Posted on 07/01/2026 5:28:36 AM PDT by Red Badger
The Department of Transportation announced today a return to a technology of the past that feels like it's from the future.
Supersonic flight is returning to commercial airlines once again.
For too long, outdated rules based on old technology held back American aerospace innovation. Now, we are updating those rules for the first time since the 1970s.
Today @USDOT announced a new proposal to enable civil supersonic flight by replacing speed limits with noise… pic.twitter.com/vwR4J88W1F— Director Michael Kratsios (@mkratsios47) June 30, 2026
But it's going to make a return under the Trump DOT.
Here's Transportation.gov:
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is taking a pivotal step toward enabling civil supersonic flights over the continental United States. Thanks to massive innovations in supersonic technology, it will be possible to safely operate these innovative aircraft without a sonic boom. When operational, next-gen supersonic planes will drastically reduce travel times - enabling faster movement of people and goods.
Today's proposed rule sets a noise-based certification standard for supersonic aircraft. In addition to this first rule, the FAA plans to propose another rule later this year, establishing landing and takeoff noise standards for supersonic aircraft.
Together, these actions will give manufacturers the guidance they need to finalize their designs and bring these exciting innovations online.
Just because regulations have prevented supersonic commercial flights doesn't mean that the professionals haven't been working on designs.
These new regulations that focus on sound help provide the framework for engineers to work within.
Aircraft flying at supersonic speeds - Mach 1 and above - are traveling approximately 770+ miles per hour. Commercial airlines generally fly between 550 and 600 miles per hour.
One key to enabling supersonic travel is reducing the noise experienced by sonic booms. One means of achieving this is using a flight technique called Mach cutoff where the aircraft design, atmospheric conditions, speed, and altitude work in combination to ensure the sonic boom bends and refracts back into the atmosphere, significantly reducing its ground-level impact.
The FAA is collaborating with the International Civil Aviation Organization, NASA, industry, and academic institutions and applying their research to inform supersonic noise standards.
This is exciting news for plane nerds.
Now, the real question is, How many illegal aliens can we fit on one of these bad boys?
Scale that up to airliner size, and you’ll need a very different terminal/jet-bridge design.
Most likely.
A new airport entirely!..............$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$...........
For general aviation (”business jets” ...) you don’t need a jet-bridge, so it’s easier to implement.
I automatically assume that a well known Trillionaire, billionaires and Saudi princes would be the first customers............
They could build new Supersonic Airports way out in the rural areas around big cities, then have a helicopter shuttle to town............
LOL!
To great public scandal, Dulles International Airport (IAD) was built way out in the rural areas 20 miles or so from Washington City ...
It's not quite so "rural" or "way out" any more ...
Ross Perot Sr. and his son, Ross Perot Jr., donated approximately 400 acres (specifically cited as 381 to 418 acres) of land to the city of Fort Worth in May 1988 to establish Alliance Airport, now known as Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance.
This donation served as the catalyst for the development of the AllianceTexas industrial complex, which spans 27,000 acres. The Perots used the donated land’s value to secure a $39 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to build the dual-runway facility, which was designed to relieve congestion at DFW International Airport and serve as a hub for aviation and manufacturing.
The rest of the story:
This land was surrounded by land still owned by the Perot family, so that development of hotels, restaurants, strip malls and housing due to the presence of the new airport would benefit them.....Genius, pure genius!........
Did Sean Duffy get the okay on this from the federal judiciary?/s
When DFW was built, it was rural. The only development out there was Amon Carter airport(part of the runway for which is still visible on the south edge of DFW just north of the Airport Freeway). And there wasn’t much around McKinney National when the runway was built, although it is surrounded by residential full of folks unhappy about the new terminal. By the end of the year, it’s going to have more passenger service than Meacham.
The long term play is probably North Texas Regional - it is still rural.
“ wonder if they solved the problem of the skin melting glass from going 1200mph?” that was no problem on the Concorde. from ChatGPT: “ Concorde typically cruised at Mach 2.04, which is about:
1,354 mph (2,179 km/h) at cruising altitude
Roughly twice the speed of sound
Because the speed of sound decreases with altitude, Mach 2 at Concorde’s cruising altitude (around 60,000 feet / 18,300 meters) corresponds to about 1,350 mph, whereas at sea level Mach 2 would be closer to 1,520 mph (2,450 km/h).”
That’s I. G. Y. (International Geophysical Year) from Donald Fagen’s (not Steely Dan, as Walter Becker was not part of it) solo album “The Nightfly”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPO-j16VmRw
I wouldn’t know if I didn’t look it up. But the reason I looked it up is the references to Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. Apparently these lines were surreptitiously added by copying and pasting:
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
Taylor Swift
Fresh Out The Slammer
Taylor Swift
don’t wanna break up again
Ariana Grande
Otherwise, both relevant and prophetic.
I am glad we are doing this. My only concern is fuel burn and economics. Fuel burn and the tragic accident in France killed the Concord. I lived under the approach and departure from Heathrow in the UK, Red 1. I never tired of watching that beautiful aircraft land and takeoff. Particularly takeoff with full after burners, was the best.
That accident could have happened to any aircraft, it just happened to be a Concorde...........
It's high time for a walk on the real side
Let's admit the bastards beat us
I move to dissolve the corporation
In a pool of margaritas
So let's switch off all the lights
Light up all the Luckies
Crankin' up the afterglow
'Cause we're goin' out of business
Everything must go
Talk about your major pain and suffering
Now our self-esteem is shattered
Show the world our mighty hidey-ho face
As we go sliding down the ladder
It was sweet up at the top
'Til that ill wind started blowing
Now it's cozy down below
'Cause we're goin' out of business
Everything must go
We gave it our best shot
But keep in mind we got a lot
The sky, the moon, good food and the weather
First-run movies—does anybody get lucky twice?
Wouldn't it be nice…
Tell me can you dig it Miss Fugazy
Now it's gone from late to later
Frankly I could use a little face time
In the service elevator
And if Dave from Acquisitions
Wants to get in on the action
With his Handicam in tow...
Well we're goin' out of business
Everything must go
Can it be the sorry sun is rising?
Guess it's time for us to book it [To book it]
Talk about the famous road not taken
In the end we never took it
And if somewhere on the way
We got a few good licks in
No one's ever gonna know
'Cause we're going out of business.
Everything must go
I once lived on Arlington just off highway 360? south of DFW.
I could sit on my balcony and clock the planes in the landing pattern at about every 90 seconds. Then I’d see another entering the pattern.
Saw that Delta flight go by and heard it crash.
Thunderstorms rattle my windows quite often.
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