Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Representative Troy Nehls (R-Texas-22), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today celebrated the news that President Trump issued a transformative executive order to repeal the prohibition on overland supersonic flight, establish an interim noise-based certification standard, and repeal other regulations that hinder supersonic flight.
The executive order follows Senator Budd and Representative Nehls’ introduction of the Supersonic Aviation Modernization (SAM) Act, which would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator to issue regulations to legalize civil supersonic flight in the United States. President Trump’s executive order directly aligns with the goals of this legislation.
“President Trump’s swift leadership to unleash supersonic flight will boost America’s ability to compete with China in the race for next-generation aircraft and revolutionize commercial air travel. For too long, outdated restrictions on civil supersonic flight have stifled innovation. I am grateful that President Trump has leaned in to legalize this vital technology in the United States and promote international engagement for international operations. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Washington, like my friend Rep. Nehls, to advance policies that unleash cutting-edge technologies like supersonic aviation,” said Senator Budd.
“President Donald J. Trump’s executive order promoting supersonic aviation in the United States is a crucial step in ensuring we remain competitive in the aviation industry against our foreign adversaries. Congress must pass the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act, which I introduced alongside Senator Ted Budd, to codify President Trump’s actions immediately so we can ensure that out-of-touch FAA policies don’t hinder the Golden Age of American air travel,” said Representative Nehls.
BACKGROUND:
For the past fifty-two years, the United States has had a speed limit in the sky. 14 CFR § 91.817, enacted in 1973, dictates that no person may operate a civil aircraft in the United States at a true flight Mach number greater than 1. This rule prohibits non-military related supersonic flight over the United States, setting an artificial speed limit in the national airspace.
American companies, like Boom Supersonic, have developed quiet supersonic technologies and have already demonstrated that their aircraft can operate above Mach 1 without a sonic boom reaching the ground.
This is due to a well-known phenomenon called Mach cutoff, in which a sonic boom refracts in the atmosphere and never reaches the ground.
Despite these innovations, FAA regulations continue to restrict supersonic operations.
President Trump’s executive order will permit operators to fly aircraft at supersonic speeds within the National Airspace System if no sonic boom reaches the ground, the intended outcome of the SAM Act.
The SAM Act was cosponsored by Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.). Representative Sharice Davids (D-Kan.-3) joined Representative Nehls in introducing the bill in the House.
