Boom Supersonic’s Introduction To Something More Substantial
Aviation enthusiasts, get ready for the future. Supersonic flight is coming to a plane near you and it’s going to change everything.
The Concorde was once the fastest way to fly but since its retirement in 2003, commercial flights have been limited to subsonic speeds. Supersonic air travel will revolutionize the way we fly and this is big news for those who love aviation, the future of travel, and are looking forward to an era of faster travel times!
Ready or not, here comes the Boom!
Supersonic flights are the future. The ability to cover long distances in a short amount of time is appealing for people who travel frequently for business. Supersonic planes are designed for business travelers to complete an entire overseas trip, meet with key figures, close deals and return home in one day.
The Overture is Boom’s solution to making the world more accessible, creating new connections in faraway places, and helping you save time for what’s really important in your life. The Overture offers supersonic travel for those who value speed and efficiency.
By working with United Airlines, Boom has begun to prove supersonic technology is a practical reality for the 21st century. Yesterday’s supersonic aircraft were inefficient and less comfortable than their subsonic counterparts. One of Boom’s goals is to overcome supersonic misconceptions by developing an aircraft that is faster than a subsonic plane, but also quieter and smoother. In the past, supersonic travel was only available through military research projects like the Concorde or from one wealthy person to another. Boom believes supersonic air travel should be more accessible to the average consumer.
Boom’s goal is to change the way we fly.
Boom is focusing on commercial supersonic travel and creating an affordable business class ticket that will compete directly with the current subsonic long-haul, business class routes. According to their website, they want you to be able to “attend meetings in faraway places and return for evenings with loved ones.” They also want to “help inventors, researchers, and world leaders move faster than ever before.” Boom supersonic airplanes will give people the ability to travel long distances in less time.
The supersonic jet will be environmentally friendly.
The supersonic jet will be environmentally friendly-more so than today’s planes. This correlates with traditional supersonic jets, such as the Concorde and Boeing 747–200B which were criticized for being less than eco-friendly. The Overture is designed to be the first commercial plane that will reach net-zero carbon emissions right from the start. Part of this will be accomplished by partnering with a fuel company that creates jet fuel from thin air. Partner, Prometheus Fuels, is a startup energy company using renewable technologies to filter CO2 from the atmospheric air using specialized filters and nanotube membranes. How cool is that?
Fly the less anxious skies.
With all of the information I’ve read in preparation for this article, one thing that I didn’t see addressed was the reduction of flyer anxiety. Now, I’m injecting my assumptions and opinions in these next couple of sentences, but as someone who deals with anxiety myself, I feel that this is a great unspoken benefit of supersonic travel.
I’ve loved flying since I was a kid. Mom took me for the first time when I was 5. After a 15-year paramedic career and an anxiety disorder diagnosis later, I’ve realized that being trapped in a tube with more than 100 people for 8 hours or more is something that doesn’t appeal to me. I have plans to travel the world, so an option that cuts the time in half does sound appealing to me.
I’m sure many other people in a similar situation as mine would agree.
How does Boom expect to succeed where the Concorde failed?
I was a teen and thought the concept of the Concorde was cool as hell. It had its flaws. The ticket prices were astronomical and the technology volatile. Was the entire industry at that time way too early?
To succeed where the Concorde failed, Boom plans to use carbon fiber composites instead of aluminum in order to create an aircraft that is lighter and faster while also being cheaper to operate per mile flown. Boom is also leveraging advancements in supersonic jet propulsion research and utilizing new engine technologies to make improvements in the design and efficiency of this type of aircraft. The Overture is being positioned in the commercial business class market as an affordable alternative to what is currently available.
The process of airplane certification is a tough one, even for planes that aren’t supersonic. It’ll be at least 2029 before the Overture carries its first passenger, so this will give the industry plenty of time to test every conceivable situation that this aircraft may have to deal with in real life. The Air France Concorde crash in 2000 made it abundantly clear that the industry had to go back to the drawing board in terms of passenger safety when using new technologies. Armed with these lessons of the past, Boom seems to be putting the innovation of flying with speed safely at the forefront of what they do.
See you in 2029.
The Concorde is a relic of the past but has given the industry a foundation to improve upon.
Supersonic flight is the future of flight. I want supersonic flights to exist for me and many others who have always wanted to go supersonic as well. Boom has set out to change the way we travel by making it more affordable, more comfortable, and more environmentally minded than traditional airplane manufacturers.
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