It’s been 23 years since Concorde carried passengers across the Atlantic Ocean in record time, but we may be getting closer to ending the decades-long ban on supersonic flights over land. The Federal Aviation Administration is working to establish new acceptable noise limits for supersonic flight by mid-2027. To collect data to set these standards, NASA will conduct test flights to survey the population’s response to noise.
The sonic boom that greatly controlled supersonic air travel could be a thing of the past. Boom Supersonic is expected to take advantage of a concept called “boomless cruise”. The startup successfully used the Mach cutoff phenomenon on its XB-1 demonstrator, which causes sound waves to bounce off the atmosphere instead of reaching the ground. With a similar goal in mind, NASA took its X-59 test aircraft supersonic for the first time in June to produce sonic “thumps” instead of booms. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an FAA release on the future of supersonic flight:
“The Trump Administration is continuing its groundbreaking work to provide exciting new travel options for the American flying public – and we’re making sure people on the ground won’t have to suffer excessive noise.”
There’s a lot of money behind this supersonic revival
The Trump administration claims it wants to lift sanctions to stimulate the economy. In fairness, Boom Supersonic already has 35 orders for its first airliner, the Overture, from American Airlines and United Airlines. With the new plane costing $200 million, there is a lot of money at stake for investors. Airlines see supersonic flights as the ultimate halo product to beat the competition. Additionally, Boom’s founder and CEO Blake Schall also coincidentally Met the President in the Oval Office Last year.
Apart from the financial upside, the bigger concern should be the impact on the general public. It is expected that NASA will exercise caution when conducting its test flights over populated areas. It was an entirely different story when the federal government tested how residents of Oklahoma City reacted to the sonic boom in 1964. US Air Force jets bombed the city with 1,253 sonic booms over six months. The massive backlash ultimately led the FAA to ban overland supersonic flights in 1973. If this ban is overturned, it should be because of advances in technology, not because of moneyed interests.
