FAA proposal: Supersonic airliners can fly over US cities if they're quiet
The FAA has proposed new rules that would allow supersonic airliners to fly over US cities, provided they meet strict noise limits. The proposal aims to balance the potential for faster commercial flight with community concerns about sonic booms, marking a shift from previous restrictions.
Background
- For over 50 years, the FAA banned civil supersonic flight over land in the US due to the sonic boom problem.
- The proposed rule would lift that ban for aircraft certified as "low-boom," meaning their noise at ground level is comparable to a normal subsonic airliner (roughly 65–70 PLdB).
- This is a direct consequence of NASA's X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) program, which demonstrated that a carefully shaped airframe can produce a "sonic thump" rather than a window-rattling boom.
- Multiple companies—Boom Supersonic (Overture), Spike Aerospace (S-512), and Lockheed Martin (X-59)—are racing to build the first commercially viable quiet supersonic jet. Boom has a deal with United Airlines and already flies a smaller demonstrator (XB-1).
- If finalized, the rule would open transcontinental US routes (e.g., NYC–LA in ~2.5 hours) to supersonic passenger travel for the first time since the Concorde era, but only for aircraft that pass the new noise certification standard.