It's touted to be able to carry passengers and hit supersonic speeds of Mach 1.7..It also promises to be quieter, more affordable and able to operate its sleek high-tech engines on sustainable aviation fuel, thus alleviating environmental concerns..And some airlines believe all that is going to happen someday, if Denver based startup Boom Technology Inc. and aerospace entrepreneur Blake Scholl are successful in their ambitious project to bring back commercial supersonic flight..This week, American Airlines announced it will buy up to 20 supersonic planes from the aircraft manufacturer, marking the second time in two years that a major US airline moved to purchase such ultrafast jets, media outlets reported.. Boom’s Overture jetBoom’s Overture jet .About a year ago, United Airlines also agreed to purchase some 15 Boom jets, and in 2016, Virgin Atlantic partnered with Boom to build and test planes in an attempt to make the historically expensive flights more affordable..Japan Airlines also has the option to purchase up to 20 Boom aircraft through a pre-order arrangement..With the American Airlines deal in hand, Boom has an order of 130 planes to fill, including options — American has an option to purchase 40 more of the jets — valued at about US$26 billion, Reuters reports..“Supersonic travel will be an important part of our ability to deliver for our customers,” American’s CFO, Derek Kerr, said in a statement..It all depends, however, if Boom can make good on its lofty promises..Boom’s Overture jets, which can carry 65 to 80 passengers, are expected to start coming off Boom’s Greensboro, North Carolina, production line in 2025, followed by test flights in 2026.. Boom’s Overture jetBoom’s Overture jet .Boom expects its jets to carry their first passengers in 2029, but Boom has already been delayed in conducting test flights for its other jet, the XB-1, so delivery for the Overture might also be delayed, TechCrunch reported..Boom’s Overture four-engine jets promise speeds of up to Mach 1.7 over water, which is twice the speed of today’s fastest commercial aircraft — meaning the jet can fly from Miami to London in just under five hours, rather than the standard nine hours..The company, which raised US$270 million in funding, does not yet have an engine maker, but is talking with Rolls-Royce and others in its search for an engine manufacturer..The Overture will also fly exclusively on greener fuel, which is two to five times more expensive than fossil fuel..And while incredibly fast, Boom's jets are not as fast as the legendary Concorde’s, which flew at a speed of Mach 2.04.. Boom’s Overture jetBoom’s Overture jet .The Anglo-French Concorde, which made its first supersonic flight in 1976 from New York City to London in three hours, was in the skies until 2003, when the Concorde made its last commercial flight, due to a number of issues with the jets..For one, the flights were expensive to operate and used too much fuel, meaning they would cost thousands of dollars for a ticket..Concorde jets were also incredibly loud due to their “sonic booms” — so loud, in fact, that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned overland supersonic commercial flights..The crash in July 2000 of an Air France Concorde flight that was headed to New York from Paris left 113 people dead and also hurt the image of supersonic aircraft as a safe travel option..Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom and one of the new breed of venture capitalists, likes to highlight the fact mankind experienced “half a century of no progress in speed” of commercial air travel..A pilot and former Amazon executive, he says Boom will succeed where others failed..Scholl says the Overture will feature noise-reducing features like engine updates and an automated noise-reduction system that will ensure supersonic takeoff is no louder than today’s subsonic jets and that meets the noise levels required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)..According to Scholl, aerospace and materials technology advanced to the point where supersonic travel is not only feasible, but will be 75% cheaper than operating the Concorde — that’s right, 75% cheaper..The Concorde was too big, says Scholl. Caught in a Catch 22 situation, it often flew half empty, and in the end, couldn’t pay for itself..The Boom supersonic is just the right size for profitability, he says, and with biz-class prices, it can and will survive.. Boom’s Overture jetBoom’s Overture jet .Instead of paying $20,000 US for a roundtrip flight from New York to London, the Boom ticket would be pegged at $5,000 US, about the same as business class today..Imagine Sydney to LA in 6:45 hours, instead of 15 hours, New York to London in 3:15 hours, instead of 7 hours, or San Francisco to Tokyo in 5:30 hours instead of 11 hours..The delta-shaped Concorde also featured a complicated drop-nose configuration to allow pilots to see the runway, but today’s glass-cockpit synthetic vision technology will preclude that need in the Boom airliner, another major cost savings..According to experts, the secret to “quiet” supersonic travel was first theorized in the 1960s..It all has to do with the unique shape of the aircraft hull. In a conventional aircraft, shockwaves coalesce as they expand away from the nose and tail, resulting in two distinct and thunderous sonic booms..In newly designed supersonic aircraft, the shockwaves are sent away from the aircraft, in a way that prevents them from coming together in two loud booms. The result is much weaker shockwaves, and, perhaps a quick series of soft thumps heard on the ground, if it all..In 2003, a NASA F5E Tiger jet fighter with a modified nose demonstrated the boom-reducing theory successfully..In many countries, including the US, commercial supersonic flight remains banned. But there are attempts to change that..In 2020, the FAA established a special corridor over Kansas where the civilian supersonic aircraft could be tested..If the tests are successful and the new aircraft do not produce destructive supersonic booms, the ban may be lifted, Aerotime Hub reported..So is this all pie in the sky, or will it actually happen?.Listen to what billionaire Sir Richard Branson has to say..“I have long been passionate about aerospace innovation and the development of high-speed commercial flights,” Branson told The Guardian..“As an innovator in the space, Virgin Galactic’s decision to work with Boom was an easy one. We’re excited to have an option on Boom’s first 10 airframes."."Through Virgin Galactic’s manufacturing arm, the Spaceship Company, we will provide engineering and manufacturing services, along with flight test support and operations as part of our shared ambitions.”.The key will be to achieve that in an environmentally friendly way, says one expert..“One thing that worries me, from an ecological viewpoint, is that it’s going to be a hard sell," said Prof. Mark Drela, of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT.."These days, every new technology needs to be green. And even if they succeed, it’s not going to be very green, a rich man’s airplane … people spending a lot of money to put out a lot of emissions over the Atlantic. It’s going to be very open to that criticism.".“The modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner,” Drela explained, “has a fuel burn per passenger mile comparable to two people in a Prius, assuming the jet is full — the Concorde is equivalent to driving solo in a Hummer.".“Technically I think it’s viable, but the whole issue is, is it going to be economical … can they make a business case for it?”.“Based on what I know, I wouldn’t bet money on it, but I wouldn’t bet against it either.”.Boom also announced this year it entered into a three year strategic partnership with the US Air Force valued at up to $60 million..“The goal is to become a prime competitor for future Air Force contracts,” Brian Durrence, senior vice-president of Overture development for Boom, told Robb Report..“We want to drive options into the industrial base, but our primary mission is to build a commercial passenger supersonic aircraft.”.An Air Force version of the Overture could be used for executive transport, intelligence, special operations and surveillance..“Sixty years after the dawn of the jet age, we’re still flying at 1960s speeds,” Scholl told The Guardian. “Concorde’s designers didn’t have the technology for affordable supersonic travel, but now we do.".“Ultimately, I want people to be able to get anywhere in the world in five hours for $100. To get there you have to improve fuel efficiency, but step-by-step supersonic air travel will become available for everyone.".“This is supersonic passenger air travel, no bull---- and it’s actually affordable.”. Boom’s Overture jet cabinBoom’s Overture jet cabin
