Boom Supersonic is on a mission to bring Mach 1 speeds to commercial aviation. The company got closer on November 16 when its XB-1 aircraft approached supersonic flight. The XB-1 is a test bed for the company’s planned Overture aircraft, designed to bring the speed of sound to everyday air travel. Boom continues its measured, step-by-step approach to making that a reality.
On its latest flight, the Boom XB-1 neared supersonic speeds
The XB-1’s November 16 test flight was its eighth of ten planned sessions. During the eighth flight, Boom measured the aircraft’s handling with its stability augmentation system switched off. The XB-1 passed the test, showing that a pilot can safely control high-speed flight in case of a system failure. During the 54-minute flight, the maximum altitude was 25,040 feet, and the maximum speed was Mach .82. With each subsequent test, the aircraft continues to fly faster and higher as it approaches the sound barrier.
Boom Supersonic commented on the test: “Designing a plane that is both very stable and very fast is a challenge, especially for high-speed aircraft like XB-1. One of the major accomplishments of the XB-1 program was converging on a design that does not rely on computerized augmentation to stay safe in the air, unlike many modern fighter jets that use automated systems to make constant adjustments to the flight path in order to maintain stability. While XB-1 does have this kind of system, called the stability augmentation system, the team is assessing the aircraft with the system off at increasing speeds—this is a requirement prior to supersonic flight that XB-1 successfully cleared during this flight.”
