Here’s one from the vault… Hard to believe it, but it’s been twenty years since the Concorde SST (SuperSonic Transport) was permanently retired. It was a remarkable machine that plied the transatlantic trade at twice the speed of sound, the tooth-jarring sonic boom footprint limited to over-water flight. But the real promise of supersonic travel — Los Angeles to New York in a little over two hours, for example — in has never been practical due to that noise footprint. Until now. Meet the ingeniously designed OVERTURE with its sonic THUMP, manufactured by Boom Technology of Denver, Colorado.
Listen here on Soundcloud:
Overture has been designed to use SAF, so that takes the wind out of the “fossil fuels are evil” crowd at least. Apparently the guys doing this figure SAFs will be more widely available at lower cost by the time it’s ready so it’ll dovetail. Hopefully.
I’ve been browsing their website. To increase their chances of success, they should ditch the VR headsets for the pilots and probably ditch the haptic sidestick. Those are distractions. Good haptics are a pain in the ass, or they were 30 years ago. Maybe less so these days with our better magnets.
I fail to see how either of these projects help them bust Mach quietly.
I’m starting to think the words that will usher in a new Golden Age are: Kiss my Ass!
Imagine my job hunting dismay in hearing the words of this CEO through Bill, thinking “That’s the company I want to work for!” and learning they’re in Colorado.
You guys wouldn’t believe the amount of political garbage one must navigate through to find a job around Los Angeles. Or maybe you would.
The “Sonic Boom” that Guile used was always one of the best attacks in Street Fighter II
A thought. If we are paid subscribers watching this on your website, why must we “endure” 2 annoying ads before the show starts?
I could understand it if we hadn’t logged in and were thought to not be subscribers or we were watching this on ScrewTube.
Thoughts?
I use Brave browser – it’s highly effective in ad blocking
Scott, helicopters don’t fly. They beat the air into submission.
And never trust an airframe under 30.
Boom (1.7M), Exosonic (1.8M), Spike (1.6M) and Aerion (1.4M) are/were sonic players. Speed is good, but comes w/a price. Fuel/energy consumption is proportional to drag (a function of velocity squared), so > energy | fuel > CO2 (& NOx, SOx, pm2.5). Shock (boom) strength is proportional to speed > speed > shock/boom. Ignoring CO2 scam for now, NOx is the real health threat. I’ve a friend @ Boom & Exosonic (looking @ supersonic airliner, AF#1 and target drone). I’ve suggested (to Exosonic) an cleaner and more efficient 1.4M design/propulsion option. While 1.7M (1128 mph @ 35kft) offers faster time, using… Read more »
Rich, if any of these companies could use a seasoned Mech E, I’m looking. I’m more of a mechanisms guy and trying to get away from the JPL Mars exploration scene, which has imploded over the past year.
Ok. I don’t blame you for being proud. I would be too.
You obviously raised him well.
Just try to not have the buttons on your clothes pop off due to pride.😉😏😊
My tee shirts don’t have buttons. 😉
XB-1 first flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aT4okUYPoI
At 49 seconds…
XB-1 second flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLEg8qR0j64
At 26 seconds…
…that handsome guy is my son, and his dulcet voice sounds throughout. Employee #13, he’s been with Boom for nine years now. I’m proud of my boy!
Congratulations! This is the future I thought we’d have in the 80s and 90s when I finished my degrees in Aerospace.
I got chills when the landing gear retracted.
Godspeed to them!
Congratulations on raising such a fine fellow, and Thank You for birthing a rare breed tech hero!