XB-1, the first civilian privately funded supersonic aircraft, flew its first supersonic flight yesterday. XB-1 was made in America by Boom which was founded by ex-Groupon executive Blake Scholl.

Coupons to supersonic aircraft. The roaring 20s are back.

This accomplishment was skipped by most news media. The WSJ said supersonic isn’t newsworthy until Overture is carrying passengers. NYT didn’t cover it. But the Financial Times covered it well.

The lessons learned from XB-1 will be used to build Overture to restore commercial supersonic flight: ~15 minutes slower than Concorde over the Atlantic but 75% more affordable.

What an incredible story over a decade in the making. Congratulations to Blake and the team.

Unfortunately, today has become a sad day for aviation with reports of a tragic mid-air collision at Ronald Regan International Airport this evening. My prayers are with the families involved.

I only get to write posts here early or late during the work week. So I still wanted to share this timely news even in this difficult time. I believe Boom’s achievement will inspire future engineers. I share the optimism and love the XB-1 story. At the same time I also hope aviation safety will continue to improve with careful investigation into what went wrong tonight.