What's Your Problem? Is the Future of Flight Supersonic?
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Apr 17, 2025 
Blake Scholl, Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, dives into the ambitious quest to create a commercial supersonic airplane. He shares insights on the historical journey of air travel speed, tackling the lessons learned from the Concorde and Apollo missions. Blake humorously navigates the challenges of designing such aircraft, discussing engine advancements, funding strategies, and regulatory hurdles. He emphasizes how faster travel can strengthen human connections, along with reflecting on the exhilarating challenges of entrepreneurship and innovation in aviation.
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Time Savings Drive Supersonic Viability
- People value saving time and will pay for faster travel, especially international business travelers.
- Improving supersonic jet efficiency by less than 10% compared to Concorde makes profitable business-class supersonic seats viable.
Concorde's Legacy Misleads Supersonic Flight
- Concorde was an impressive technological achievement but failed economically due to high costs and limited market.
- Supersonic flight was wrongly deemed too expensive, cramped, and uneconomic based on Concorde's experience.
Pick Pragmatic Speeds for Success
- Choose pragmatic speed goals over maximum speed to reduce design complexity and costs.
- Mach 1.7 is a practical speed that balances performance, safety, and cost better than Mach 2.2.