The Department of Transportation announced today a return to a technology of the past that feels like it's from the future.
Supersonic flight is returning to commercial airlines once again.
Ever since the famous Concorde retired in 2003, supersonic flights - with speeds reaching well beyond the speed of sound - have not been a part of passenger air travel.
But it's going to make a return under the Trump DOT.
Here's Transportation.gov:
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is taking a pivotal step toward enabling civil supersonic flights over the continental United States. Thanks to massive innovations in supersonic technology, it will be possible to safely operate these innovative aircraft without a sonic boom. When operational, next-gen supersonic planes will drastically reduce travel times - enabling faster movement of people and goods.
Today's proposed rule sets a noise-based certification standard for supersonic aircraft. In addition to this first rule, the FAA plans to propose another rule later this year, establishing landing and takeoff noise standards for supersonic aircraft.
Together, these actions will give manufacturers the guidance they need to finalize their designs and bring these exciting innovations online.
Just because regulations have prevented supersonic commercial flights doesn't mean that the professionals haven't been working on designs.
These new regulations that focus on sound help provide the framework for engineers to work within.
Aircraft flying at supersonic speeds - Mach 1 and above - are traveling approximately 770+ miles per hour. Commercial airlines generally fly between 550 and 600 miles per hour.
One key to enabling supersonic travel is reducing the noise experienced by sonic booms. One means of achieving this is using a flight technique called Mach cutoff where the aircraft design, atmospheric conditions, speed, and altitude work in combination to ensure the sonic boom bends and refracts back into the atmosphere, significantly reducing its ground-level impact.
The FAA is collaborating with the International Civil Aviation Organization, NASA, industry, and academic institutions and applying their research to inform supersonic noise standards.
This is exciting news for plane nerds.
Now, the real question is, How many illegal aliens can we fit on one of these bad boys?
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