Reno, Nev.-based Aerion today said it is evaluating preliminary results of a new global market survey indicating strong demand for its supersonic business jet. “It was time to take a fresh look at the potential for the Aerion supersonic jet, taking into account the globalization of the business jet market,” said Aerion vice chairman Brian Barents. Preliminary data of the latest study confirms Aerion’s earlier research, which projected a 10-year market for about 300 supersonic jets. “The preliminary data validates our business assumptions,” he said. “Considering the effects of the global economic downturn on purchasing psychology, these results, coupled with our current backlog, demonstrate the strong desire for supersonic transportation.” Meanwhile, Aerion plans to conduct a new series of flight tests on its natural laminar flow (NLF) wing design at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center employing the same NASA F-15B test platform used in the company’s previous NLF tests. The objective of the new flight-test series is to collect data from a larger airfoil section that will allow the collection of data at high Reynolds numbers and assess the required manufacturing tolerances to ensure robust laminar flow.