'New Concorde' attempts to break sound barrier on first supersonic flight
'New Concorde' attempts to break sound barrier on first supersonic flight
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Boom’s inaugural XB-1 supersonic test flight takes off later today. Almost 22 years after Concorde made its final commercial flights, a prototype passenger jet is attempting to break the sound barrier – and its first supersonic test flight takes off today (28 January).
![[At the controls will be Boom’s chief test pilot, Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/28/10/XB-1_FT11-2.jpg)
Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 aircraft plans to reach an altitude of 34,000 feet before attempting to accelerate to Mach 1.1 speed and break the sound barrier over a series of four-minute runs. XB-1 first flew in March 2024 and has been “steadily increasing speeds” over 11 test flights but never beyond Mach 1 (770 mph) – the speed of sound.
The American-built civil supersonic jet is made from carbon fibre, and unlike Concorde’s droop nose, pilots will use an “augmented reality vision system” to see past its long nose for takeoff and landing. At the controls for XB-1’s first supersonic test flight will be Boom’s chief test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg.
He said: “I still get nervous before a flight in XB-1, but I think that’s healthy. If I weren’t nervous, it would indicate I wasn’t taking it seriously enough or was ignoring the risks.”. “I’m incredibly grateful for the abilities and opportunities God has given me, the people who have helped me along the way, and the belief that I’m not alone in the cockpit. I always say a prayer at the base of the ladder to remind myself of those things and to give credit where credit is due,” Brandenburg added.
