Page 1 - Aerotech News and Review – April 2024

Aerotech News
Aerotech News Journal of Aerospace, Defense Industry and Veteran News
Supersonic jet makes first flight at Mojave Air, Space Port
and Review
and Review
XB-1 takes off from runway 30 at Mojave Air and Space Port on its inaugural flight.
Courtesy Photo Boom Supersonic press release
Photo Courtesy Boom Supersonic press release
Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg sits in cockpit of the T-38 chase aircraft after the historic flight.
By Cathy Hansen
Special to Aerotech News
Mojave Air and Space Port was the site of another “first flight” on March 22, 2024.
Boom Supersonic’s success- ful maiden flight announced XB-1, the world’s first indepen- dently developed supersonic jet.
The XB-1 has all the state- of-the-art technologies that will be incorporated in Boom’s supersonic airliner, Overture, according to a Boom press re- lease. These features include carbon fiber composites to en- able efficient supersonic flight, advanced avionics, digitally optimized aerodynamics, and an advanced supersonic propulsion system.
“Today, XB-1 took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947,” said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO
of Boom Supersonic. “I’ve been looking forward to this flight since founding Boom in 2014, and it marks the most signifi- cant milestone yet on our path to bring supersonic travel to passengers worldwide.”
“Everyone on the XB-1 team should be incredibly proud of this achievement,” said Bill “Doc” Shoemaker, Chief Test Pilot for Boom Supersonic. “It has been a privilege to share this journey with so many dedicated and talented professionals. The experience we have gained in reaching this milestone will be invaluable to Boom’s revival of supersonic travel.”
For Doc, the road to XB-1 encompassed military service, a Stanford doctorate in aero- nautics and astronautics, and the first flight of several prototype aircraft. He is a former U.S. na- val aviator, and a graduate of the United States Naval Test Pilot School. Shoemaker has flown
more than 5,000 flight hours in 50 aircraft types and has 900 carrier arrested landings.
Taxi test completed last year
Boom Supersonic’s scaled down prototype, the XB-1, completed taxi tests on Run- way 30 at Mojave on Aug. 23, 2023. Earlier in 2023, XB-1 was moved from the company’s han- gar in Centennial, Colorado, to the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California, to con- tinue preparations for flight.
The XB-1 is 71 feet in length and serves as a scaled-down prototype with the primary objective of validating pivotal technologies slated for employ- ment in Boom Supersonic’s future supersonic airliner, the Overture, which will seat an estimated 65 to 80 passengers. The Overture plans to achieve remarkable speeds of up to Mach 1.7
In preparation for flight, Boom’s test pilots have com- pleted hundreds of hours in the simulator for aircraft evaluation, operations development, train- ing, and human factors assess- ments to achieve the highest levels of safety. The test pilots also maintain flight proficiency in a T-38 trainer aircraft, the same aircraft that was used as a chase plane for Friday’s flight. The test pilots also use the T-38 to practice formation flying.
Chase aircraft and pilot
Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg flew the T-38 chase aircraft which monitored XB-1 in the air. Chase planes accompany new aircraft on their maiden flights to observe how the test plane is handling and verify things like altitude, airspeed, and airworthiness dur- ing flight.
“Being in the air with XB-1 during its maiden flight is a mo-
ment I will never forget,” said Brandenburg. “The team has been working hard to get to this point, and seeing today’s flight through mission completion is a huge accomplishment for all of us.”
“Geppetto” is a former U.S. Naval aviator and graduated from the United States Naval
Test Pilot School.
High angle of attack land- ing on Runway 30
The XB-1 met all its test ob- jectives, including safely and successfully achieving an alti- tude of 7,120 feet and speeds up
See XB-1, Page 4
April 5, 2024 • Volume 39, Issue 4
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