A New Aviation Era

News | David Wu | August 20th, 2022.

On January 21, 1976, the first Concorde flight by British Airways dawned a new age in the commercial aviation industry: Supersonic Transport, or S.S.T. The new capabilities allowed passengers to travel at twice the speed of sound— a contrast to a normal plane’s speed of nine-tenths of sound— while enjoying champagne at an altitude of 60,000 feet. But the jet that promised a revolution graced the skies one last time in 2003, and for two decades, such engineering marvels were never seen again. This is all about to change, though. In recent months, the “pre-order” of nearly a hundred proposed supersonic aircraft by prominent international airlines and government agencies has proffered renewed excitement for the S.S.T. industries. 

Boom Technology is the startup at the center of the latest S.S.T. developments. The company’s superstar is the Boom Overture— the proposed supersonic airliner that can fly at 1.7 times the speed of sound and may one day succeed the Concorde. Intrigued by design, American Airlines ordered 20 Overtures in August 2022, United Airlines ordered 50 Overtures in June 2021, and Japan Airlines partnered with Boom in December 2017. Additionally, military contractors such as Northrop Grumman and government agencies such as U.S.A.F. have collaborated with the startup to accelerate the return of S.S.T. With the preliminary prototype under construction, the potential of sitting in a supersonic machine is approaching the general population faster than the speed of sound.

Bringing sustainable supersonic passenger travel is undoubtedly Boom Technology’s mission. The key word in the mission is sustainability, which ultimately led to the Concorde's demise. S.S.T’s sustainability issues can be examined in three groups: economic, environmental, and technological. First, a supersonic aircraft’s fuel usage is substantially higher than a conventional aircraft; along with long-range travel, operation costs were not economically viable when the Concorde was used. Environmentally speaking, the fuel that was previously used in S.S.T. damages the ozone layer and emits considerable amounts of carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming. Additionally, the environmental harm to various infrastructures caused by the S.S.T.’s sonic booms— sound caused by breaking the sound barrier— forced many countries to close airspaces to S.S.T. Finally, the technological prospect of engineering a safe S.S.T. in the 1970s was daunting; a fatal Concorde crash in 2000 occurred despite the tedious and expensive S.S.T. maintenance. 

To avoid its predecessor’s fate, Boom is addressing these issues through a multitude of methods. The company is devising ingenious aviation fuel that addresses economic and climate challenges by investing in significant resources. The affiliation with government research agencies has decreased the sound destruction by aircraft. Studious work and collaboration have made designs of a much more technologically advanced airframe, engine, and wing than the works of the mid-20th century. 

Of course, success does not occur without setbacks. Boom Technologies has pushed its original first flight date from 2023 to 2026, further delaying the introduction of fleets of S.S.T. to commercial industries to at least 2029. Many experts predict failures and the ultimate cancellation of the program. Furthermore, though S.S.T. focuses on transportation speed, nothing beats an instant internet connection; businessmen and politicians may use Zoom over Boom in a post-pandemic world. 

Yet, Boom’s dedicated team, credited partners, and faithful investors bring light to a challenging project that may redefine the way humanity travels. It is paramount that venture capitalists and engineering professionals maintain their positivity toward the project, just as the Concorde team did amid the Cold War. And while there may not be an incentive to beat the Soviet Union in constructing the first S.S.T., the mere fact that this innovation could open a new chapter in history books should be enough to fuel progress.