Aerion says it’s racking up orders for its supersonic business jet at the rate of “a billion [dollars] every two months. In an email to media in advance of next week’s EBACE business aviation show in Geneva, company spokesman Jeff Miller said the order book for the $80 million jet is now at more than 40 and represents more than $3 billion in advance orders since the company began taking orders earlier this year. Although Aerion won’t be having a formal news conference at EBACE, all of its chief executives will be there and available for questions from media and those who want to fly really fast.
One interesting aspect of the aircraft is its predicted ability to fly as fast as Mach 1.15 without a sonic boom reaching the ground. The capability depends on atmospheric conditions but it’s a clear marketing advantage against naysayers who point out that the aircraft can only really stretch its legs over the ocean where they can boom to their heart’s content. “This will allow it to cruise above Mach 1 above many ICAO countries, achieving as much as two thirds of the speed advantage of its high-speed cruise in comparison with subsonic jets,” Miller wrote.
