After a hiatus of over two decades, civilian supersonic flight is making a comeback. Boom Supersonic, a U.S. company, has successfully completed its first supersonic flight with its XB-1 demonstrator. This marks a significant milestone as it’s the first instance of a non-military aircraft achieving supersonic speed since the Concorde ceased operations in 2003. The goal of this test? To have a commercial airliner capable of flying at Mach 1.7 operational by 2029. While this sounds impressive on paper, there are numerous challenges to overcome before this vision becomes a reality.
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Why Isn’t Everyone Already Flying at Mach 2?
The concept of supersonic flight is straightforward: surpass the speed of sound (about 1,235 km/h), theoretically halving travel times. For instance, a flight from New York to Rome could be reduced to just 4 hours and 40 minutes from 8 hours. This would be incredibly convenient.
However, in reality, supersonic flight presents several issues. First, it consumes a significant amount of fuel. The Concorde, for example, was notorious for its high energy consumption. Additionally, it generates considerable noise, particularly due to the sonic boom. This phenomenon led to the United States banning supersonic flights over its territory in the 1970s. As a result, the Concorde was restricted to a few transatlantic routes.
Has Boom Supersonic Found the Solution?
Boom Supersonic claims its future model, the Overture, will be more fuel-efficient and quieter than the Concorde. It is expected to carry between 64 and 80 passengers at Mach 1.7, utilizing lighter materials such as carbon fiber and an engine designed to operate on sustainable fuel.
Another selling point: unlike the Concorde, which was expensive to operate, Boom insists that its aircraft will be profitable. This has garnered belief from the airline industry: American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines have already placed orders.
However, caution is warranted. The Concorde also generated a lot of excitement before it became operational, but ultimately, only 20 units were built, and it never achieved profitability.
An Uncertain Future
Even if technical issues can be resolved, one major question remains: is there still a substantial market for this type of aircraft? During the Concorde era, business executives desired to cross the Atlantic in record time for meetings. Today, with the rise of remote work and video conferencing, the demand isn’t as apparent.
For now, supersonic travel seems to be a luxury for the ultra-wealthy. But if Boom can make its aircraft less polluting and more affordable, who knows? Maybe someday, we’ll all be flying at Mach 2. Until then, we’ll continue taking the TER to Limoges at a more reasonable speed.