The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed ending its 1973 ban on civil supersonic flight over U.S. land, replacing the decades-old speed limit with a new noise-based standard. Issued June 30 as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled "Enabling Supersonic Overland Flight," the change would shift the regulatory question from "how fast are you going?" to "how loud are you when you get there?"
The mechanism is key. Rather than allowing unrestricted, Concorde-style flight over land, the proposal permits what the industry calls "boomless cruise": aircraft could fly faster than Mach 1 (roughly 767 mph) as long as they keep sonic boom overpressure at the ground at or below 0.11 pounds per square foot, essentially inaudible below. That relies on a technique called Mach cutoff, using speed, altitude, and atmospheric conditions to bend the shockwave upward before it reaches the surface, which in practice would likely cap overland flight around Mach 1.3.
If finalized, it could meaningfully shorten domestic trips, with backers citing routes like New York to Los Angeles. The proposal implements a June 2025 executive order from President Trump, and cites Boom Supersonic's XB-1 test flights and NASA's X-59 research as proof the old blanket ban is outdated. Final rules are targeted for mid-2027, with commercial service not expected until around 2030. Not everyone is convinced: one clean-transport expert called the rule "weak," arguing its 0.11 psf metric doesn't actually measure loudness or human annoyance. The public comment period runs through August 17.
Sources: FAA, Aviation Week, Forbes.
The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed ending its 1973 ban on civil supersonic flight over U.S. land, replacing the decades-old speed limit with a new noise-based standard. Issued June 30 as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled "Enabling Supersonic Overland Flight," the change would shift the regulatory question from "how fast are you going?" to "how loud are you when you get there?"
The mechanism is key. Rather than allowing unrestricted, Concorde-style flight over land, the proposal permits what the industry calls "boomless cruise": aircraft could fly faster than Mach 1 (roughly 767 mph) as long as they keep sonic boom overpressure at the ground at or below 0.11 pounds per square foot, essentially inaudible below. That relies on a technique called Mach cutoff, using speed, altitude, and atmospheric conditions to bend the shockwave upward before it reaches the surface, which in practice would likely cap overland flight around Mach 1.3.
If finalized, it could meaningfully shorten domestic trips, with backers citing routes like New York to Los Angeles. The proposal implements a June 2025 executive order from President Trump, and cites Boom Supersonic's XB-1 test flights and NASA's X-59 research as proof the old blanket ban is outdated. Final rules are targeted for mid-2027, with commercial service not expected until around 2030. Not everyone is convinced: one clean-transport expert called the rule "weak," arguing its 0.11 psf metric doesn't actually measure loudness or human annoyance. The public comment period runs through August 17.
Sources: FAA, Aviation Week, Forbes.
