Supersonic Passenger Jets are Coming

Is the world ready for a passenger jet that flies faster that the Concorde ever could? I hope so because it’s coming as soon as 2020. Thanks to the brilliant forward thinking and huge wallet of Richard Branson, we can expect supersonic passenger jets flying at speeds of Mach 2.2. Yea, you heard me right, that’s twice as fast as the speed of sound. Virgin Galactic and aviation upstarts Boom Technology have teamed up for an exciting project that will bring supersonic jets back to commercial air travel.

The Concorde was doomed by poor technology and a system of regulations that hurt its innovation. Boom Technology plans to change the modern landscape of aviation with its groundbreaking airplanes. This new jet should fly around 100 miles per hour faster than the now retired Concorde.

At these incredible speeds passengers could make a trip from New York to London in 3 hours and 15 minutes. Today that trip takes an average of 7 plus hours. That’s cutting the travel time in half, if not more.

Imagine being able to go from San Francisco to Tokyo in under 6 hours. These are not unreal estimates and you should be very excited. The last major speed enhancement in commercial aviation came in the late 1950s when jets were first introduced. This shift made the idea of a “Hawaiian Vacation” possible as the trip used to take up to 16 hours now only took 6.

Adding supersonic jets to commercial airlines could change the way we look at travel. Now a weekend trip to Australia seems doable instead of the grueling 12-15 hour flight it is now.

Maybe you have business in Europe but wish to be home in time to tuck your child into bed, now you will be able to do that with supersonic travel. Supersonic passenger jets will literally shrink the world even smaller and make the global community that much tighter.

Boom raised a nice $33 million in initial investment to build its prototype, the “Baby Boom,” later this year.

Boom’s biggest and smartest move was partnering up with the legend and one of the best innovators around, Richard Branson. The man behind such innovative companies as Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Money, VirginMedia, Virgin Mobile and countless other brands has another feather to put in his cap.

The Baby Boom’s first test flight is scheduled for early 2018 with it’s full sized big brother being scaled up for a 2020 test flight. If everything goes as planned the full sized Boom aircrafts will be ready for commercial flights as soon as 2023. These specialized supersonic passenger jets will seat 55 passengers in an all-business class arrangement. Expect luxury and class on these supersonic jets, especially if Richard Branson is involved.

The man who owns his own Caribbean Island won’t skimp on interiors, that’s for sure.  I won’t be on the first flight, but I will line up and take a flight, just to say I did.  Expect more incredible innovations coming soon from this young upstart.