Free Republic

In a stunning series of images, NASA has revealed the moment an experimental supersonic aircraft broke the sound barrier without producing a sonic boom audible at ground level. The images were obtained using specialized photographic methods during flight tests with the XB-1, a demonstrator aircraft produced by Boom Supersonic, the company behind the development of the world’s fastest airliner, Overture. The collaboration between NASA and Boom Supersonic offers a rare view of supersonic flight. Visual confirmation of shock waves and other data provide new insights into how aeronautical engineers can reduce the impact of sonic booms, ushering in a new...

Boom's XB-1 supersonic jet took its fifth test flight out of Mojave Air & Space Port on Oct 7th, 2024 setting a few new records in the process. The XB-1 is the one-third-scale platform that Boom is using as the foundation for its eventual Overture aircraft that aims to bring back commercialized supersonic passenger flight. It's been over 20 years since the Concorde took its last flight. It went supersonic in 1969, able to fly at Mach 2 (about 1,354 mph / 2,180 km/h). Though it could fly passengers from New York to London in under three hours (compared to...

Inaugural flight marks major milestone toward return of supersonic travel. XB-1 provides the foundation for Boom’s supersonic airliner, Overture. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today, Boom announced the successful flight of XB-1, the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet, at the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California. Like Overture, Boom’s supersonic airliner, XB-1 leverages state-of-the-art technologies to enable efficient supersonic flight including carbon fiber composites, advanced avionics, digitally-optimized aerodynamics, and an advanced supersonic propulsion system. VIDEO AT LINK............. “Today, XB-1 took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947,” said Blake Scholl, founder...

Virgin Galactic announced in May that it would be partnering with NASA to work toward high-speed, high altitude point-to-point travel for commercial airline passengers. The plan is to eventually create an aircraft that can fly above 60,000 feet (the cruising altitude of the Concorde) and carry between 9 and 19 people per flight, with a cabin essentially set up to provide each of those passengers with either Business or First Class-style seating and service. One other key element of the design is that it can be powered by next-gen sustainable fuel for more ecological operation. In some ways, this project...