The natural home of the Mondiale Starchaser is a brutal and violent place. Mach 5 at an altitude of 20 km, the only other man made thing that ventures there is a rocket on its way to space. To be able to exist in that place, Mondiale absolutely relies on its slim, delta shape to force its way through an atmosphere which although thin, at Mach 5 exerts a crushing force. What works at an altitude of 20 km unfortunately does not work for take off and landings. In both situations Mondiale would have to go too fast to be safe, and require a runway of an unacceptable length. Its great trick is its ability to change shape. As it reduces speed, it swings its wings forward generating the lift it needs to control flight.

One of the most challenging aspects of hypersonic flight is having engines that can sustain speeds of Mach 5 and above. The fans in conventional jet engines become a less than optimal solution at speeds of Mach 3 and above. The firm of Hunter Jet Engines solved the problem for Mondiale. Much like Mondiale has variable aerodynamic geometry, the Hunter engine can reconfigure itself in flight. It starts as a conventional turbojet. Once speeds in excess of Mach 2 are reached, air is channelled away from the fan and through the central core of the engine which now acts as a scramjet. In this way the aircraft is able to reach and sustain flight at Mach 5.

The seating inside Mondiale was comfortable but compact. This was acceptable because even flights half way round the World only took six hours. Through a window you would see a black sky, the blackness of space, and Mondiale was fast enough to catch a setting Sun. For the more adventurous passenger, Mondiale also offered the enigmatic "Heaven Suite".

The Mondiale Starchaser was a unique aeroplane. There will probably never be anything like it built again. Flying Mondiale was like flying in one of the World's most exclusive clubs. It was the closest people could get to going into space. On the London to Melbourne flight Mondiale headed North and flew over the North pole, then headed South over the Pacific Ocean. This was to keep the sonic boom away from populated areas. The London to New York flight took a couple of hours. London to Melbourne took around six with the plane air to air refuelling over the North Pacific.

For 3D modelling, download the Mondiale blueprints (zip):