Private jet hits sound barrier, sparks conversations about bringing back supersonic flights for everyone

An aircraft developed by Boom Supersonic has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first independently funded jet to break the sound barrier this week. During a test flight on Tuesday, the XB-1 aircraft reached a speed of Mach 1.05 at an altitude of around 35,000 feet in the Mojave Desert airspace in California. This historical feat took place in the same location where Charles “Chuck” Yeager accomplished the same feat back in 1947.

Here’s a look at the flight and the history of supersonic travel:

Why was the Boom Supersonic flight significant?

It was a step toward reviving supersonic commercial travel, which has been on hiatus since the Concorde jet was grounded more than two decades ago.

Boom Supersonic has already secured contracts with at least two airlines for the purchase of their commercial airliners once they are fully developed. The company is one among several others that are working on creating new supersonic jets that are not only faster but also more fuel-efficient, aiming to reduce climate-changing emissions compared to older models like the Concorde.

Boom’s founder and CEO Blake Scholl says the flight “demonstrates that the technology for passenger supersonic flight has arrived.”

What aircraft was used?

The test aircraft was made with lightweight carbon fiber and uses an augmented reality vision system to help with landing due to its long nose.

Headquartered in Denver, Boom Supersonic has plans to utilize this groundbreaking technology in the production of its Overture commercial airliner. The Overture is projected to have the capacity to carry up to 80 passengers while traveling at speeds surpassing the sound barrier. Manufacturing of these innovative jets will take place in North Carolina, marking an important step forward in the aviation industry.

The company has said the engine it’s developing for the Overture will have 35,000 pounds of thrust and is designed to run on sustainable aviation fuel.

What’s the future of commercial supersonic travel?

American Airlines and United Airlines have pledged to buy jets from Boom Supersonic. Boom said last year it has orders for 130 aircraft, which include orders and pre-orders.

Those commercial flights could be limited to ocean crossings or would have to slow down over land to limit damage from forceful sonic booms, which can rattle buildings on land.

NASA is looking at developing a craft with a softer boom, and Boeing is also working on a prototype for supersonic commercial travel.

Any new such service will likely face the same hurdles as the Concorde, which flew over the Atlantic and was barred from many overland routes because of the sonic booms it caused.

What happened to the Concorde?

The Concorde jet, which was grounded in 2003, was the only supersonic commercial airliner that ever flew, and had its maiden flight in 1969.

At the time it was considered a technological marvel and a source of pride in Britain and France, whose aerospace companies joined forces to produce the plane.

The plane holds the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing by a passenger aircraft — 2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds from London’s Heathrow Airport to New York’s Kennedy Airport.

But the Concorde never went mainstream, due to challenging economics and its sonic booms that led it to be banned on many overland routes. Only 20 were built, 14 of which were used for passenger service.

A deadly crash more than two decades ago hastened the jet’s demise. On July 25, 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed into a hotel and exploded shortly after takeoff in Paris, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground. Investigators determined that the plane ran over a metal strip, damaging a tire that crashed into the underside of the wing, rupturing a fuel tank.