How to get from Chicago to Martinique in short order

[TheDS]

In a game I am running, the characters will need to make the above trip, and they will need to do it quickly. How? While I should leave it up to them, they might not come up with it, so that means I will have to drop a hint.

Setting: modern day. The players are part of a sort-of government crimefighting team, and they have tracked an enemy to that island in the Caribbean and need to get there before he unveils the rest of his nefarious plot. Saying "the government gets you there" is not acceptable, I need an actual conveyance.

My first thought was to hop a jet fighter, and just have it in-flight refuel a couple times, but there's going to be like 6 of them, and cruising at mach2 on afterburner for a half-hour at a time just doesn't fit my sense of realism. Flying them to New York to commandeer a Concorde (this is y2k, so they still fly) also sounds wrong. I suspect Martinique doesn't have an airfield to support it anyway. Having a secret XR-71 for such a purpose WOULD be somewhat in the spirit, but I don't think they would buy that.

So, any ideas? IS there a high speed aircraft capable of moving 6 people at near or above the speed of sound that I'm forgetting about?

Oh, and - Yay Traveller! (just so the post goes here in this forum)

 

[far-trader]

Here's a handy chart that might help...

cheat sheet

You could always allow a little more range and or speed in a custom job with more power and fuel but less room for passengers. Something to do covert and quick insertions in the guise of a normal charter flight of unremarkable range and speed. Also capable of mid-air refueling of course. And kitted with high tech stuff as desired.

Have fun!

 

[vutpakdi]

Originally posted by TheDS:
In a game I am running, the characters will need to make the above trip, and they will need to do it quickly. How? While I should leave it up to them, they might not come up with it, so that means I will have to drop a hint.

[...]

So, any ideas? IS there a high speed aircraft capable of moving 6 people at near or above the speed of sound that I'm forgetting about?

Most high end business jets run fairly close to the speed of sound. For example, the Gulfstream G500 (aka Gulfstream V in y2k) , runs at a normal cruise of Mach 0.85 and easily has the range to get a fair number of people from Chicago to Martinique in one hop (and do it in style to boot).

Above the speed of sound is harder. I *think* that there have been some supercruise (cruising above the speed of sound) business jets on the drawing boards, but nothing built. Here is one story from a few years back

Ron

 

[savage]

Why be in such a hurry? Put a terrorist subplot on a commercial airliner...the heroes have to save the day and still get down to the carrib...to do it again.


Savage