Latest news with #Tristan"Geppetto"Brandenburg
CBS News
03-03-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Remarkable NASA photo captures U.S. civilian jet breaking the sound barrier: "Makes the invisible visible"
A little over a month after a civilian jet broke the sound barrier, Boom Supersonic and NASA have released a photo of one of the aircraft's historic test flights over the Mojave Desert. The image released Monday shows the XB-1 aircraft, which Boom Supersonic said is the "first civil supersonic jet made in America," during its second supersonic flight on Feb. 10. The company said it partnered with NASA using a technique known as Schlieren photography to visualize what can't be seen with the naked eye. "This image makes the invisible visible," Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl said in a news release. Chief test pilot Tristan "Geppetto" Brandenburg had to make sure XB-1 was in the right place at the right time to allow NASA's team on the ground to photograph it in-flight as it eclipsed the sun, the Colorado-based company said. Crews used telescopes with special filters that can detect air distortions like shock waves to capture the image. The photo was taken during the XB-1's 13th overall test flight, according to the company, but it was the second time it flew at supersonic speed, this time reaching Mach 1.18, or 772 mph, Boom Supersonic said. Scholl said that the XB-1 didn't make an audible sonic boom that typically occurs when an aircraft is flying faster than the speed of sound. The captured data suggests that, at certain speed and atmospheric conditions, the sonic boom refracts in the atmosphere and never reaches the ground. The finding may lead the way for supersonic commercial flights without sonic booms, the company said in its news release. NASA first visually captured supersonic shock waves in 2019 after a decade of research. The technology was developed in part to aid the space agency in testing its own supersonic aircraft, X-59. "Knowing where the air is really moving tells you a lot about what your vehicle is doing, how efficient it is, and how you can make it better," Ed Haering, principal investigator for the Schlieren photography, said in a 2023 NASA news release.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 jet breaks sound barrier 3 times on final test flight (video, photos)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Boom Supersonic's XB-1 jet went out in style on Monday (Feb. 10). The XB-1 broke the sound barrier three times during its 13th and final test flight, which lifted off Monday from the Mojave Air & Space Port in southeastern California at about 1:50 p.m. EST (1850 GMT; 10:50 a.m. local time in California). "This is really a bittersweet day for for me, and I think for the entire XB-1 team," Boom Supersonic Founder and CEO Blake Scholl said during the company's webcast of the flight. "This is the last time that she'll fly," he added, after a pause during which it sounded like he got a bit choked up. The XB-1 is a piloted pathfinder vehicle designed to pave the way for Overture, Boom's planned commercial supersonic jet. The demonstrator is about one-third the size of Overture, which will seat 64 to 80 passengers. Related: Boom Supersonic XB-1 jet breaks sound barrier on historic test flight (video) The XB-1 lifted off for the first time in March 2024, on a flight that did not break the sound barrier (which is about 767 mph, or 1,234 kph, at sea level). The demonstrator flew 10 more subsonic flights, then went supersonic for the first time on Jan. 28 of this year. Boom's chief test pilot, Tristan "Geppetto" Brandenburg, broke the sound barrier three times during that landmark flight, which marked the first time a civil aircraft had ever gone supersonic over the continental United States. Boom and Brandenburg repeated that feat during Monday's sortie, which lasted about 41 minutes from liftoff to touchdown back at Mojave. "We have achieved here with this flight test program what everyone thought previously was impossible — that a startup cannot do a supersonic airplane by themselves, without the help of the government, without the help of the larger OEM [original equipment manufacturer] organizations," Nick Sheryka, Boom's chief flight test engineer, said during Monday's livestream. "What we have done now, six times, is shown the world that we can design, develop, test — safely — a supersonic airplane," he added. RELATED STORIES: — Boom Supersonic's XB-1 jet sets new speed record during 7th test flight — NASA's new supersonic X-59 jet hits the afterburner (photos) — How the supersonic Concorde jet broke the record for the longest total solar eclipse in history Colorado-based Boom aims to bring back supersonic commercial flight, a feat pioneered by the British-French Concorde, which flew for the final time in 2003. Monday's successful flight took the company a big step closer to making that happen. "While it's incredibly sad for me to leave the exciting world of flight testing experimental aircraft, it means we get to go all in, starting tomorrow, on what we started the company to do, which is to build that Overture airliner," Scholl said. Boom aims to lock in Overture's overall design in just a week or so and to do the same with the jet's Symphony engines next month, he added. "Our goal is to be making thrust on those engines around the end of this year, start building the first Overture in about 18 months, roll it off the line in about three years [and] put it in the air in less than four," Scholl said. "Our goal is to be ready for passengers by the end of 2029." None of the three sonic booms generated by the XB-1 on Monday were audible from the ground, which helps to explain why Boom is so confident that supersonic passenger flight can come back. (Frequent, loud booms heard over large cities, after all, would be a significant hurdle for operators to overcome.) There's a "cutoff altitude" above which audible sonic boom waves will refract upward off layers in the atmosphere. That altitude depends on properties such as temperature gradients and winds, Scholl and Sheryka explained in the livestream. On Monday, the cutoff altitude was about 7,000 feet (2,134 meters). "Below that, you won't hear it," Sheryka said.
