Hacker News Reader

Comment by vosper | Hacker News Reader

If you just want to see the plane, and not have an epileptic episode, then don't watch "the best part" video, watch the "XB-1 up close" clip from further down the page instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bRx2dpooCQ&feature=youtu.be

View on HN

Their stroboscopic unveil video reminds me of a slightly less polished version of the best Apple ad in recent memory, the one for the red iPhone 8:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5FIAniosZU

Wow, seeing what they were seemingly going for just makes there attempt appear even worse.

They have the edit all backwards. They should have started with tight shots showing abstract lines and reflections, but instead they showed the whole body outline/shape, dimly, in the first third of the video while the music was still building.

So close, yet so far away. Cargo cult speed ramping.

Never seen that ad before... TBH I really like it. Though watching it on silent kinda made me feel like it was an ad for a new Star Wars movie.

I want a printed specification or datasheet in a tabulated form, written by engineers along with isometric and orthogonal views (side/top/back/bottom), preferably with dimensions. I am good after that. Perhaps on a nice card stock from Red River Paper company. Color is good, although black and white will do. Completely satiated and satistfied. Ready to buy the damn thing.

Interesting design but full of stuff that has been abandoned by supersonic fighter jets. Interesting they’ve still got a top mounted intake and splitter plates on the intakes rather than a diverterless supersonic intake.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splitter_plate_(aeronautics) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diverterless_supersonic_inlet

Is that really generally applicable to supersonic flight, or are these features good for preventing stall at high angle of attack flying, but otherwise bad for fuel economy? Yes, I've read about less mechanical complexity and weight reduction.

Also, for now they are using some variant of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Electric_J85 which is old, and maybe proven to work good with such inlets? The real engine which AFAIK Rolls Royce agreed to develop/build is not ready yet, and maybe enables different inlets?

No clue, just wondering.

edit: Also just wondering why nobody tries that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compression_lift thing like the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_XB-70_Valkyrie did. Shockwave -> compression lift -> less loud sonic boom because transformed at least in parts to lift?

Seems very small! How many passengers does it carry?

The XB-1 is a "supersonic demonstrator" carrying a crew of two (and zero passengers). It is to be followed up by the passenger-carrying "Overture" in the future.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boom_XB-1

Uh, the video shows a single seater. Doesn't seem to have an ejection system either.

Their current 3D model also shows just one seat:

https://boomsupersonic.com/xb-1/model

Maybe they plan to put a second seat behind it sometimes?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com