Boom Supersonic has executed its first flight of its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California.
Boom Supersonic hopes that the XB-1 demonstrator will provide the foundation for the design and development of Overture, which could one day carry up to 80 passengers on commercial flights at Mach 1.7.
The XB-1 demonstrator took to the skies on March 22, 2024, safely achieving an altitude of 7,120 feet and speeds up to 238 knots (273 mph).
“Today, XB-1 took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947,” Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, said. “I’ve been looking forward to this flight since founding Boom in 2014, and it marks the most significant milestone yet on our path to bring supersonic travel to passengers worldwide.”
XB-1 was flown by Boom Chief Test Pilot Bill “Doc” Shoemaker, and Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg flew the T-38 chase aircraft which monitored the flight.
Today marks a big milestone toward the rebirth of supersonic passenger flight. For the first time in decades, a civil supersonic airplane has taken to the skies. The @boomaero XB-1 met all of its first flight objectives—and we’re only going further, higher, and faster from here. pic.twitter.com/ICfX75n3Rw
— Blake Scholl 🛫 (@bscholl) March 22, 2024
“Everyone on the XB-1 team should be incredibly proud of this achievement,” Bill Shoemaker, Chief Test Pilot for Boom Supersonic, said. “It has been a privilege to share this journey with so many dedicated and talented professionals. The experience we have gained in reaching this milestone will be invaluable to Boom’s revival of supersonic travel.”
Two decades after Concorde’s retirement, the first flight of XB-1 marks the return of a civil supersonic aircraft to the skies and paves the way for the revival of mainstream supersonic travel.
American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines have all placed pre-orders for Overture which will run on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
