Supersonic planes will replace conventional jets in our lifetime, says aviation CEO

Earlier this month, a demonstrator aircraft for what could be the first new civil supersonic plane to be launched since the 1960s took to the skies. It’s a milestone moment in the highly anticipated new era of supersonic travel. The XB-1, a technology demonstrator aircraft built by Colorado-based Boom Supersonic, successfully completed its first test flight at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California, it was announced March 22. The XB-1 is the the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet and paves the way for the development of Boom’s commercial plane Overture. Now, 10 years after the Boom Supersonic project began in 2014, CEO Blake Scholl tells CNN Travel over video call, there are an exciting few months ahead. “I very much believe in the return of supersonic air travel, and ultimately to bring it to every passenger on every route. And that’s not something that takes place overnight,” says Scholl. “The hard part of building a supersonic jet is making something that’s so sleek, and so slippery, take off and land safely.” XB-1’s first flight met all of its test objectives, including safely reaching an altitude of 7,120 feet (2,170 meters) and speeds of up to 238 knots (273 miles per hour). That’s quite a bit below the altitudes reached by commercial airliners, which fly between 31,000 feet to 42,000 feet. As for Mach 1 – the speed of sound – that’s about 760 mph, depending on altitude and temperature. But the plan is for XB-1 to achieve that supersonic ambition pretty fast. “We’re gonna be doing a whole series of flights – 10 to 15 total – over the next five to seven months to break the sound barrier for the first time,” says Scholl.<br/>