7 minute read
JET SET
THE SUPERSONIC RACE
A PROMISING NEW ERA FOR SMARTER AND FASTER
By NATALIE HOPE MCDONALD
aster than the speed of light? Well, actually sound. If Boom Supersonic and other jet manufacturers have their way, the look and feel of air travel could be radically different in the coming years. Up until now, supersonic flights have been mostly F associated with Chuck Yeager who broke the sound barrier more than 75 years ago and glossy images from Top Gun. But when United Airlines agreed to purchase more than a dozen new planes being developed by Denverbased Boom Supersonic last year, the airline industry started envisioning a brand-new horizon, the stuff of futuristic films. In reality, the promise of supersonic aircraft could mean that a major airline like United would be able to offer flights that are both faster than the speed of sound and at a competitive price point in the near future.
THE SUPERSONIC RACE
AIR TRAVEL E g
INSIGHT
— JULIA SPILLMAN
COURTESY OF SPIKE AEROSPACE, INC., SPIKEAEROSPACE.COM
The TOP SPEED of a
SUPERSONIC JET
There are already a few supersonic jets being designed and tested in the U.S., Japan and Russia, with the end goal of getting something tangibly in the air in the next few years.
If Boom, a leader in the industry, gets the green light, the company’s Overture jets, which would seat between 60 and 90 passengers, could cut flight times in half compared to conventional planes currently on the market. The top speed of a supersonic jet could also reach an estimated Mach 1.7 (or 1,034 mph), making a flight from, say, New York to London take three and a half hours or from L.A. to Sydney just eight. The first of these is expected to be introduced in 2025 with tests to carry actual passengers by 2029.
Other features being discussed include in-seat entertainment screens, roomier personal space than current commercial flights and contactless technology, anything that will add comfort and luxury to the travel space, whether commercial or private.
But according to experts, there are some challenges in developing these supersonic jets, namely fuel efficiency at a time when gas prices are skyrocketing, Co2 emissions that will clear aviation and other environmental standards, and noise levels upon takeoff and landing. In other words: the infamous sonic boom.
The FAA presently has a ban on flights exceeding Mach 1 in U.S. airspace (a regulation that dates back to 1973, around the time the Concorde first started flying stateside). Depending on how well the new supersonic jets can solve noise issues (makers say they already have solutions to cut down on noise pollution), they may not
even be able to land or take off in the continental U.S. The FAA is currently working with manufacturers to determine how best to move forward, especially as tests of commercial supersonic jets commence and more investors push for updated regulations to usher in a truly new era of air travel.
If supersonic commercial flights are able to eventually take off first, private jets are sure to follow with even more bells and whistles, especially if making same-day transoceanic trips become possible. The catch: The new jets will come with a hefty price tag, some say as much as $100 million to $200 million for a small commercial jet. Private jets, known for added luxuries, could cost a lot more depending on size and specs, with billionaires lining up for a chance to tap into supersonic travel.
FASTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE
In 2017, Spike Aerospace tested its unmanned SX-1.2 demonstrator. The Boston-based company has been developing its own proprietary Supersonic Flight technology with talk about having a windowless cabin with walls that behave
HERE’S WHAT BOOM SUPERSONIC WAS WILLING TO TELL US EXCLUSIVELY ABOUT THE XB-1:
Engine: 3 GE J85-15 Engines Length: 71 feet Rollout: October 7, 2020 Ground testing: 2021 Flight testing: 2022
more like display screens that could project images and data, or even a live view of what it looks like outside the aircraft. These unique features coupled with the promise of faster and more luxurious travel are music to the ears of investors who would like to see supersonic business jets become a reality.
During a sit down with Bloomberg, Vik Kachoria, CEO of Spike, said he believes the world is more than ready for supersonic jets. “The global market has changed significantly,” he explained, since the days of the Concorde. He cited economic successes in global markets like Asia and the Middle East that infuses a market for an aircraft like this, whether private or commercial, that will ultimately get someone to their destination must faster.
“Building those face-to-face relationships are so critical for business,” he said, particularly as we face a post-pandemic shift in work trends. “You need to be there, you need to shake hands, you need to look at somebody in the eye,” he added. Ultimately, a meeting across the world could be done within one day.
He credits new computer and technological advancements for being able to essentially create a much better, more modern and smarter version of the Concorde, a jet that’s sleek, efficient and more applicable to a range of needs in both the commercial and private sector of air travel.
The goal for the SX-1.2 is to have a cruising speed of Mach 1.6 (or 1,220 mph), carrying up to 18 passengers with a price tag between $60 and $80 million.
Similarly, Boom’s first XB-1 prototype, rolled out in 2020, hasn’t yet made lift off, but a spokesperson at Boom Supersonic said, “XB-1 is the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet. As a demonstrator airplane for the Overture commercial airliner, XB-1 is a piloted test aircraft built to prove key technologies and materials for efficient supersonic flight. The first speed test for XB-1, the demonstrator aircraft, will be Mach 1.3.”
The overall goal? Faster speed, better environmental impact and ultimately more comfortable experiences for passengers who are being promised they will be able to travel much farther for work and play than ever before.
If this all sounds reminiscent of the famous and very luxurious Concorde, there’s a good reason for that. Not since British Airways and Air France first offered transatlantic flights on the high-speed aircraft in 1969 has air travel been poised for so much change. But when the small fleet of Concordes were eventually retired in 2003, the glamour went with it.
“We see ourselves as picking up where Concorde left off,” Boom’s CEO Blake Scholl told CNN, “and fixing the most important things which are economic and environmental sustainability.”
But what could make these new supersonic jets truly different is their design. Makers like Boom are working to create net-carbon zero jets that cut emissions by running on a kind of sustainable fuel. Also: The blueprints for these jets are absolutely stunning. They are sleek and have the sort of features someone stuck in business class with cramped leg room could only dream about until now.
TRANSOCEANIC FLIGHTS CUT IN HALF
Boom and Spike aren’t the only companies soaring into the marketplace. Both NetJets and Flexjet are also interested in buying supersonic jets, though there have been some ebbs and flow among both the investors and manufacturers, with some promising companies like Aerion, once among the industry forerunners, bowing out during the pandemic even before the planes were created.
For now, the focus is on digital engineering that makes the olden days of flying seem downright antiquated. But time will tell, especially as all eyes are on Boom’s new plant. The company recently moved operations to Greensboro, N.C. to build and test its supersonic jets. Employing almost 2,000 workers, Boom’s CEO Scholl takes the state’s motto — “First in Flight” in stride. It bodes well for a new era of air travel.
With proximity to the coast, the company will be able to test the jets over water, in hopes of shaving hours off transatlantic flights. Could a flight from Tokyo to Seattle be reduced to just four and a half hours? Quite possibly, he said.
“Either we fail,” Scholl added. “Or we change the world.”
