GREENSBORO, N.C. — Greensboro is flying into the future faster, some would say, than the speed of sound.
Boom Supersonic cut the ribbon Monday at its Overture superfactory at the Piedmont Triad International Airport.
“It's a really exciting day,” said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. “We're taking occupancy of the superfactory, and we're headed into production on the first supersonic airliner factory ever in the United States.”
It’s the end of a chapter years in the making and the beginning of a new one that will likely transform this part of the city and state. The 62-acre site will house the final assembly line, as well as a fast facility and customer delivery center for Boom's flagship supersonic airliner, Overture.
“We've completed the construction of just this amazing, beautiful state-of-the-art facility in record time, on budget, and now we're taking occupancy, and we are entering the phase where we're going to start putting production equipment into the superfactory,” Scholl said.
Developers said Overture will be capable of flying twice as fast as today’s commercial planes on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel.
Boom said its jets will be capable of flying faster than the speed of sound, which is 761 mph. For comparison, a typical passenger airplane flies between 460-575 mph.
For example, a nonstop flight from New York to London is typically 6 hours and 30 minutes. The Overture plane would make that flight 3 hours, 30 minutes.
“I want people from Greensboro to New York, to Miami, to Seattle, to LA, to be able to cross oceans in half the time it takes today and ultimately much faster than that,” Scholl said.
Boom said its mission is "to make the world dramatically more accessible" by turning three-day business trips into one-day hops. The stateside location was also a priority.
“I think it is of paramount importance that the future of travel, the future of airplanes, be built right here in the United States,” Scholl said. “We're proud to be building it here in Greensboro and making sure that America continues to do what it has done historically, which is have leadership in aerospace manufacturing.”
"Building on our legacy of 'First in Flight,' North Carolina is ready to partner with Boom Supersonic in leading the way to a fast and clean aviation future," Governor Roy Cooper said when construction kicked off. "Our economy is taking flight with a talented workforce and strong infrastructure ready for these new, good-paying jobs in innovation and aerospace."
THE HOMEGROWN FUTURE OF FLIGHT
"This is not just another aircraft manufacturer…they're coming in here to make the next generation of supersonic transport aircraft, which is really, really exciting stuff," said Nicolas Yale, director of aviation programs at Guilford Technical Community College.
By 2032, Boom planned to hire more than 2,400 workers at the superfactory, and recruiting is already underway. State and local leaders have said the average pay will be around $69,000 a year.
North Carolina economists estimate the full Boom manufacturing program will grow the state's economy by at least $32.3 billion over 20 years.
In addition, the company is creating more than 200 internships for students in North Carolina public universities, community colleges, and trade schools to build the next generation of supersonic workers.
WHY NORTH CAROLINA
Boom said it selected North Carolina because of its large skilled talent pool, access to exceptional universities, community colleges, and technical schools, proximity to the Eastern Seaboard for supersonic flight testing over water, and close proximity to several top-tier aerospace suppliers.
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
“We put huge emphasis on our safety culture and on extensive testing,” Scholl said. “So, in addition to testing every single airplane thoroughly and inspecting it thoroughly before we ever deliver it to customers, even during the design and development phase, we do an enormous amount of testing as we go.”
Boom is using a facility called the Iron Bird to test the jet. “It’s basically a complete Overture supersonic airplane, but just missing the skin so that we can test all the systems on the airplane. The hydraulics, the flight controls, the electronics, the landing gear and take it through not just normal conditions, but the most extreme conditions it might ever see in flight.”
Boom said Overture won't fly faster than the speed of sound while over land, so people on the ground won't be exposed to sonic booms.
While over the ocean, Overture will fly at supersonic speeds. The company says passengers won't even notice when the plane breaks the sound barrier.
TEST FLIGHTS ALREADY BEGINNING
In March 2024, Boom said it had its first successful flight of the XB-1, which is the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet. According to Scholl, it’ll take its first supersonic flight later this year.
The XB-1 is paving the way for the Overture plane through testing, design and technology.
WHEN OVERTURE WILL TAKE FLIGHT
Production is scheduled to start in 2024.
“Late this year, early next year, we will be setting up a test manufacturing cell in Greensboro, where we are going to start to exercise some of the advanced manufacturing muscles that are going to make overture a reality,” Scholl said.
The first Overture aircraft will be unveiled in 2025, fly in 2026, and carry its first passengers by 2029. It can carry around 80 passengers.
“Over the coming years, you'll quickly see Overtures start to go from some beautiful computer renderings to actual pieces of hardware and then an airplane rollout,” Scholl envisioned. “Then it takes to the skies right there on the runway at Piedmont Triad.”