A North Carolina city is building a new facility that will be the hub for Boom Supersonic’s Supersonic Plane production.
The company picked Greensboro to make its ultra-fast airplanes. What’s more interesting, however, is its desire to take the lead in bringing back commercial supersonic flights.
Company Going South To Join Other Airplane Makers
The Greensboro plant hopes to employ 1,750 workers in eight years. The company joins Boeing (North Charleston, S.C.) and Airbus (Mobile, Ala.). Those companies built final assembly plants in those Southern cities during the last 11 years.
The Overture is Boom’s first commercial supersonic plane. The company plans to start the aircraft in 2024, finish it in 2025, and set up the first test flight in 2026.
The ultimate goal is for 2029 with major airlines’ regular flights, and some are already chomping to get one. United Airlines has ordered 15 Overture supersonic planes.
“This is the right choice for us, and we couldn’t be more excited,” Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, told CNBC. “Greensboro brings a significant, local skilled labor population, and there are more than two hundred aerospace suppliers in the state. Many will be key suppliers for The Overture.”
North Carolina governor Roy Cooper acknowledged the state’s pioneering aviation feat, saying, “it is both poetic and logical that Boom Supersonic would choose the state that’s first in flight for its first manufacturing plant.”
The Wright Brothers’ first successful flight took place in North Carolina at Kitty Hawk in 1903.
Colorado Company Picks North Carolina
Boom recognized North Carolina’s closeness to the Atlantic coast in its decision.
Scholl said most testing would be over the water, where residents won’t hear a sonic boom. The company will keep its headquarters and design work in Denver.
Another key point is that the Overture will fly with top speeds of 1,300 mph or Mach 1.7 to get customers to destinations.
The plan aims to shave off hours on longhaul international flights. Boom estimates a typical Tokyo-to-Seattle flight will go 4.5 hours instead of 8.5 hours.
Supersonic History
In 2003, the final Concorde passenger flight took off from New York’s JFK Airport for London, England. British Airways retired that plane, as it was the world’s only supersonic airliner.
The plane came into existence in 1969. An unfortunate crash in 2003 finally led many airlines to phase out the aircraft.
Singer Phil Collins played at two cross-Atlantic “Live Aid” concerts on July 13, 1985. After performing at London’s Wembley Stadium, he only had a few hours to make another appearance in Philadelphia. He took the Concorde and made it with no problem. According to IMDb, he told interviewers that some people thought he was “showing off” by making both concerts.
