A bipartisan effort is underway to modernize U.S. aviation regulations, with the introduction of the Supersonic Aviation Modernization (SAM) Act in both the Senate and the House. The bill, spearheaded by Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Congressman Troy Nehls (R-Texas-22), aims to lift the 52-year-old ban on civil supersonic flight within the United States.
The SAM Act proposes that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator be required to issue regulations permitting supersonic flight, provided that no sonic boom reaches the ground. This condition addresses the primary concern that led to the original ban, which was enacted in 1973.
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Senator Budd, a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, emphasized the strategic importance of the legislation.
“The race for supersonic dominance between the U.S. and China is already underway, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. To maintain our global leadership in aerospace innovation, we must modernize air travel by lifting the outdated ban on civil supersonic flight,” he stated.
Congressman Nehls, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, echoed this sentiment. “The United States is home to many ground-breaking innovations and should welcome these innovations so long as public safety isn’t threatened. My legislation cuts regulatory red tape without minimizing safety, and incentivizes further innovation in the aviation industry, helping America remain competitive and the envy of the world,” said Nehls.
The bill’s introduction comes at a time when companies like Boom Supersonic have made significant strides in developing quiet supersonic technologies. These advancements utilize the “Mach cutoff” phenomenon, where sonic booms refract in the atmosphere and do not reach ground level.
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Blake Scholl, Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, praised the legislation, stating, “Supersonic flight without an audible sonic boom should obviously be allowed. The ban on supersonic has held back progress for more than half a century.”
The SAM Act includes a provision that would provide a 12-month window for the FAA to re-examine the existing ban on supersonic flight.
The bill has garnered bipartisan support, with Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) joining Senator Budd, and Congresswoman Sharice Davids (D-Kan.-3) joining Congressman Nehls in introducing the bill.
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