Bill Tries to End Supersonic Speed Limits in the US Skies

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The Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act would allow America's aviation watchdog to issue licenses allowing flights over land "at a Mach number greater than one so long as the aircraft is operated in such a manner that no sonic boom reaches the ground in the United States," the legislation states [PDF].

[...] The bill was introduced to the Senate by Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Tim Sheehy (R-MT); and to the House of Representatives by Troy Nehls (R-TX), and Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS). If successful, it'll give the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) a year to comply and allow the next generation of supersonic commercial aircraft into American skies once again.

The backing of Budd and Tillis for the legislation is understandable. Boom Supersonic, which is building an 80-person commercial supersonic passenger jet, chose the US state the two senators represent, North Carolina, to build the Overture Superfactory it'll use to manufacture the aircraft. In January, Boom's single-seat XB-1 test aircraft, piloted by Tristan "Geppetto" Brandenburg, broke the sound barrier six times without a noticeable sonic boom. Boom boasts a number of big-name VCs and tech luminaries as funders, including AI poster child Sam Altman and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman.

NASA, too, has skin in the game, as it has been funding research into quiet supersonic flight for decades and last year fired up the engines on its X-59 supersonic test vehicle. The Register spoke to the pilot James "Clue" Less at the time, and he said the technology works and that the agency expects the first full flight later this year.

"The race for supersonic dominance between the US and China is already underway and the stakes couldn't be higher," said Senator Budd in a canned statement.

[...] The history of sonic booms over the continental US is contentious, mired in technology, politics, and the immense forces involved in supersonic flight.

[...] The FAA held tests of what sonic booms would do to Americans and their environment. In 1961 and 1964, the citizens of St Louis and Oklahoma City were deliberately subjected to repeated sonic booms in Operations Bongo and Bongo II. In the latter case, the test was originally scheduled to have aircraft generate eight sonic booms a day overhead for six months, but this was cut to four months after windows were broken and residents complained.

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