Boom Supersonic XB-1 breaks sound barrier over Mojave Desert

The Manila Times

Boom Supersonic XB-1 breaks sound barrier over Mojave Desert  About 35,000 feet (10,670 meters) over the Mojave Desert, northwest of Los Angeles, Boom Supersonic's XB-1 becomes the first privately funded airplane to break the sound barrier during a test flight on Jan. 28, 2025. After getting to altitude, Boom Chief Test Pilot Tristan Brandenburg opened up the test plane's throttles, accelerating to Mach 1.1, or about 845 mph (1,360 kph) -- faster than the speed at which sound travels. Boom Supersonic's XB-1 is a stepping stone in its plan to develop a commercially viable supersonic airliner, the Overture, capable of carrying 64-80 passengers across the Atlantic in about 3-1/2 hours. The company has 130 orders and pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines.  REUTERS / BOOM SUPERSONIC  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe    Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #TheManilaTimes #tmtnews #boomsupersonic #boomsupersonicxb1

Transcript

00:00Test Control, you are go for Excel to Mach 1.1.

00:04Go for Excel, Kestrel Gate.

00:06Kestrel Gate, go for Excel.

00:08So this is the really exciting part.

00:11Watch the Mach number in the middle of the screen.

00:15Three engines and afterburner. Mach number's ticking up.

00:31There we are. XB-1 is supersonic, faster than the speed of sound.

00:37We've got confirmation from the control room that she is supersonic.

00:41What a wonderful achievement.

00:43Geppetto and the whole team know what a really historic moment this is.

00:47The first civil aircraft independently constructed that has ever flown supersonic.

00:53And Geppetto is the first pilot ever to do it.

00:55It is a really thrilling moment.

00:57Test Control, you are go for Profile 120-2.

01:01Today was just a huge, huge day.

01:05This is the first civilian supersonic flight in 22 years.

01:09The first time a civil supersonic jet built in America has broken the sound barrier.

01:17And also the first time a civil supersonic jet has been built outside of a nation state.

01:24And I'm pretty sure he didn't expect to get three cracks at it.

01:28Mike, when I was out there at the fence line, I just took a moment just for me.

01:31I just watched it take off.

01:33Because every time that we've flown to date, I've been in the control room looking at data.

01:37So I had, like myself, a little Anakin Skywalker moment there.

01:40Let me look upon you with my own eyes.

01:42It was truly emotional just to see.

01:44We were a little disappointed there was no boom.

01:48In today's flight conditions, we only thought there was about a 10 percent chance that there was an audible boom.

01:55And there was a lot of cheering, but no sonic boom.

01:58And in the carrier landing, of course, there's also a chaplet or a lady that stands on the carrier and gives you landing directions.

02:05The pilot, we will hear him relaying numbers.

02:08It might be something like saying 1.8, you know, and have visual contact with the runway.

02:14Because, you know, XP1, much like the Concorde, when flying on approach at slow speeds, they're very nose high, even though they're descending.

02:21So it's really a regulatory constraint.

02:25Today, we have one of the silliest rules in the world, which is you can't fly supersonic over land, no matter how quiet the airplane is.

02:32And so we are we're picking up where Concorde left off.

02:36Initially, we'll fly right under the speed of sound over land, which is still 20 percent faster than a Boeing or Airbus.

02:42And over the water, we'll open up the throttles and go twice as fast.

02:45And that means that already there are about 600 of the routes, 600 routes around the planet that will benefit from big speed ups.

02:53The longest flights in the world tend to be the ones that are transoceanic.

02:56So that's where we're starting.

02:59But what you see there is we have the altitude on.

03:10So let's take advantage of this and just watch XP1 on her takeoff roll as she leaps into the air for the first ever supersonic flight of an independently developed civilian supersonic aircraft.

03:40And she's airborne.

04:07Wow, that was fantastic.

04:09Doesn't she look gorgeous, especially when the gears up?

04:12She looks an absolutely beautiful airplane.

04:14And in the pilots world, we say that if an aircraft looks right, she'll fly right.

04:19And XP1 certainly looks right.

04:27So that's the mark for Geppetto to select the undercarriage down.

04:29Here she comes.

04:31I just want to mention we have two LSOs have supported us on this mission.

04:35One of them is the LSO, which is the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

04:38It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

04:40It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

04:42It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

04:44It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

04:46It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

04:48It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

04:50It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

04:52It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

04:55It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

04:57It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

04:59It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

05:01It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

05:03It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

05:05It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

05:07It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

05:09It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

05:11It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

05:13It's the LSO that we're going to be talking about today.

05:15And the question was, can we do it?

05:17And we've known theoretically inside the company for a long time we could.

05:22And today I think we've shown the world we can.

05:25And now it's time.

05:27Today we'll celebrate.

05:28Tomorrow we get back to work.

05:29It's time to scale up and to go build the version that you and I get to fly on.

05:35Centerline 50 feet.

05:37On centerline 40.

05:39On centerline 30.

05:4120.

05:4210.

05:435.

05:443.

05:49And she's down right on the numbers.

05:51Absolutely beautiful.

05:52Right on the numbers.

05:53Right on the centerline.

05:54And I'm going to turn around and watch her roll out down the runway.

06:04And I'm going to watch her roll out down the runway.

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