Wharton Launch Pad Blake Scholl | Boom Supersonic
Jan 8, 2024
Blake Scholl, Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, is on a mission to revolutionize air travel with efficient and affordable supersonic jets. He passionately discusses the potential of a Mach 2.2 airliner that could cut travel time in half, offering business-class tickets at attractive prices. Blake also compares modern advancements with the failures of Concorde, explaining how technology and economics have evolved. He shares insights on aircraft design decisions, funding strategies, and the promising timeline for commercial service, all while dreaming of faster journeys from New York to London.
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Supersonic As Practical Business Travel
- Supersonic travel can cut transatlantic flight times dramatically while targeting business-class prices.
- Blake Scholl argues a Mach 2.2 airplane makes day trips like New York–London commercially compelling.
Speed Chosen For Day-Trip Viability
- Boom targets Mach 2.2, about 2.6× faster than subsonic airliners, faster than Concorde's Mach 2.0.
- That speed is chosen to enable daytime round trips and sufficient on-ground time for business customers.
Concorde's Political Origins And Limits
- Concorde was a Cold War era glory project with poor fuel efficiency and extremely high ticket prices.
- Scholl uses Concorde's history to explain why improved efficiency is the key to mainstream supersonic travel.