Challenges Remain Before Viable Supersonic Jet Comes to Market

With breakthroughs in the technology of sonic boom shaping, some say the possibility of a supersonic business jet (SSBJ) may be getting closer to realization. According to Jens Hennig, vice president of operations at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, “The effect of the wonderful research they’ve done at NASA [on flying at supersonic speeds] means the noise is greatly reduced. The Concorde’s sonic boom was measured at 105 decibels. Now, the noise level is down to around 80 db. NASA’s research says the acceptable level would be in the low- to mid-70 db range.”