Boom supersonic XB-1 test jet The company received permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to exceed Mach 1 announced. Tests are scheduled to take place later this year at the Black Mountain Supersonic Corridor in Mojave, California, and the results could help prove the design’s feasibility in areas such as fuel economy, speed and flight characteristics.
“Following the successful first flight of the XB-1, I look forward to its historic first supersonic flight,” said Boom Supersonic Founder and CEO Blake Scholl. “We thank the Federal Aviation Administration for supporting innovation and allowing the XB-1 to continue its important role in informing the future of supersonic travel.”
Confirmation comes in a few weeks successful X-B1 test flight at subsonic speeds by a pair of test pilots. After a thorough inspection and environmental assessment, it assigns the chaise lounge to follow the XB-1 to monitor and record flight safety, according to the company.
The company will make 10 to 20 flights before attempting to break the speed of sound. Boom said it will “systematically expand the flight envelope over this period” to validate performance and handling qualities while performing in-flight checks of all systems and demonstrating a safe margin for flutter/vibration limits. Test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenberg will be at the controls during the first supersonic flight.
Passenger flights are still a long way off. The XB-1 is a scaled-down version of Boom’s ultimate goal, the Overture, a commercial liner expected to carry fewer than 100 passengers in “business class” comfort levels. The company said that the plane can fly from Tokyo to Seattle in four hours and thirty minutes.
Postponement of company test plans and a breakage with original engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce. Later the company became a partner with a company called FTT to develop their own special “Symphony” jet engine. Still, the company’s customers are lining up, with American Airlines and United Airlines placing orders for multiple planes.
NASA is also working on a supersonic jet called the X-59 reduced sound profilehowever, Boom Supersonic hasn’t provided many details on how it plans to reduce the supersonic boom.
