It sounds like a dream that's too good to be true – especially for frequent flyers.
But passenger journeys across the Atlantic can be shortened a lot, thanks to a new 'hypersonic' line that is expected to be put into operation, foreign media write, Telegraph reports.
An aerospace company in Texas called Venus Aerospace is working on a plane called the Stargazer, as well as the engine that will power it.
The Stargazer will be 'hypersonic' – meaning it can travel several times the speed of sound – and will also fly higher than other aircraft.
And if put into operation for commercial travel as well, the $33 million plane could complete the roughly 5550-kilometer journey from London to New York in less than an hour — about three times faster than Concorde (about 2179 km/h).
If a comparison is made, for example, with a trip Pristina-Zurich, where the flight time today by plane is approximately two hours, covering a distance of about 1,118 km, he would be able to reach his destination in an average of about 10 minutes.
As foreign media reports, at an event in Bentonville, Arkansas last week, Venus Aerospace debuted the engine that will power its Stargazer plane through the skies.
It is called the Venus Detonation Ramjet 2000 lb Trust Engine, also known as the 'VDR2'.
Andrew Duggleby, co-founder of Venus Aerospace, said the engine would enable a 'revolution in high-speed flight'.
According to Venus Aerospace, the VDR2 can reach speeds of Mach 6, or six times the speed of sound – about 7400 km/h.
This would make it officially 'hypersonic', which is the level above 'supersonic' (exceeding the speed of sound – 1 Mach or 1234 km/h).
Venus Aerospace has already released concept images of the Stargazer, but it's unclear how close it is to building an equivalent-sized prototype.
If the Stargazer comes to fruition, it will be the first commercial passenger plane to go faster than the speed of sound since Concorde.
"Retired" more than 20 years ago, Concorde flew at a maximum altitude of 18,000 meters.
In addition to high speed, according to Venus Aerospace, its next plane will fly higher – up to 33,000 meters.
Venus Aerospace is working with Ohio company Velontra, which provides hypersonic weapon technology, to bring the plane "to life."
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