Private Supersonic Jets

Are you a time-pressed high-roller who'd like to fly from continent to continent in half the time? Do you have a spare $80 million burning a hole in your bank account? There's a Boston-based start-up that would like to interest you in a private supersonic jet.

The Spike Aerospace S-512 is being touted as the next big thing in private aircraft, reaching a top speed of Mach 1.8, which could take you from New York to London in about four hours. The 131-ft. plane could hold 18 passengers and boasts a cruising speed of Mach 1.6.

The company (made up of former Airbus, Bombardier, and Gulfstream engineers) hopes to deliver the aircraft to its first customers in 2018. You still won't be able to fly it over land in the U.S. because of that pesky sonic boom issue. Spike claims its smaller design could reduce the "boom," but major aerospace companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin have so far come up short in their efforts to make supersonic jets quieter.

Source: Spike Aerospace