Latest Flight Hits Halfway Point Of 10 Planned

October 7, 2024 marked the fifth successful test flight for Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 demonstration aircraft. It flew to an altitude of 17,800 feet MSL in the R-2515 airspace and represents the halfway point in the 10 subsonic flights planned before breaking Mach 1.

This flight marked the highest, fastest, and longest flight yet as the aircraft progresses through the test program on its way to supersonic flight near the end of the year.

For this flight, the flutter excitation system (FES) was repaired and reinstalled to continue collecting data at the Mach 0.6 flutter point. The FES is crucial during this phase of flight and will be used to clear the flight envelope up to transonic speeds.

Flying and handling qualities were tested at progressively higher speeds. This included pacer checks and flutter tests as XB-1 reached a new top speed of Mach 0.69 (324 KIAS). On this flight, as will become SOP during future test flights, the landing gear was retracted immediately after takeoff.

The XB-1 flew for about 50 minutes on this flight, with Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg at the controls.

Some of the comments on Boom’s social media page expressed some good-natured impatience at the pace of Boom’s flight testing, comparing it to the days of Chuck Yeager, but at the same time acknowledging that aircraft development can ill-afford to rush the process these days. Especially when reincarnating supersonic flight.

XB-1 is Boom’s 1/3-scale demonstrator aircraft that is being used to prove the design and pave the way for Overture, the company’s full-scale aircraft intended for supersonic commercial passenger service.

FMI:  boomsupersonic.com/flyby/