First private-built supersonic plane smashes sound barrier

Boom Supersonic has gone, well, supersonic, its XB-1 prototype breaking the sound barrier today in the skies over the Mojave Air & Space Port in California. With Chief Test Pilot Tristan Brandenburg at the controls, it reached a speed of Mach 1.122.

The 12th flight by the company was conducted in a special air corridor over California that's reserved for supersonic tests – the same airspace, as it happens, where Chuck Yeager became the first man to break the sound barrier in level flight, in the X-1 aircraft in 1947.

Reaching an altitude of 35,290 ft (19,756 m), the Boom XB-1 became not only the first commercial, piloted supersonic flight since Concorde retired in 2003, it was also billed as the first privately funded supersonic aircraft and the first private supersonic aircraft made in the United States.

The purpose of today's flight was not simply to mark a new record, but as a way of testing a number of key technologies that will be used in Boom's Overture supersonic airliner, which is expected to fly in 2029 and will carry up to 80 passengers at speeds up to Mach 1.7 on over 600 global routes.

These technologies include:

• An augmented reality vision system that allows the pilot to see forward while taking off and landing, despite the long needle nose of the aircraft,
• Digitally optimized aerodynamics that allow the aircraft to remain stable at both supersonic and subsonic speeds,
• Carbon composite materials for construction of the aircraft, and
• Bespoke supersonic air intakes for the plane's Symphony turbofan engine, which Boom expects will become a product line in its own right.

The Overture airliner won't be able to get around FAA regulations that prevent commercial supersonic flight over American soil – that sort of palaver will have to wait until it's over the open ocean, but Boom says its design will allow it to fly some 20% faster than regular airliners over land, at Mach 0.94, without causing a sonic boom.

"It has been a privilege and a highlight of my career to be a part of the team that achieved this milestone – every single member of this team was critical to our success,” said Tristan "Geppetto" Brandenburg, Chief Test Pilot for Boom Supersonic. "Our discipline and methodical approach to this flight test program created the safety culture that made a safe and successful first supersonic flight possible. With the lessons learned from XB-1, we can continue to build the future of supersonic travel."

Source: Boom Supersonic