Pictured: the British Airways Concorde being brought back to the Intrepid Museum on Manhattan's West Side after a restoration project was completed. Now, a new prototype passenger jet, the Boom Supersonic XB-1, has broken the sound barrier during a supersonic test flight.
© Tariq Zehawi/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Mojave, NY) – The future of air travel may have arrived. Or, we may be going back — to the future. Over 20 years ago, civilian passengers lost out on the chance to travel at the speed of sound. That’s because British Airways shutdown the Concorde, due to safety concerns.
Since that time people have wondered when supersonic flight will return. It could be getting closer. During a recent test flight, a new jet broke the sound barrier. On Tuesday, the XB-1 aircraft from Denver-based Boom Supersonic broke the sound barrier. The test flight took place around 35,000 feet over California’s Mojave Desert.
The speed of sound — 850 miles per hour — is a major obstacle when traveling at high speeds, in terms of what it does to aircraft. The conditions put extreme stress on aspects of the aircraft and its construction — and it causes concerns for people down on the ground because of the “sonic boom” associated with such speeds.
The CEO of Boom Supersonic offered his team praise upon accomplishing the feat. He added the goal is to eventually “bring the benefits of supersonic flight to everyone.” While a typical commercial airliner can fly from New York City to London in around seven to eight hours, the Concorde shaved that down significantly, given the supersonic speeds. It was back in February of 1996 when it clocked a stunningly-fast flight of just two hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds — crossing from NYC to London.
Boom Technology’s prototype is a test aircraft designed to show the potential for supersonic passenger flight. The company notes it’s the first time an independently developed jet has broken the sound barrier. The company has already received preorders for a yet-to-be-built supersonic transport called Overture.
