Wed, Jan 29, 2025
First US Civil Supersonic Aircraft Breaks Barrier In Historic Mojave Airspace
In a historic first for American aviation, Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 demonstrator aircraft flew beyond the sound barrier at Mach 1.1 at the Mojave Air & Space Port (KMHV) in California. XB-1 is the first civilian supersonic jet independently designed, developed, and built in America.
Boom Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg entered the historic and recently renamed Bell X-1 Supersonic Corridor at 8:22 a.m. local time on January 28, 2025, at an altitude of 35,290 feet MSL and accelerated to Mach 1.122 (652 KTAS / 750mph).
Two points are worth noting: First is that supersonic aircraft have historically been developed by the militaries and governments of nation states. XB-1 is the first supersonic aircraft developed by an independent, privately owned company.
The second is that the location chosen for Boom’s historic flight was originally called the High Altitude Supersonic Corridor but on October 14, 2022 it was renamed the Bell X-1 Supersonic Corridor in honor of the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound, flown by Chuck Yeager exactly 75 years ago to the day in 1947.
Blake Scholl, Boom founder and CEO said, “XB-1’s supersonic flight demonstrates that the technology for passenger supersonic flight has arrived. A small band of talented and dedicated engineers has accomplished what previously took governments and billions of dollars. Next, we are scaling up the technology on XB-1 for the Overture supersonic airliner. Our ultimate goal is to bring the benefits of supersonic flight to everyone.”
Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg said, “It has been a privilege and a highlight of my career to be a part of the team that achieved this milestone—every single member of this team was critical to our success.
“Our discipline and methodical approach to this flight test program created the safety culture that made a safe and successful first supersonic flight possible. With the lessons learned from XB-1, we can continue to build the future of supersonic travel.”
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