It seems "boomless cruise" is just flying at low ultrasonic speeds high enough. So the novelty is not breaking the laws of physics, but having engines that can live in these inefficient trans-sonic speeds for long durations.
The reason that sonic aircrafts are banned above land in the US is largely due to the bungled handling of the Oklahoma City tests back in the 1960s. Citizens were subjected to some pretty gnarly combinations of high Mach and low altitude, so public outcry made the FAA abandon any reasonable parameters.
So more than anything, this seems like a reeducation/lobbying effort to update the guidelines. From their website:
> In the U.S., FAA regulation 14 CFR 91.817 currently prohibits all supersonic flight over land, regardless of whether a boom reaches the ground. Boom Supersonic supports revising this regulation to allow Boomless Cruise and to establish a certification pathway for future low-boom aircraft. Updating this regulation will support innovation, promote American leadership in aviation, and strengthen U.S. national security.
It seems "boomless cruise" is just flying at low ultrasonic speeds high enough. So the novelty is not breaking the laws of physics, but having engines that can live in these inefficient trans-sonic speeds for long durations.
The reason that sonic aircrafts are banned above land in the US is largely due to the bungled handling of the Oklahoma City tests back in the 1960s. Citizens were subjected to some pretty gnarly combinations of high Mach and low altitude, so public outcry made the FAA abandon any reasonable parameters.
So more than anything, this seems like a reeducation/lobbying effort to update the guidelines. From their website:
> In the U.S., FAA regulation 14 CFR 91.817 currently prohibits all supersonic flight over land, regardless of whether a boom reaches the ground. Boom Supersonic supports revising this regulation to allow Boomless Cruise and to establish a certification pathway for future low-boom aircraft. Updating this regulation will support innovation, promote American leadership in aviation, and strengthen U.S. national security.
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