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NASA X-59 Completes First Wheels-Up Flight in California
The 90-minute flight reached 20,000 feet and moved the X-59 closer to quiet supersonic travel over land, NASA said.
- NASA test pilot Jim Clue Less flew the X-59 with its landing gear retracted for the first time, departing from Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, for a 90-minute flight reaching 20,000 feet.
- The X-59 is central to NASA's Quesst mission, which aims to enable quiet commercial supersonic flight over land by producing a quiet thump instead of a loud sonic boom through its streamlined profile.
- Projected to fly at Mach 1.5, or approximately 990 mph, the aircraft could travel between London and New York City in three hours and 44 minutes, earning it the nickname "Son of Concorde."
- NASA officials reported on Wednesday that the X-59 completed eight flights as of April 10, continuing the test flight envelope expansion campaign following initial flights with landing gear down.
- While normal commercial flights between London and New York City take seven to eight hours, the X-59's quiet flight properties could enable significantly faster transatlantic travel by solving the noise problem that restricts supersonic flight over populated areas.
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Leaning Left2Leaning Right5Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Right
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