America
America Plans
P
Supersonic Future
Trump removes major hurdle to new age of airline travel. BY DAVID A. PATTEN
resident donald trump’s bid to usher in a new golden age for America is going supersonic. The United States now stands “at the
threshold of a bold new chapter in aerospace
innovation,” according to the executive order he issued in June in support of supersonic flight. Put simply, U.S. supersonic travel is now cleared for
takeoff. And when news of Trump’s order reached Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl, he and his colleagues rejoiced. “We were elated,” Scholl tells Newsmax. “Fifty-two
years of bad regulation ended in 115 days. I think I’m still taking in the significance of it.” Bone-weary travelers tired of stuffy cabins, long flights,
delays, and cancellations will appreciate the significance right away. Among the directive’s key provisions: It repeals the long-standing prohibition against supersonic flight over U.S. territory. That means an airliner crossing the “sound barrier” is no longer breaking the law.
Regulations limiting the development and testing of supersonic U.S. commercial jetliners have likewise been eliminated. It orders the Federal Aviation Administration to define acceptable noise thresholds for the takeoff, landing, and overland operation of civil supersonic aircraft. The noise issue is especially important. It means
that nearly a quarter century after the European-built Concorde’s last flight, the overblown dread of sonic booms is finally being addressed. “Sonic booms get talked about like these awful bogeymen,” says Scholl, founder of the groundbreaking tech firm that’s now building the first U.S.-made supersonic jet airliner. “The reality is that the sonic wave is like the wake of
a boat,” he explains. “If a big speedboat goes right beside you, yeah, you’re going to feel it. On the other hand, if it’s on the other side of the lake by the time that wake gets to
12 NEWSMAX | AUGUST 2025
you, it’s no big deal.” Sonic booms are just one of the obstacles to building the
world’s next supersonic airliner, which this time will be designed and built in the U.S. rather than Europe. Scholl is the effort’s leading visionary. Boom’s XB-1
became the first American civil jet to break the sound barrier in a test flight over the Mojave Desert in January. Most notably for those who enjoy a quiet sip of tea on
their back porch, it accomplished that feat without issuing the dreaded sonic boom that rattles the chinaware. That was due to Boom’s clever manipulation of a sonic
wave’s tendency to bend away from the Earth’s surface under the right conditions — a phenomenon engineers call Mach cutoff. With that historic accomplishment in the books, Boom Supersonic retired the XB-1 and shifted to production of its larger, more commercial jet, Overture. Major airlines, including United and American, have
already placed 130 orders for the superfast aircraft, which has a seating capacity of between 64 and 80 passengers, depending on configuration. Scholl says smaller tech companies like Boom can introduce new technology far more efficiently than massive corporations like Lockheed or Boeing. And he welcomes the competition he expects the president’s executive order to trigger. “Right now, there’s nobody else developing a supersonic passenger plane,” he said. “We’re the only ones who have actually built and flown one. We’re the only ones with a factory; we’re the only ones in development. “That said, now that the regulatory barrier has been
removed, I expect more competition — bring it on. I think we’re years ahead, but we need to do this the American
©BOOM SUPERSONIC
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