While today’s flight didn’t reach supersonic speeds and make the trademark “boom” noise for doing so, a supersonic demonstrator aircraft built by the manufacturer with the onomatopoeia name, “Boom”, did successfully have its first flight today over the Mojave desert of California with it’s XB-1 aircraft.
“At Boom, our mission is to make the world dramatically more accessible through flights that are faster, more affordable, more convenient and more sustainable”, the manufacturer boasts on its website which features information about today’s first flight.
“Like Overture, Boom’s supersonic airliner, XB-1 leverages state-of-the-art technologies to enable efficient supersonic flight including carbon fiber composites, advanced avionics, digitally-optimized aerodynamics, and an advanced supersonic propulsion system,” Boom said today.
“Today, XB-1 took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947,” said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. “I’ve been looking forward to this flight since founding Boom in 2014, and it marks the most significant milestone yet on our path to bring supersonic travel to passengers worldwide.”
According to Boom, today’s XB-1 test flight met all of its test objectives, including safely and successfully achieving an altitude of 7,120 feet and speeds up to 273 mph. While XB-1 was in the air, the team performed an initial assessment of the aircraft’s handling qualities and assessing the aircraft’s stability in the landing attitude at a high angle of attack.
“I’ve been waiting over 20 years for an environmentally friendly successor to Concorde and XB-1’s first flight is a major landmark towards my dreams being realized. When I last flew Concorde in 2003 I knew that this day would come. The first flight of the XB-1 supersonic demonstrator is a significant achievement toward making sustainable supersonic flight a reality, aboard Overture – my #1 choice as the successor to Concorde,” said Captain Mike Bannister, former Chief Concorde Pilot for British Airways. “Congratulations to Blake Scholl, all at Boom and especially its pilot, Bill “Doc” Shoemaker. Having been Concorde’s Chief Pilot I envy his role in this exciting return towards mainstream supersonic flight.”
Now that XB-1 has successfully completed its first flight, the team will systematically expand the flight envelope to confirm its performance and handling qualities through and beyond Mach 1 which would have the aircraft break the sound barrier.
When complete, the Overture will carry 64-80 passengers at Mach 1.7, about twice the speed of today’s subsonic airliners. The aircraft is also being designed to use up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel. Boom hopes to have Overture ready for commercial service as soon as 2029.
The technology perfected in the XB-1 in the months ahead will be incorporated into the Overture supersonic aircraft that is in development. More than 130 supersonic jets have been ordered at Boom by United Airlines, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines.
United Airlines was the first airline to commit to purchasing the new aircraft. United will purchase 15 of Boom’s ‘Overture’ airliners, with an option for 35 more aircraft. United said they can deploy the supersonic aircraft to drastically reduce flight times; the airline said their 7 hour 20 minute Newark-Frankfurt flight could be cut down to 4 hours 15 minutes; Los Angeles to Sydney’s 14.5 hour flight would be cut to 8.5 hours; San Francisco to Tokyo’s 10 hour 15 minute flight would be reduced to 6 hours. Flights from the west coast could travel to/from Hawaii in about 2 hours, cutting down what’s generally a 5+ hour flight.
“Boom’s vision for the future of commercial aviation, combined with the industry’s most robust route network in the world, will give business and leisure travelers access to a stellar flight experience,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said at the time his airline committed to the Boom aircraft order.
Overture will fly above other commercial aircraft at an altitude of up to 60,000 feet —high enough to see the curvature of the earth below. Flying at supersonic speeds tends to be smoother than subsonic flight because at 60,000 feet, you’re flying above most turbulence.
Modern commercial flights flight at the top of the troposphere where most weather occurs. In the atmospheric layer above the troposphere, the air is free of most clouds, moisture, and weather. As a result, flights on this new supersonic aircraft will not only be faster, but much smoother than traditional flights.
