Article

2008-05-20 -Short Attention Span Theater-

Skunkworks seems to have developed boomless supersonic plane . . .

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Posted by gorb 2008-05-20 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 Looks a bit like the mystery aircraft recently featured by Aviation Leak & Space Mythology.

Posted by AzCat 2008-05-20 11:04|| 2008-05-20 11:04|| Front Page Top

#2 I suspect they have concepts rather than any kind of working prototype. Still if this is real it'll change a lot. I already believe the Popular Science suggestion that we will start to move away from big airplanes and hubs for domestic travel and towards a more aircab type approach of flying from smaller airport to smaller airport. This sort of plane would extend that in a number of positive ways.

Posted by rjschwarz 2008-05-20 12:15|| 2008-05-20 12:15|| Front Page Top

#3 I've long pointed out the obvious about the "Phoenix Lights", basically that the only peculiar thing about them was that it was an aircraft that could hover, and was very quiet.

Phoenix is *the* route aircraft take from the Skunkworks to off the coast of San Diego, about the only place in CONUS where aircraft can go supersonic.

This still annoys the San Diegans, because they get hit with the occasional sonic boom, and they have officially asked the AF to either cut it out, or go further out to sea.

Truthfully, I would be very happy if the R&D guys have made a very quiet aircraft that can hover as well. I'm not going to get real excited about it, because it is just a neat innovation, nothing magical about it. That sort of thing happens all the time.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-05-20 12:24|| 2008-05-20 12:24|| Front Page Top

#4 Most UFO lights can be traced to blimps. The goodyear blimp location is one of the first things law enforcement checks. Silent, slow moving lights that may appear to move in formation as a blimp rotates.

I'm not saying skunworks isn't the source of a number of sightings in the American Southwest, just saying.

Posted by rjschwarz 2008-05-20 14:00|| 2008-05-20 14:00|| Front Page Top

#5 Ticket prices will go through the roof. Only ~~Nancy Pelosi~~ Saudi sheiks will be able to afford one. I paid $5.00 per gallon for 100 octane Low Lead avgas on Friday.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2008-05-20 20:56|| 2008-05-20 20:56|| Front Page Top

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