In a major shift, the U.S. government is moving to overturn a 50-year ban on civilian supersonic flight over land—a regulation that’s defined the boundaries of commercial aviation since 1973. It’s a pivotal moment for aerospace, and a timely one for this conversation with Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic.
In this episode of Valley of Depth, we dive into the political, technical, and economic forces driving the return of high-speed air travel. We cover:
- Why the U.S. banned supersonic flight and why that’s finally changing
- How Boom plans to make supersonic flight sustainable and commercially viable
- The decision to build a new engine in-house after legacy players stepped away
- What the real economics of airline orders look like and who’s truly onboard
- How regulatory shifts, geopolitical dynamics, and climate pressure intersect
- And why Blake believes faster travel isn’t just a luxury, it’s a necessity
…and much more.
• Chapters •
00:00 - Intro
01:07 - Payload Pro ad
01:49 - Supersonic ban repeal
03:48 - Why were supersonic planes banned in the first place?
08:47 - Next steps for supersonic
11:10 - How long until we get a supersonic jet?
12:34 - Why Blake started Boom
16:00 - Why now for supersonic?
18:23 - State of China's commercial supersonic space
19:48 - Boom Supersonic's engines
23:56 - When will the Symphony Engine having a working model?
29:09 - Engineer challenges beyond the engine
29:52 - Engineering the quiet boom
33:49 - What does a sonic boom sound and feel like?
36:11 - Vertical integration
38:05 - Routes that Overture would fly first
38:47 - How much capital would Boom Supersonic need to build their first plane?
40:12 - What did Aerion get wrong?
44:22 - What will the supersonic competition look like?
45:35 - Northrop Grumman partnership
49:58 - Blake's mission behind Boom
52:60 - What will Boom look like in the future?
• Show notes •
Boom Supersonic’s socials — https://x.com/boomaero
Blake’s socials — https://x.com/bscholl
Boom’s website — https://boomsupersonic.com/
Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam
Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace
Ignition’s socials — https://twitter.com/ignitionnuclear /
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ignition-nuclear/
Tectonic’s socials — https://twitter.com/tectonicdefense / https://www.linkedin.com/company/tectonicdefense/
Valley of Depth archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/
• About us •
Valley of Depth is a podcast about the technologies that matter — and the people building them. Brought to you by Arkaea Media, the team behind Payload (space), Ignition (nuclear energy), and Tectonic (defense tech), this show goes beyond headlines and hype. We talk to founders, investors, government officials, and military leaders shaping the future of national security and deep tech. From breakthrough science to strategic policy, we dive into the high-stakes decisions behind the world’s hardest technologies.
- Payload: www.payloadspace.com
- Ignition: www.ignition-news.com
- Tectonic: www.tectonicdefense.com
