FutureFlight
FAA Clears the Way to Supersonic Aircraft Flight Tests in U.S. Airspace
The new FAA rule does not lift the ban on routine supersonic flights over land.
Boom XB-1
Boom is planning to flight test its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator to gather data that would be used in the development of the Mach 2.2 Overture airliner.

The FAA took another step toward facilitating the development of civil supersonic aircraft with the release of a final rule on January 6 that clarifies procedures for obtaining special flight authorizations for flight testing beyond a speed of Mach 1.

Adopted largely as proposed in June 2019, the final rule outlines the information needed for applications of special flight authorization and designates the FAA program office that will process those applications. It also creates a more “user-friendly” format, the U.S. agency said. The rule further recognizes that supersonic flight testing could be used to gather noise data.