High-speed flight travel returns to the U.S.

That song is going to be stuck in your head all day, isn't it? Developing now, supersonic flights could soon return to American skies. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently announced new FAA rules to clear the way for ultra-fast travel minus the loud sonic booms of the past. Now this is going to update decades-old noise restrictions. The government plans to safely green light these high-speed aircraft by mid-2027. So what could this supersonic travel look like and sound like in our skies? Joining us this morning is Kerry Grant, a professor of aeronautical science at Emory Riddle University. Professor Grant, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us this morning. As an aviation nerd, I'm all about this story. Well, good morning, Todd. I'm all about the story too, but I think hopes for supersonic flight are probably a little bit optimistic. There's still a lot of hurdles that we have to go through before we actually hear or don't hear supersonic airplanes flying over our airspace. And one of the big hurdles that the FAA has put out there is that these airplanes have to produce a noise footprint that is really nothing more than just what they call a loud thump. Now, most people are familiar with the sonic boom that you hear with supersonic airplanes. The Space Shuttle was very famous for it. When it came in, you'd get a ba-boom. That's the sonic wave that is produced by the nose of the airplane and the tail of the airplane. And the FAA has said that this has to be no more than what they call 0.11 pounds per square foot, which for most people on the ground would be nothing more than a slight rumble. So there's a couple things. The airplane has to be capable of doing this all the time, and it's also very dependent on atmospheric conditions. So those type of things need to be taken into account. And even though the FAA has said they're going to green light this, there's still a lot of research to be done on it. And not only are we going to have the FAA complying with it, but it also has to be in compliance with the ICAO, the International Civil Aeronautics Organization. And they said they're not going to have a standard until about 2031. So there's still a ways off before we start seeing these type of airplanes flying. And what you're showing right now is the NASA X-59. It's a research airplane that is trying to determine what the configuration of the airplane needs to be, what the atmospheric situations need to be. So there's still a lot of research that has to go into this before we start seeing these airplanes. Now, Professor Grant, correct me if I'm wrong, but that ban on these sonic booms was put in back in the 60s, and obviously technology has come a long way. But you kind of mentioned it still may be a little bit more of a pipe dream down the road. Well, there's two things that have to, one, technology has to support the case for this. And then there has to be a business model also for us to be able to have these airplanes out there flying that, you know, take a 3,000 nautical mile flight, and it cuts it down from a six hour flight to about a three and a half hour flight. But not all of that time flying is spent at supersonic cruise. So a lot of the time that you're spent flying the airplane is, particularly for the passengers, is getting to the airport, going through security, taxiing, takeoff. All those things are not going to change just because you have a fast airplane that's capable of cruising at a higher airspeed. So there's still a lot of economics and reality. Is the airplane going to be capable of carrying a load of passengers that make it profitable? So is the company that produces this going to be able to sustain operations? You know, one of the things with a Boeing or an Airbus airplane, if it breaks, you can get parts for everywhere in the world. If this is a boutique airplane and it breaks, then are you going to be able to support it when it's overseas, away from its home base? So there's a lot of factors to this. Sure. Well, Professor, we appreciate your time here this morning. I'm still hoping, I'm hopeful we're going to be flying supersonic soon. We appreciate your time here this morning, Professor. Thank you. All right. Have a great day. You as well.