Can you go supersonic over the US?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets regulations relating to United States airspace. Current rules prohibit commercial airplanes from flying at supersonic speeds over land because of the noise levels associated with sonic booms and the negative impacts to humans and animals.



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In 1973, the Federal Aviation Administration banned supersonic commercial flights over land because of sonic booms — a prohibition that remains in effect today.

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets regulations relating to United States airspace. Current rules prohibit commercial airplanes from flying at supersonic speeds over land because of the noise levels associated with sonic booms and the negative impacts to humans and animals. Short answer, No.

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Within a few years, the FAA formally proposed a rule to restrict the operation of civil aircraft at speeds greater than Mach 1. In 1971, Congress officially canceled the SST program. The ban on civilian supersonic flights over land went into effect in 1973, and the ban remains in effect today.

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The Bombardier Global 8000 During a flight test in May 2021, the Bombardier Global 8000 broke the sound barrier, reaching Mach 1.015 (1243 kph), as confirmed by a NASA-operated Boeing F-18, which accompanied the aircraft during testing. It also reached this speed while flying on SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel).

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By the early 1970s however, opposition led to bans on commercial supersonic flight in Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, West Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Canada and the United States.

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If you're WONDERing about how pilots handle sonic booms, they actually don't hear them. They can see the pressure waves around the plane, but people on board the airplane can't hear the sonic boom. Like the wake of a ship, the boom carpet unrolls behind the airplane.

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All we see is the pressure wave moving down the aeroplane – it gives an indication on the instruments. And that's what we see around Mach 1. But we don't hear the sonic boom or anything like that. That's rather like the wake of a ship – it's behind us.

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