Boom Supersonic successfully conducted a second test flight of its prototype XB-1 aircraft Monday.
But the company — which just opened a factory in Greensboro — is still far from achieving supersonic speeds.
The flight, which lasted about 15 minutes in California's Mojave Desert, included retracting and extending the landing gear for the first time, assessing handling qualities, and activating a new digital stability augmentation system.
Boom released a slick 60-second video summary of the flight, with pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenberg at the controls.
The XB-1 climbed to 10,400 feet and reached speeds of 232 knots (about 277 miles per hour) — a long way from breaking the sound barrier. Boom said it needs to conduct 10 test flights before trying to reach Mach 1, or 761 miles per hour. Brandenburg, a graduate of the Naval Test Pilot School, will fly the XB-1 on its first supersonic flight.
“Right now, the plan is multiple supersonic flights. We plan to do Mach 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 on the first three," Brandenburg said in a statement. "The reason for that is each one of those points takes so much airspace that you only have time to do one of them, so we will be on condition for several minutes, we’ll get a flying qualities and handling qualities block and have to come back home."
Monday's test came a week after the Federal Aviation Administration approved Boom's request to conduct supersonic trials at the Mojave Air & Space Port.
Boom Supersonic hopes the trials will pave the way for building supersonic passenger aircraft at its Greensboro plant, adjacent to Piedmont Triad International Airport, by the end of the decade. United and American Airlines have placed orders for the company's planes.
