Justin wrote:
Would it be possible to design something like the XCOR Lynx for level
flight, with a rocket but still have a useable range?
Let's say a normal cruise speed, size and passenger capacity competitive
with a Lear Jet 23, or a Cirrus Vision.


My take on this is that you *could* build one with a longer range, but it
would not be economical to do so because of the added expense of carrying
around all that oxidizer, and certainly not for whatever you are defining as
'normal cruise speed' for a Lear or a Cirrus.

In other words it would be more expensive to fly than the Lear/Cirrus. In fact
it would aways be more expensive to fly that an air breather. So unless there
was some other distinct advantage (like hypersonic speed), there would be no
point to doing it. SABRE technology excluded here....

Dave