several hours of flight while getting only a few hours of rest.

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Flight allows pilots to physically reach more places in their lifetime compared unlike most of the rest of the people in the world. To be able to do this requires years of training, since many pilots have the responsibility of not only getting themselves, but hundreds of others as well, to their destination safely.


And while being a pilot is a financially rewarding job, for the true aviator, this is only secondary. Remember that old adage that says if you love what you’re doing, you’ll never have to work a day in your life? That’s flying. That’s the ultimate hobby, right there.


Aviation and aerospace professional Scott Beale was responsible for expanding FlightWorks from a $1.5 million-dollar business when he purchased it in 2000 to a $90 million enterprise when he sold the business in 2010. For more info on Scott’s work and career, visit this page.