Boom Supersonic – which, as its name suggests, is making airplanes that fly faster than the speed of sound – was booming with announcements on Tuesday, July 23.

That’s very good for Guilford County and the surrounding area because the company has built a key manufacturing plant at Piedmont Triad International Airport.

Boom is developing Overture, which will be the world’s fastest commercial airliner. The Overture is expected to fly at twice the speed of today’s commercial jets.

The company’s order book currently stands at 130 aircraft and it includes orders and pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines. Boom is also working with Northrop Grumman to establish government and defense applications of the technology.

“Symphony” is the turbofan engine that will enable supersonic flight, while “XB-1” is Boom’s demonstrator aircraft – the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet that flew for the first time in Mojave, California in March of this year.

Boom Supersonic made several major announcements on July 23  at an airshow in Europe including the following:

  • An all-new flight deck for the Overture
  • Advanced Symphony engine rig testing
  • The full-scale engine core to be operational next year
  • The XB-1 readies for flight two with plans to reach supersonic speeds by the end of 2024.

Boom Supersonic also announced an expanded partnership with StandardAero that includes engine assembly in San Antonio, Texas and the company announced the addition of Universal Avionics and ATI to Boom’s global supplier network.

All of this – evidence that the company is moving closer to its goal of providing ultra-fast supersonic worldwide commercial jetliners by the end of the decade – is good for Guilford County. Frankly, the prospect of making such a high-tech high-profile product in the Greensboro area is something that some people still question as reality because it seems “too good to be true.”

However, based on the completion of the factory at the airport and the airshow announcements this week, things seem to be going swimmingly.

The company made the announcements at the Farnborough International Airshow in England, which is running from Monday, July 22 through Friday, July 26.

Every two years, representatives of companies in the aerospace, aviation and defense industries get together at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre for what many in the industry consider the world’s best air show.

 One of Boom’s announcements this week is the reinvention of the cockpit, which will feature “an all-new flight deck, designed around pilots with safety at the forefront.”

The company stated on Tuesday that  “Boom is making rapid progress on its Symphony engine, with hardware testing underway and the first full-scale engine core to be operational in just 18 months.”

 Additionally, Boom announced that Symphony will be assembled in San Antonio, Texas through an expanded agreement with StandardAero.

Boom Supersonic also spoke at the air show of “accelerating momentum” and in March the company conducted the historic first flight of its XB-1 supersonic demonstration aircraft.  In June, the company completed construction of its “Overture Superfactory” at Piedmont Triad International Airport’s aviation megasite.

Company executives say they’re really delighted with the progress that’s being made at that plant and at other company locations as well.

“Passengers and airlines are hungry for supersonic flight,” said Blake Scholl, the founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. “Following XB-1’s successful test flight, we’re accelerating. Overture features an all-new flight deck, incorporating extensive pilot feedback, resulting in a flying experience that is both innovative and instantly familiar. Our Symphony engine has quickly progressed through design into hardware rig testing, and with a fully operational engine core on track for next year, our rapid development approach is pacing ahead of schedule.”

Boom is also working on an advanced head-worn vision system with Universal Avionics, which will be integrated into the flight deck. Overture flight deck simulator was on display at the Farnborough International Airshow this week.

Overture’s flight deck is the result of a lot of feedback from airline, business and military pilots. The new systems are meant to provide “pilots unprecedented situational awareness and ease of control, providing passengers with the safest possible flight experience.”

There’s also a whole lot of advanced automation technology and other tech in the planes, including large high-definition touch screens, and, for the first time on a commercial airliner, “force-feedback” side sticks that allow pilots to control the plane while physically feeling both aircraft response and inputs made by the co-pilot or autopilot.

In addition, the new systems include autoland technology and augmented reality tools.

“Overture has an advanced augmented reality vision system for takeoff and landing, eliminating the need for the droop nose used on Concorde,” the company stated. “Pilots can safely land using autoland or augmented reality views provided on a head-worn device and on the pilot’s primary flight display.”

Boom recently completed a series of flight deck tests with commercial pilots from leading airlines. Mike Bannister, the former chief Concorde pilot for British Airways, conducted one of those tests.

“I’ve long believed that Overture is the rightful successor to Concorde,” Bannister said this week. “After experiencing Overture’s flight deck, which is incredibly well designed and delightful to fly, my excitement and enthusiasm for this aircraft has only intensified.”

The company, which expects its engine core to be operational in the next year, revealed last month that it’s already building and rig-testing the Symphony hardware.

These hardware tests began just 18 months after the initial announcement of Symphony, demonstrating Boom’s rapid development approach. As part of this strategy, the company will conduct over 30 engine hardware tests, allowing for “validation and optimization” of all the major engine components from fan and nozzle acoustics to combustor fuel efficiency.

Boom also announced that the company has accelerated the development of the core of its full-scale engine, which is expected to be operational by late 2025.

Boom expects to build and test multiple iterations before certifying the final engine.

Boom Supersonic’s stated mission is “to make the world dramatically more accessible through flights that are faster, more affordable, more convenient, and more sustainable.”

About