For the first time in over half a century, the United States government is clearing the way for a new generation of ultrafast aircraft to take to the skies. A ban on continental supersonic flight has been in place since the 1970s, to ensure nobody endures the noisy sonic booms left in their wake. Aeronautic engineering has come a long way since then, however, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) knows it.
According to a new FAA rule proposal, revised noise-based certification standards for supersonic aircraft will ensure any upcoming planes’ sonic boom overpressure doesn’t exceed 0.11 pounds per square foot (psf). Basically, supersonic civilian travel would sound more like a car door slamming than an explosive gunblast to anyone at ground level.
“We can ultimately repeal the ban f