USA Today
28-01-2025
- USA Today
Watch Boom supersonic jet break sound barrier on path to speed up commercial flights
AI-assisted summary Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator jet became the first U.S.-made civilian supersonic jet to break the sound barrier. The independently funded XB-1 reached a speed of Mach 1.122, or about 750 mph, during its test flight. This achievement marks a significant step towards the development of Boom's Overture, a commercial supersonic aircraft designed to carry passengers at twice the speed of current subsonic airliners. American aerospace startup Boom made history on Tuesday by breaking the sound barrier during the test flight of its Boom Supersonic XB-1 demonstrator jet. The XB-1's flight, livestreamed from the Mojave Air & Space Port in California, made it the first civil supersonic jet made in the U.S. to break the sound barrier. Manned by Boom Supersonic's chief test pilot Tristan "Geppetto" Brandenburg, the XB-1 launched in the early hours of Tuesday, reaching an altitude of 35,290 feet and accelerating to speed Mach 1.122, or about 750 mph, according to a press statement from Boom. The measurement "Mach" refers to the speed of an object in relation to the speed of sound in the surrounding medium, with Mach 1 referring to something traveling at the same speed as sound, according to NASA. This means XB-1 traveled at a rate 0.122 faster than the speed of sound. Because supersonic aircraft have historically been created and used by agencies like governments and militaries, XB-1's supersonic flight is unique in that it marks the first time an independently, privately funded and developed aircraft has broken the sound barrier over the continental U.S. (And it did it three times during the flight.) 'XB-1's supersonic flight demonstrates that the technology for passenger supersonic flight has arrived,' Boom founder and CEO Blake Scholl said in a statement. 'A small band of talented and dedicated engineers has accomplished what previously took governments and billions of dollars." Big hopes for supersonic airline travel The XB-1's latest test flight wasn't just for fun - it's another step on the path to developing a commercial supersonic aircraft, a project already named Overture. "Next, we are scaling up the technology on XB-1 for the Overture supersonic airliner," Scholl said. "Our ultimate goal is to bring the benefits of supersonic flight to everyone.' The commercial Overture airliners will be able to carry 64 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7, about twice the speed of today's subsonic airliners, meaning a flight could cross the Atlantic in just about 3 1/2 hours. Boom said it completed construction on its Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, last year. The factory is expected to produce 66 Overture aircraft yearly. According to the company, it already has 130 orders and pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines. The sound barrier was first broken on Oct. 14, 1947, according to the U.S. Air Force. That's when Capt. Chuck Yeager and the Bell X-1 rocket-propelled aircraft broke the sound barrier. Reuters contributed reporting to this story.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boom Supersonic XB-1 breaks sound barrier over Mojave Desert
(Reuters) - About 35,000 feet (10,670 meters) over the Mojave Desert, northwest of Los Angeles, Boom Supersonic's XB-1 became the first privately funded airplane to break the sound barrier during a test flight on Tuesday. "She was real happy supersonic," Boom Chief Test Pilot Tristan "Geppetto" Brandenburg said after landing, in a video posted by Boom Supersonic. "That's the best she's ever flown, was supersonic." After getting to altitude, Brandenburg opened up the test plane's throttles, accelerating to Mach 1.1, or about 845 mph (1,360 kph) -- faster than the speed at which sound travels. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. In 1947, Chuck Yeager became the first human to break the sound barrier when he pushed the Bell X-1 past Mach 1 during a flight over the Mojave Desert. Boom Supersonic's XB-1 is a stepping stone in its plan to develop a commercially viable supersonic airliner, the Overture, capable of carrying 64-80 passengers across the Atlantic in about 3-1/2 hours. The company has 130 orders and pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines. Last year, it completed construction on its Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, where it plans to build 66 Overture aircraft per year.
Reuters
28-01-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Boom Supersonic XB-1 breaks sound barrier over Mojave Desert
Jan 28 (Reuters) - About 35,000 feet (10,670 meters) over the Mojave Desert, northwest of Los Angeles, Boom Supersonic's XB-1 became the first privately funded airplane to break the sound barrier during a test flight on Tuesday. "She was real happy supersonic," Boom Chief Test Pilot Tristan "Geppetto" Brandenburg said after landing, in a video posted by Boom Supersonic. "That's the best she's ever flown, was supersonic." After getting to altitude, Brandenburg opened up the test plane's throttles, accelerating to Mach 1.1, or about 845 mph (1,360 kph) -- faster than the speed at which sound travels. In 1947, Chuck Yeager became the first human to break the sound barrier when he pushed the Bell X-1 past Mach 1 during a flight over the Mojave Desert. Boom Supersonic's XB-1 is a stepping stone in its plan to develop a commercially viable supersonic airliner, the Overture, capable of carrying 64-80 passengers across the Atlantic in about 3-1/2 hours. The company has 130 orders and pre-orders from American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab, United Airlines (UAL.O), opens new tab and Japan Airlines (9201.T), opens new tab. Last year, it completed construction on its Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, where it plans to build 66 Overture aircraft per year. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here.
