The “baby-boom” XB-1 is about to make its first flight

The boom the plane wants to make has to be particularly fast. But as far as the speed at which the supersonic passenger jet project is progressing, the American company will have to be further in line. Of Proposal, the name of the eponymous Concorde successor, whose rollout is planned for 2025, has been little heard for some time. At least a little substance. Instead, Boom, very “startup-like”, appears to be investing a lot of energy in PR. for very little Boom Test Carrier XB-1, with which the Denver’s creator seeks to prove the viability of his concept, which was no less true until now. since filthy submission Online Rollout in October 2020 There was hardly any news worth reporting about the three-engine “baby-boom”.

Roll Testing in Colorado

But that’s finally changing: Nearly a year and a half after the XB-1’s presentation, the single seater is soon to make its first flight. At least BOOM says it has started taxi testing at Colorado’s Centenary Regional Airport, which usually takes place before the first flight. However, the startup has not yet given any specific date for this. One way or another, the project is late: while the first flight was expected in 2019 when construction began in 2017, the announced date was later pushed back to 2021. As is well known, nothing came of it.

However, in late December 2021, the XB-1 was first seen with the engines running at Centennial Airport. According to BOOM, there have been around ten relevant test runs since then. As part of further roll tests, the XB-1 should accelerate to 112 km/h under its own power. The company then plans to go to the Mojave Air & Space Port in California for the first flight.

engine question

Meanwhile, not all of the central questions for the actual Overture project have been clarified. This applies to engines, for example, that aim to bring overture speeds beyond the sound barrier, but must also be futuristic in terms of efficiency, noise and environmental compatibility. In any case, the XB-1 is powered by a less eco-friendly J85 turbojet with General Electric’s afterburner. The original version dates from the 1950s. Boom is researching for Overture with rolls royce Currently still according to the appropriate concepts.