Through our research and advocacy, the Niskanen Center has been at the forefront of the push to end the ban on civil supersonic flight overland — a goal that appears increasingly within reach.

Today the Niskanen Center and our coalition partners are proud to release a letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation reiterating our strong support for the return of supersonic transport. With the right legislative and regulatory framework, the next generation of faster than sound commercial aviation will be far more accessible to ordinary people than the Concorde ever was.

As our letter notes,

Additional advancements in materials science, aerospace design, and noise abatement technologies have also made it possible to substantially mitigate the noise created by sonic booms — so much so that to a person on the ground, an overhead sonic boom could one day soon “sound about as loud as a lawn mower or motorcycle, and only last about half a second.”

This FAA Reauthorization will be the first time Congress has legislated on the issue of supersonic transportation since 1968. Given the inertia of the ban on supersonic that followed, it’s critical that Congress gets this right.

You can find our letter below and in PDF form here:

 

Dear Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson:

Fifty years after the Concorde’s maiden flight, the ingenuity of American innovators and entrepreneurs means the next generation of commercial supersonic transportation is right around the corner. We, the undersigned, support the return of supersonic transport in the strongest terms, and as a form of transportation that will be far more accessible to ordinary people than the Concorde ever was. We urge you to ensure it remains a key priority of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2018.

This FAA Reauthorization will be the first time Congress has legislated on the issue of supersonic transportation since 1968. The 1973 rulemaking on civil supersonic flights overland that followed inadvertently stymied research and development into supersonic passenger jets in general, and “low boom” designs in particular. This regulation set back private sector aerospace innovation substantially. Fortunately, R&D has continued despite the ban, and recent technological breakthroughs in manufacturing and computer design have enabled several American companies to make significant progress towards the goal of introducing affordable supersonic passenger flights. Additional advancements in materials science, aerospace design, and noise abatement technologies have also made it possible to substantially mitigate the noise created by sonic booms — so much so that to a person on the ground, an overhead sonic boom could one day soon “sound about as loud as a lawn mower or motorcycle, and only last about half a second.”

Now is the ideal time for Congress to repeal the ban on operating civil supersonic aircraft in the United States, and direct the FAA to develop a sonic boom noise standard that is, in the words of the amendment put forward by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), “economically reasonable and technologically practicable.” Doing so would provide the investment certainty American entrepreneurs need to unleash a renaissance in commercial aviation innovation, create thousands of American manufacturing jobs, and strengthen the United States’ position as a global technological leader.

Respectfully,

Samuel Hammond
Poverty and Welfare Policy Analyst
Niskanen Center

Ryan Hagemann
Senior Director for Policy
Niskanen Center

Gregory S. McNeal, JD/PhD
Professor of Law & Public Policy
Pepperdine University

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Committee for Justice

TechFreedom

Competitive Enterprise Institute

R Street Institute