Trump Administration Seeks To End 50-Year Ban on Supersonic Flights Over America

The Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to end a more than 50-year-old ban on supersonic flights over America as technological advances have devised ways to prevent disruptive “sonic booms” that airplanes traveling faster than the speed of sound used to make.Aircraft flying at supersonic speeds — Mach 1 and above — travel approximately 770 miles per hour. Supersonic travel was banned over America’s land mass because of the noise it caused. A new method to blunt the boom is a flight technique called Mach cutoff in which the aircraft design, atmospheric conditions, speed, and altitude work in combination to ensure the sound bends and refracts back into the atmosphere, significantly reducing its ground-level impact.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the FAA is proposing a new noise-based certification standard for supersonic aircraft. Later this year, another proposed rule will establish landing and takeoff noise standards for supersonic aircraft.The rules are designed to give manufacturers the guidance they need to finalize designs for a new era of civilian supersonic travel. The FAA aims to finalize the rules within a year. “When operational, next-gen supersonic planes will drastically reduce travel times — enabling faster movement of people and goods,” Mr. Duffy said in a release.President Trump has been pushing for America to lead in supersonic aviation. He signed an executive order a year ago seeking to end what he called “decades of stifling regulations” that grounded progress in supersonic travel. Mr. Trump said that the ban ceded leadership in high-speed air travel to foreign adversaries.“Restoring supersonic flight over land isn’t just about speed, it’s about unleashing American innovation and ushering in a golden age of travel,” Mr. Duffy said.A new generation of supersonic planes are already in development. The airliner Boom says it has orders and pre-orders from United Airlines, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines for 130 of its 80-passenger supersonic planes.By comparison, just 14 Concordes, the famous supersonic jets co-developed by France and England in the 1970s, ever entered service. The airlines offered Concorde flights for years between London and New York and Paris and New York. Service ended in 2003 due to excessive fuel consumption, high maintenance costs, and a 2000 crash at Paris.Boom says its planes have a Mach 1.7 cruise speed — about 1,300 miles per hour — and a 4,250 nautical mile range. The Colorado-based company says its Overture planes can travel between New York and London in three hours and 40 minutes. Conventional aircraft generally fly between 550 and 600 miles per hour and need about seven hours and 30 minutes to make the trip.Spike Aerospace is also developing a small supersonic passenger jet. Its planned Diplomat model will accommodate up to 18 passengers. The company announced it had received its first preorders but did publicly name any specific buyers.“This is how America wins — by moving at the speed of our innovators,” an assistant to the president for science and technology, Michael Kratsios, said. “For too long, outdated rules held back our engineers and manufacturers,” he added.

Trump Administration Seeks To End 50-Year Ban on Supersonic Flights Over America

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