The concept's exterior paint was developed by BASF, the chemical engineering company, and is said to reflect and reduce heat within the cockpit by up to four degress Celsius on a hot day.
When we landed in New York, our two pilots were standing in front of the cockpit, holding up our machetes for other passengers to see as they got off the plane.
In a few months, the two back wheels will be removed to be replaced by one, Brown will don his bright blue, flame retardant suit and boots, climb into the cockpit, throttle up, hit a button and, hopefully, zoom into the record books.
(I still recall the thrill cast on our entire theatre by those first B-29 raids, and the glamorous appearance that one of the planes struck on our next cover of Brief, as it came down a Saipan runway — the low, long, sleekly shining fuselage, the upcurving tall tail, and that surprising cockpit greenhouse up forward).
To allow the driver access to the interior, the entire cockpit swings up (see slide show photo).
It is working with another supplier, Tata Consultancy Services, to build software for cockpits, with up to half of the hundreds of switches removed and replaced by touch screens.
Five years ago, we built a cockpit mock-up to make sure that everything would fit.
I have to admit that each time I get into the cockpit mock-up and imagine the finished version, I get quite a thrill.
