Mojave Air and Space Port —(Map)
On Tuesday, an American company called Boom Supersonic made history when its test jet broke the sound barrier. It’s the first privately built supersonic jet to go faster than the speed of sound.
A supersonic plane is one that can fly faster than the speed of sound. The speed of sound (around 767 mph/1,235 kph) is often called “Mach 1”. When a plane breaks the speed of sound, it creates a loud booming sound, which can be heard on the ground.
The sound barrier was first broken in 1947 by pilot Chuck Yeager. Since then, many supersonic military jets have been built. From the mid-1970s until 2003, there was even a supersonic passenger jet called Concorde, which flew between the US and Europe. But Concorde planes were built by the governments of the United States and France.
(Source: Boom Supersonic.)
Boom’s flight on Tuesday marked the first time an airplane built by a private company has flown faster than the speed of sound.
The plane, called the XB-1, is a test plane. Boom’s real goal is to make a jet that can carry passengers. To prepare for that, Boom has been using XB-1 to test out materials and ideas.
Yesterday’s flight seemed to show that Boom’s plans will work.
The XB-1 took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. About 12 minutes after taking off, the plane went supersonic, reaching Mach 1.1 (844 mph/1,358 kph). The plane stayed at that speed for about four minutes. During the 33 minute flight, the XB-1 broke the sound barrier two more times.
(Source: Boom Supersonic.)
The entire flight was being closely watched on the ground by a team of 25 engineers. It was the 12th flight for the XB-1, but it was the first at speeds greater than Mach I. After the flight, the pilot, Tristan Brandenburg said, “It was smooth…and it felt great.”
Boom’s leader, Blake Scholl, says the company will fly the XB-1 once more in about a week. After that, he says the company plans to start working on their supersonic passenger jet, named “Overture”.
Overture is expected to be about three times larger than the XB-1, which only has room for a pilot. Boom says Overture will carry between 64 and 80 passengers.
(Source: Boom Supersonic.)
The company’s goal is for the new jet to travel twice as fast as regular jets. With an expected speed of Mach 1.7 (about 1,300 mph/2,100 kph), the Overture could travel between New York and London in about three and a half hours.
There’s a lot of work to do before that can happen. Boom must first finish designing the Overture jet. But the company has already built a huge factory in North Carolina. The company claims that once the factory starts running, it will be able to build up to 66 Overture jets a year.
The idea of a supersonic passenger jet seems to be popular with airlines. Boom already has orders for 130 of its planes. The company hopes the first Overture flights will take place in 2029.
Did You Know…?
Because of the booming noise that breaking the sound barrier creates, the US doesn’t allow supersonic flights over land. The XB-1 was tested in the only place in the US where these flights can take place. Once Boom’s passenger jets actually start flying, they won’t be able to go at supersonic speeds until they are over the ocean.
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