I hate flying.  In fact, Carol and I haven’t been to Asia, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and a great many places I’d love to visit because I hate flying.

To me, being cooped up for 13+ hours in the confined spaces of today’s airliners is cruel and unusual punishment.  So, much to my dear wife’s chagrin, we’ve yet to visit any destination that requires more than 10 hours of flying.

However, when I hear about the possibility of flying to Europe in 3.5 hours, my mind leaps for joy as I contemplate visiting far flung destinations without having to put up with my current disdain for the current airline offerings.

Two days ago, Boom Technology unveiled the XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator, a subscale prototype of the Boom supersonic passenger airliner. On display for the first time ever at Boom’s Hangar 14 at Centennial Airport, the XB-1, nicknamed “Baby Boom,” was unveiled at an exclusive VIP event for airline and aerospace executives and media. The XB-1 is the world’s fastest civil aircraft ever made, and it will demonstrate in flight the key technologies for affordable supersonic travel.

“60 years after the dawn of the jet age, we’re still flying at 1960s speeds,” said Blake Scholl, chief executive officer and founder of Boom. “Concorde’s designers didn’t have the technology for affordable supersonic travel, but now we do. Today, we’re proud to unveil our first aircraft as we look forward to first flight late next year.”

If successful, the designers of this new aircraft promise flights that will be 2.6 times faster than today’s jetliners.  And, unlike the failed Concord, they’re looking to offer these flights at prices that will compete with today’s business-class flights.

Notable Features

1. First independently developed supersonic jet: Previously, supersonic flight has been the province of governments and militaries. The XB-1 is the first independently developed and privately-funded supersonic jet.
2. Fastest Civil Aircraft Ever: Cruising at Mach 2.2 (1,451mph), Boom jets are 10% faster than Concorde and 2.6X faster than other airliners.
3. State of the Art, Proven Technology: Leveraging 50 years’ progress in fundamental aerospace technologies, Boom uses proven tech (aerodynamics, materials, propulsion) to create a revolutionary new design. While the design is new, every key technology has already been proven safe and reliable on other commercial aircraft.
4. Premium Passenger Experience: With one spacious seat on each side of the aisle, each passenger has a large window, a personal overhead bin, and direct aisle access. Cruising up to 60,000′, passengers experience a smoother ride with less turbulence.
5. Safety First: The Boom design meets or exceeds industry and regulatory safety guidelines. Our aim is to create an aircraft that is safe, fast, and a pleasant to fly.

In my humble opinion, if they pull this off, this will revolutionize the travel industry as travelers will be able to explore the world and get there in nearly 1/3 of the time.  And that, my dear readers, is something to which I can raise a glass. 🍷🍷🍷

To learn more, check out the Boom Supersonic website by clicking here.
 
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.