This Jet Could Get You From New York To London In 30 Minutes

Imagine a jet that could get you from one continent to another in the time it takes you to get through the security line at the airport. It sounds like the brain child of George Lucas -- 1970s George Lucas -- not 2015 George Lucas. But it's closer to reality than an actually cool new Star Wars movie. Right?

Canadian engineer Charles Bombardier might make this piece of science fiction a reality with his proposed concept of a four-winged scramjet called The Skreemr that could carry passengers at 10 times the speed of sound and fly at an altitude of 100,000 feet. So, how would this proposed "Skreemr" make the trip from New York to London so quickly?

ScienceAlert explains that the key to quickness is with a newly achieved lightness in the aircraft, which "[combusts] liquid using oxygen taken from the atmosphere passing through the aircraft. This means that, unlike traditional propulsion systems, the craft doesn't need to carry any liquid oxygen, so the whole thing becomes a lot lighter, and therefore faster."
 

The jet could potentially reach speeds of 7,673mph -- way faster than the now dinky-by-comparison Concorde. The Skreemr would need to be launched by way of an electric launch system, which uses some form of linear electrical motor to accelerate a projectile.

This would allow the jet to accelerate at extremely high speeds while simultaneously while burning hydrogen and compressed oxygen to accelerating.

At the moment, The Skreemr could only carry about 75 passengers, but really plenty could change by the time it comes to fruition. Hell, if it gets more people moving more places more quickly, why the hell not?

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Jeremy Glass is a writer for Thrillist and could conceivably get over his fear of flying if a trip to Europe took 30 minutes.