The Forbes website discusses the disruptive potential of the Skylon spaceplane:

• Hybrid Spaceplane Engine Could Change The Economics Of Space Travel -- Forbes

A video of David Shukman's BBC News report on the Reaction Engines SABRE precooler tests:

More media coverage of the Reaction Engines SABRE precooler tests:

• Twitter @ProfBrianCox: "Here is the future of the UK economy - this is the kind of stuff we should be doing!" -- to 679,000 followers
• Key test for Skylon spaceplane engine technology -- Slashdot
• Skylon spaceplane revs up for cooling test -- ZDNet UK
• Testing of the Skylon engine precooler has begun -- Next Big Future
• Skylon spaceplane gets real with test of engine parts -- DVice (SyFy Online Network)
• Tests begin on key component of Skylon spaceplane -- SEN
• Space travel coming to an airport near you? Maybe, if Skylon keeps its cool -- Engadget
• One giant leap for civilian space travel: Scientists successfully test engine for Skylon craft that can fly anywhere on earth in just four hours -- Daily Mail

The BBC reports on the start of SABRE engine precooler tests at Reaction Engines, a key milestone in the development of the Skylon SSTO spaceplane. The project was featured on both the BBC 6 and 10 o'clock News:-

• Key tests for spaceplane project -- a detailed analysis by Jonathan Amos, including diagrams of the precooler test rig
• Skylon: A British dream of space -- contextual summary by David Shukman
• Revolutionary space engine tested -- video report of a precooler test at REL's Culham facility, including comments by Alan Bond

"We intend to go to the Farnborough International Air Show in July with a clear message," explained REL managing director Alan Bond.

"The message is that Britain has the next step beyond the jet engine; that we can reduce the world to four hours - the maximum time it would take to go anywhere. And that it also gives us aircraft that can go into space, replacing all the expendable rockets we use today."

Rocketeer comments: That's the ticket ;-) A good day for UK space.

Very encouraging to see the enthusiastic support Skylon has been getting on social networks. Some inevitable overheated speculation, too. Would be nice if it's true. We shall see...

An interview with Alan Bond of Reaction Engines, recorded at the British Interplanetary Society's Cosford conference in November 2011:-

(Source: Reaction Engines)

From the March 2012 update at Reaction Engines:

Pre-cooler testing at B9 has begun

The testing of the Pre-cooler, now fully integrated into the B9 test stand with the Viper jet engine, has finally begun this month after a number of delays shaking down the system. The initial tests have gone very well and represent a good start to the test campaign which will last several months.

The flow thorough the Pre-cooler has been found to be aerodynamically stable without any significant structural deflection or vibration.

The news was also covered on NextBigFuture:

• Skylon spaceplane testing integrated precooler

The Financial Times magazine also features an update on the Skylon precooler work (UK’s space hopes closer to take-off):

"The system is not yet ready to test in flight, so Reaction Engines has fitted the pre-cooler in front of a stationary Rolls-Royce Viper jet engine in a test pit close to its headquarters at Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire. Bond wants to prove that the pre-cooler can work, on the ground at least, in time to present the technology at the Farnborough International Air Show in July. Then the drive to sign up £220m investment will begin."

The ESA-sponsored Space Propulsion 2012 conference will take place from 7th to 10th May at the Bordeaux Conference Centre, Bordeaux, France. The conference website is online along with a draft programme. Both Skylon ("Pre-cooler design and development for combined-cycle engines") and LAPCAT ("Injector layout optimization for the LAPCAT MR2 Mach 8 Cruiser") will be featured in Session 24 on Hypersonic Propulsion.

Simon Feast, Reaction Engines: A complete precooler is ready for testing "in the next few weeks" -- Twitter #uksedsconference2012