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303.789.4400 VOLUME 38 • NUMBER 51 • NOVEMBER 12, 2020

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TheVillagerNewspaper

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Boom Supersonic’s prototype jet is unveiled at Centennial Airport

BY FREDA MIKLIN STAFF WRITER n October 7, 2020, at Centennial Air-

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port, Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of aerospace company Boom Supersonic rolled out Boom’s 71-foot-long XB-1 supersonic test jet, the precursor to the 55-passenger Overture supersonic transport. Scholl described the prototype: “Every feature of this airplane has been optimized for highspeed performance. Everything we’ve learned from the aircraft has directly informed the design and development of our Overture passenger airliner. The fuselage of XB-1 is designed for speed, minimizing drag at supersonic performance. Its carbon composite airframe retains its rigidity and strength even under the temperatures and pressures of high-speed flight. Delta wing balances low speed performance for takeoff and landing with high speed efficiency. Three General Electric engines are used to achieve supersonic speeds; the ergonomic cockpit was designed with input from pilots. The nose has a refined shape to generate the precise vortex flow to ensure stability across a wide range of airspeeds.” Dr. Ray O. Johnson, former Lockheed Martin chief technology officer and Boom advisor, said, The XB-1 rollout…represents the ability to design, manufacture, and soon fly a supersonic aircraft.” Greg Krauland, XB-1 chief engineer explained what’s changed in the 60 years since Concorde (the first supersonic aircraft that flew from 1976 to 2003) was developed: aerodynamic analysis, materials that are both strong and lightweight, and efficient

ABOVE: The new XB-1 prototype was rolled out and presented by Boom CEO Blake Scholl on Oct. 7 at Centennial Airport. LEFT: A rendering of Overture cruising at 30,000 ft.

propulsion. He continued, “Aerodynamics present the greatest challenge in achieving a successful supersonic design, meeting performance, handling, and efficiency goals while ensuring safe operation at the low speeds required for takeoff and landing. Our aircraft is dominated by design features that enable supersonic flight, specifically the long, slender fuselage, the narrow, highly swept wing, and aggressive inlets designed to slow the oncoming supersonic air to the subsonic speeds that the engines require. All of these features tend to have detrimental effects on the low-speed flight characteristics”. The XB-1 has 3,488 unique parts and 15,129 individual screws. The aircraft will be ground tested in Colorado, but Robert Olislagers, CEO of the Arapahoe

County Public Airport Authority, which owns and operates Centennial Airport, assured the Greenwood Village City Council at a city council meeting on October 5 that there will be no sonic booms involved. After ground testing is completed in Colorado, the aircraft is headed for Mojave, California where it will have its first flight test in 2021. The commercial version, Overture, is scheduled to be rolled out in 2025. It will have a range of 4,500 nautical miles. Boom Supersonic’s goal is to create an airliner that will provide affordable and sustainable supersonic travel “to bring families, businesses, and cultures closer together through supersonic travel and make the world dramatically more accessible. They already have pre-orders for 30 aircraft. Fmiklin.villager@gmail.com

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