8000km/h flight a success

THE dream of two-hour passenger flights between Australia and the UK is a step closer to reality.

Scientists in the state's Far North yesterday dubbed the lift-off and 8000km/h flight of Hyshot IV as a success.

The scramjet engine flew for 10 minutes to an altitude of 300km before crashing into the ground - 400km from the take-off point at the Woomera rocket range.

Data from the flight will be analysed by the University of Queensland researchers over the next two months.

University associate professor Michael Smart said the data would enable researchers to see if scramjet technology could be used for supersonic commercial flights.

Dr Smart said the engine would cut flying times between London and Sydney to between two and three hours.

"In 10 years, we might start to see scramjet-engine flights transporting goods, such as medical supplies," he said.

"I think once people see that, the possibility of using the scramjet for commercial flights will become very real.

"It wouldn't be cheap to start such a service, and it would need someone like Richard Branson to help fund it."

The payload from the flight is expected to be found today.

A team of 10 scientists from the university has been in Woomera for the past three weeks organising two scramjet flights - the first of which was last Saturday.

The flights cost $1.5-$2 million each and were funded by the university, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and UK company QinetiQ.

Another four scramjet tests have been planned for Woomera over the next two years. The first were in 2001 and 2002