Spike Aerospace's Supersonic Passenger Jet (Infographic)

Specifications of the Spike Aerospace S-512 jet. — Spike Aerospace's S-512 flies from London to New York in 3 hours.

(Image credit: By Karl Tate, Infographics Artist)

To fly at supersonic (faster-than-sound) speeds, an aircraft must break the sound barrier, defined as Mach 1, a speed that varies according to conditions of temperature and humidity. The Spike Aerospace S-512 is designed to fly from London to New York in 3 hours. The S-512, developed in 2013, has been recently upgraded with a modified delta wing to increase fuel efficiency and reduce sonic boom.

Karl has been Purch's infographics specialist across all editorial properties since 2010. Before joining Purch, Karl spent 11 years at the New York headquarters of The Associated Press, creating news graphics for use around the world in newspapers and on the web. He has a degree in graphic design from Louisiana State University.