Mr. Know-It-All Confronts Jetwhine Readers

By Robert Mark on April 14th, 2008

He’s back! Funny how Mr. Know-It-All seems to appear just at the right timeMr. Know it all, like now when everyone is completely wiped out from 10 days of absolutely awful airline news.

So here’s the question. But wait, perhaps I should mention the prizes first.

The first two readers with the correct answer win one of two great gifts … one from our friends at Southwest Airlines and the other from the folks at Cessna. And I can tell you now that each of the prizes are only remotely related to flying so don’t be getting your hopes up too high.

Question: What is the fastest aircraft used in passenger service on the planet?

And please post your answer directly to the blog so we can be impressed with how incredibly bright you are. Ready … go!

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15 Responses to “Mr. Know-It-All Confronts Jetwhine Readers”

  1. Steven Perry Says:

    TU-144 Concordski!

  2. Robert Says:

    I think that would be the Cessna Citation X?

  3. Robert Mark Says:

    Ah and we have a winner already. Darned Google … or did you know that one Steve?

    The correct answer was the TU-144, a bit of a Concorde look alike.

    Sorry Robert. But … since the Citation 10 IS the fastest civilian airplane still in production today, I’m going to call that pretty darned close.

    You both win.

    Please e-mail me at rob@jetwhine.com with some contact info and say, “Southwest,” or “Cessna.”

    Rob

  4. Annie Says:

    What about paying passengers on several space flights? Doesn’t that count? *g*

  5. Jeff martin Says:

    What’s the prize from Southwest? A crash helmet?

  6. Robert Mark Says:

    Actually no … I lied about the prize. It’s a pair of wire snippers and 1,000 American Advantage miles.

    Darned smart alecky readers!

  7. Adam Webster Says:

    Snippy Canadian sez: READ THE QUESTION.

    The answer for “commercial” passenger service is the Boeing 747 and derivatives. (0.885 Mach)

    For Part 135 and 91 Subpart K ops (private travel for the more shi shi amongst us.. hardly considered “Passenger Service” but alas.. that is more of a sociologists domain…) it is the Citation X per Robert’s first answer. (0.92 Mach)

    Question: What *is* the fastest aircraft *used* in passenger service on the planet?

    The only answer can be the fastest current use aircraft. Both the Concordski and the Concorde were a far cry from viable commercial service anyway, so I would disqualify them as not being commercial aircraft. (Commercial implies that you can make money with it.)

    And by the same measure.. Brian Binnie w/ Scaled & SpaceShipOne (per Annie above) and the Russians with their tourist operation also handily beat the 747. But again… no one is making money there yet.

    Oh wait.. as of last night.. all the airlines are in the red again. (Except the chosen few.)

  8. Norman Says:

    ‘is’ or ‘was’ Rob?

  9. Phil McElrath Says:

    Passenger service. Commercial service? MD-11.
    Business? Citation10

  10. John Mahany Says:

    B-747, MMO .90 Mach

  11. Zach Grant Says:

    Cessna Citation X is currently the fastest aircraft in passenger service. The Concord was prior to its retirement.

  12. Bob H Says:

    The supersonic Tu-144 and Concorde were the two fastest passenger aircraft flown to date.

    Officially, the world’s fastest jet-powered aircraft remains the SR-71 Blackbird. Although the official record is about Mach 3.3 (or 3.3 times the speed of sound), many believe the aircraft could actually fly much faster.

    Here are some more facts to date:

    Boeing 747 605 mph. Fastest operating commercial jet.

    Citation X 607 mph. Fastest business jet.

    Tupolev Tu-114 545.07 mph world record. Fastest turboprop transport.

    Tupolev Tu-144 1,553 mph. Fastest supersonic passenger jet.

    P180 Avanti 460 mph. Fastest FAR 23 certified turboprop.

  13. Rob Mark Says:

    You guys are so picky. “Was” in production, “is,” in production, good grief.

    What I meant to say was what has been – now or before – the fastest airplane ever used in air service in thw world (Boy I hope I covered all the bases).

    And that’s why the Concordski as Steve Perry point out first is the winner.

    Unless of course one of you can find one more loophole for me to fall into that is.

    Rob

  14. Darryl Swanson Says:

    Some Will Say That The Concord Was The Fastest Civilian Aircraft Ever Produced, And Some Will Say That it Was The Russian Built TU-144. If The TU-144 Was Actually Used For Civilian Purposes, It Would Have Been The Fastest Civilian Jet. Building an Airliner In a Country Without God, Proved To Be Building an Airplane That Was Just Not Safe. The Concorde Truly Was The Fastest Civilian Aircraft. The Fastest Civilian Aircraft To Produce a Profit For its Manufacturer is The Cessna Citation 10, Which Has Already Produced a Profit For Cessna. The Fastest Civilian Airliner (Used By Public Service Airlines) is/Was The Boeing 707. While Some do Not Realize, The Boeing 707 Had a Top Speed in the .9 Ranges of Mach. The Boeing 707 Had a Common Cruise Speed of Over 600 Miles Per Hour, And Airlines Ended Up Putting out Requests For “Slower-Jets” For Their Shorter Routes. Consequently, Boeing Has Never Produced another Civilian Aircraft That is as Fast As Their 707 was/is.

    Darryl Swanson

  15. Stephen Says:

    You are all wrong……..The fastest commercial jetliner in production was the Convair 990 for more hours than either models mentioned, prior to that it was the Convair 880 used by all major airlines until the advent of the BAC Concorde. The fastest bizjet was and still is the Falcon 10

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