Important Innovations

  United Buying At Least 15 SSTs from Boom Supersonic                                                     Source:  Boom Green, Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Flying United Airlines just announced that it will purchase at least 15 supersonic jets from Denver-based Boom Supersonic.  This deal heralds the return of ultra-fast, supersonic flights, which ended in 2003 when British Airways shuttered its Concorde transatlantic flights.  Boom says its Overture SST will be capable of flying from New York City to London in 3&1/2 hours, cutting the flight time in half.  The deal is contingent on Boom clearing United's rigorous safety, operating and sustainability requirements. Boom and Green Flights United has an option to buy 35 additional aircraft from Boom.  The SST will be rolled out in 2025, go through rigorous testing and then supersonic passenger service is scheduled to start in 2029.  The SST is designed to run entirely on 100% sustainable aviation fuel and will produce net-zero carbon

Supersonic Flights Across the Earth Source:  Virgin Galactic Flying Public at Supersonic Speeds NASA is teaming up with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space company to develop high speed technologies for supersonic air travel.  The purpose is to make high Mach speed vehicles for the travelling public here on Earth to get from "Point-to-Point" in vastly reduced times.  NASA and Branson have finalized their collaboration by signing a Space Act Agreement.  Vision and Goal Branson's vision for transporting the public at Mach speeds is a "global network of spaceports, transcontinental supersonic space flights and delivering passengers anywhere in the world in a couple of hours".  To achieve this, the aircraft will actually be a spacecraft. Technological First The envisioned SST would be a spacecraft that would launch into space from its departure point, then re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and arrive at the destination point for landing

Lockheed Martin Goes Supersonic Source:  Lockheed Martine Supersonic Design Concept Travelling Faster than the Speed of Sound Lockheed Martin just unveiled its conceptual design for a sleek, supersonic passenger jet that will travel at the speed of Mach 1.8   It will be able to carry up to 40 passengers and is yet another sign that commercial passenger jet travel is about to become super fast. The Quiet Supersonic Technology Airline The aircraft is called the Quiet Supersonic Technology Airline.  The design moves forward into the commercial passenger realm Lockheed Martin's work with NASA on the X-59 Supersonic X-Plane, which is now being tested. The aircraft doesn't create the intense sonic boom that the Concorde did when it crossed the sound barrier several decades ago.  The boom banned the Concorde from land routes and undermined its economic feasibility.  The new SST both for NASA and commercial travel is designed to reach supersonic speeds with no big sonic bo

FAA Re-writing the Rules Source:  NASA Supersonic Concept Flying Beyond the Speed of Sound At the Paris Air Show, FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell said the United States is changing the regulations to enable testing and the reintroduction of supersonic flights for passengers.  This is a major milestone for the return of civilian supersonic flights in the United States. New Generations of SST For the flying public and aviation enthusiasts, this is exciting news because there are many innovative supersonic aircraft projects well underway.  Companies like Boom Technologies and Aerion, as well as NASA, are working on next generation SST aircraft to replace the Concorde which ended flights in 2003.  The FAA's plans will give these companies a more efficient process to make SST travel a reality again. Elwell added the FAA and US Department of Transportation are committed to safe and environmentally sound R&D of supersonic aircraft.