Boom Supersonic's XB-1 broke the sound barrier in 2025, but the engine, economics, and 1973 rulebook are the real barriers to civil supersonic flight.
VectorRadio Hangar explores Boom Supersonic's XB-1, the Symphony Engine, and Whether a Startup Can Really Bring the Passenger Jet Back Through the Sound Barrier.
VectorNASA and Lockheed's X-59 Quesst turns the sonic boom into a soft thump, aiming to overturn the 1973 ban on supersonic flight over land.
VectorHow Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 on Oct 14, 1947 - with two cracked ribs and a sawed-off broomstick.
TaildraggerBoom's XB-1 broke the sound barrier over Mojave, and a 'boomless cruise' breakthrough could end the 50-year overland supersonic ban.
VectorNASA's X-59 aims to replace the sonic boom with a quiet 'thump' and overturn a 50-year U.S. ban on supersonic flight over land.
VectorBoom's XB-1, a new FAA noise standard, and Mach cutoff physics could finally return supersonic flight to the skies over land.
VectorThe Senate Commerce Committee advanced S.1759 to end the 1973 ban on overland civil supersonic flight, tied to a no-boom standard.
TowerHow Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 on October 14, 1947 - with two cracked ribs and a sawed-off broomstick.
TaildraggerNASA's X-59 aims to replace the sonic boom with a quiet 'thump,' reopening overland supersonic flight banned since 1973.
VectorNASA's X-59 QueSST flew for the first time in January 2024, built specifically to generate the acoustic data needed to challenge the FAA's 50-year ban on overland supersonic flight.
VectorHow Boom Supersonic's XB-1 became the first American civil jet to break the sound barrier - and why the real test is the engine.
VectorThe F-100 Super Sabre became the first production fighter to exceed Mach 1 in level flight on May 25, 1953, changing military aviation forever.
TaildraggerNASA's X-59 Quesst aircraft aims to replace the supersonic flight ban with a noise standard by proving sonic booms can be reduced to a quiet thump.
VectorBoom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator is deep into supersonic flight testing at Mojave, generating real data for the Overture airliner program.
VectorNASA's X-59 Quesst aims to reshape sonic booms into quiet thumps, potentially ending the 50-year ban on overland supersonic flight.
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