Blake Scholl: How Boom Legalized Supersonic Flight
Blake Scholl explains how Boom Supersonic reversed a 50-year federal ban on supersonic overland flight with unanimous Congressional support.
Blake Scholl: Why Plane Speed Stalled, Supersonic Commercial Flight, & Revolutionizing the Engine
With Blake Scholl, Jason Calacanis · Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl discusses breaking the sound barrier with XB-1, eliminating sonic booms through atmospheric refraction, and legalizing supersonic flight over land. He also reveals Boom's vertically integrated engine manufacturing and its unexpected pivot into powering AI data centers with 42-megawatt ground turbine generators.
Key takeaways
- Concorde's political fallout produced a blanket federal ban on civil supersonic overland flight in 1973 that halted American aviation progress for 50 years. Read more →
- Boom Supersonic converted its Mach 1.7 jet engine core into a 42-megawatt ground turbine generator by removing the front fan and attaching a generator to the back. Read more →
- Boom targets a $3,500 breakeven round-trip ticket across the Atlantic, cutting flight time to three hours at Mach 1.7. Read more →
- Boom Supersonic uses atmospheric refraction to bend shockwaves upward into the sky instead of redesigning the airframe into complex acoustic dampeners. Read more →
- Boom severed its partnership with Rolls-Royce after realizing legacy aerospace conglomerates cannot match the speed and custom specs required for supersonic flight. Read more →
5 articles from this episode
Boom's 42MW Pivot: Turning Supersonic Engines into AI Power
Boom Supersonic is repackaging Mach 1.7 jet engines into 42MW turbines for AI data centers to bypass grid backlogs.
Boom's $3,500 Supersonic Bet: Why Speed Beats Predictability
Boom CEO Blake Scholl targets $3,500 transatlantic flights at Mach 1.7. Here is how supersonic unit economics change air travel.
How Boom Supersonic Beats the Sonic Boom Ban
Blake Scholl explains how Boom Supersonic uses atmospheric refraction to fly Mach 1.3 over land without sonic booms reaching the ground.
Why Boom Supersonic Left Rolls-Royce to Build In-House Engines
Blake Scholl explains why Boom Supersonic dumped Rolls-Royce, vertically integrated engine production, and built its own propulsion test stand.
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