Boom Supersonic

What do you call a sonic boom that doesn’t reach the ground? Boomless Cruise. The XB-1 flight test program demonstrated that supersonic flight without the disturbance of a sonic boom is possible—opening the door to quiet supersonic travel over land onboard Overture, our supersonic commercial airliner. Teams on the ground confirmed that XB-1 broke the sound barrier six times without an audible sonic boom reaching the ground. Boomless Cruise is based on well-established physics known as Mach cutoff, in which a sonic boom refracts in the atmosphere and never reaches the ground. This effect is achieved by breaking the sound barrier at a high enough altitude, with exact speeds varying based on atmospheric conditions.

3 supersonic runs, no audible sonic boom on the ground. Watch the recorded livestream of XB-1’s 13th and final flight with Founder & CEO Blake Scholl and Chief Flight Test Engineer Nick Sheryka. 

“Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.”―Theodore Roosevelt Happy President’s Day

For the Boom team, collaboration is key. “One of the things that’s most unique about Boom is the collaborative spirit. The ability of our team to push bars and boundaries further is impressive.”—Daniel Driver. IT Lead for XB-1

 Did we get the Schlieren shot? The answer is yes. During XB-1’s 13th and final test flight, our partners on the ground captured Schlieren images of the aircraft at supersonic speed. They are processing the photos this week. Schlieren images provide a way to visualize the shock waves resulting from XB-1 pushing through the air at supersonic speeds. Taking these images requires ideal conditions and timing. Boom Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg positioned XB-1 at an exact time in a precise location over the Mojave Desert to enable a team on the ground to photograph XB-1 in-flight. The images document the changing air density around the aircraft at supersonic speeds, showing the resulting shock wave—making the invisible visible. First developed by German physicist August Toepler in 1864, Schlieren photography is now used in aeronautical engineering to show how light bends around pressure differences, revealing the physics of flight. Stay tuned for more.

Fast Company caught up with Founder and CEO Blake Scholl for a deep dive into XB-1’s flight test program and the science behind the “U-turn” of sound: Boomless Cruise.

Supersonic. It’s not just about speed. It’s about making the world more connected.

From taxi testing to supersonic flight, the XB-1 program has been filled with “firsts” for the team. “One of my favorite moments on the program was when we deployed the drag chute for the first time.”—Grace (Lynch) Mehl, Flight Control Systems Mechanical Engineer

✈️ XB-1 Flight 13 has landed. Today, Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg safely and successfully achieved supersonic speed during XB-1’s 13th and final test flight. ✅ New top speed: Mach 1.18 (671 KTAS, 772 MPH) ✅ New max altitude: 36,514 ft. ✅ 3 supersonic runs, including 1 Schlieren photography run ✅ Additional confirmation of no audible sonic boom Learn more about XB-1 Flight 13: https://lnkd.in/eSwrM3_u

It’s go time. XB-1’s 13th and final flight is today, Mon. Feb. 10. Watch the livestream at 10:30am PST/ 1:30pm EST on boomsupersonic.com/xb-1. On this test flight, we’re capturing Schlieren images and gathering additional acoustic data. Join Boom CEO Blake Scholl and Chief Flight Test Engineer of XB-1 Nick Sheryka for a play-by-play of the flight and see XB-1 soar from the viewpoint of our T-38 chase aircraft.