Curious on the backstory behind the photos? This is the place. You'll find not only write ups on local outings, but also reviews of major events I’ve attended.
The Boom XB-1 Goes Supersonic
My travels took me to Mojave, California, to witness the inaugural supersonic flight of the Boom XB-1 demonstrator, hailed as "the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet." The
Last month, I made a last-minute trip to Mojave, California, to witness the inaugural supersonic flight of the Boom XB-1 demonstrator, hailed as "the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet." The Boom team has been actively conducting flight tests on this sleek demonstrator as they work toward their ultimate goal of developing the Overture, a supersonic airliner.
During its twelfth flight, the aircraft reached a speed of Mach 1.122 at an altitude of 35,250 feet, with an ATAC Mirage F1 chasing it and a Northrop T-38 Talon capturing photos. In the brief 30-minute flight, the XB-1 achieved supersonic flight three times—all without generating an audible sonic boom that reached the ground after refining its sonic boom models and improving algorithms for predicting Mach cutoff conditions.
You may notice that during the return flight, the XB-1 exhibits a pronounced nose-up attitude on approach compared to most other aircraft which makes it impossible to see over the nose during the landing phase. The pilot, Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, relies on a augmented reality vision system: Two nose-mounted cameras, digitally augmented with attitude and flight path indications, feed a high resolution pilot display to allow runway visibility.
On February 10, the XB-1 performed its final test flight and will eventually be put on display in the Boom Technology headquarters lobby in Denver, Colorado.
January 28, 2025 - Mojave Air & Space Port/Rutan Field (Mojave, California)
