From the moment humans took flight, experts in the aerospace industry have innovated to enable private and commercial aircraft to reach the next new height. Boom Supersonic, for example, develops super-fast planes that can make dreams like reducing travel from the U.S. to Europe in just a few hours a reality for the general public.
During the Global Aerospace Summit, Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl discussed the latest on the development of the Boom Overture aircraft, Overture’s sustainability outlook, and shared the global benefits of supersonic commercial flight.
Boom Supersonic Is Hurtling Towards A Faster Future
With its plane Overture, described as “the world's fastest airliner,” Boom Supersonic seeks to create an accessible way to travel the world. The company believes Overture will be the first mainstream practical, supersonic airliner.
“Our goal with Overture is to make the world dramatically more accessible,” said Scholl. “[We’d like] to enable more travel and more human connection by building flights that are faster, ultimately more affordable, more convenient, and dramatically more sustainable than what we have today.”
Boom got its first preorder from United Airlines, which signed up for 15 Overture airplanes. Just a few months ago, American Airlines and Japanese Airlines joined United, bringing preorders to 130 planes. The Overture also presents defensive applications for use in the Air Force, Army Special Forces, and other allied militaries. Boom Supersonic plans to break ground on its Greensboro, North Carolina super factory by the end of 2022.
Overture Shoulders the Burden of Responsibility of Sustainable Aerospace Travel
Scholl said Boom Supersonic has a great burden of responsibility to ensure that Overture isn’t just helpful to push aerospace travel forward — it must also be great for the environment and world.
“We want to enable speed, safety, and sustainability without compromise,” said Scholl. “We are designing Overture to be the first airplane to be 100% compatible with sustainable aviation fuel without requiring blends and drop-ins.”
“We are especially thrilled with the progress that we now have in supporting sustainable aviation fuel, the same way that wind and solar were supported in the early days,” Scholl continued. “With the tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel that was in the Inflation Reduction Act, [there’s] huge progress … to come.”
Boom Supersonic Is Breaking Down Accessibility Barriers
Affordability remains the prime directive of supersonic flight for Boom Supersonic. Scholl compared the Concorde, the Frano-British supersonic commercial aircraft that retired in 2003, with Overture, citing several differences. The former’s widely-accepted reasons for failure — extensive maintenance costs and a low demand based on flight cost — won’t be repeated with Overture, said Scholl.
“What happens when Sydney, Australia, is as accessible as Honolulu is today? What happens when we can cross the Pacific as easily as we would cross the Atlantic?” he asked. ”Where would you choose to go on vacation? Where would you choose to open an office [or] even who could you choose to fall in love with? That is our biggest mission: to break down the barriers to accessing the planet to enable speed, affordability, convenience, and sustainability.”
Overture will focus on business-class travel, but the ultimate goal is to make high-speed flights affordable for anybody who flies — meaning the fastest flight could also be the most economical.
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