Why Supersonic Flight Failed & How Boom is Bringing it Back
EP 140 of The Logan Bartlett Show: For people building companies - from the people who’ve done it.
One of the biggest business failures in aviation history set aerospace innovation back by over 50 years.
Blake Scholl (Founder and CEO, Boom Supersonic), is leading the boldest effort in decades to bring back commercial supersonic flight—this time with product-market fit.
We talk about what went wrong with the the world’s first try at supersonic commercial aircraft, why Boeing hasn’t introduced a new plane in over a decade, and how Blake’s startup is building a jet that flies 2x faster than today’s aircraft, without the sonic boom. This episode is a crash course in engineering ambition, regulatory dysfunction, and what it takes to defy gravity and incumbents.
Click here to view the episode transcript | Watch on Youtube | Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
✉️ Episode Memo
➡️ Why Concorde killed the future of supersonic flight
Concorde, the world’s first supersonic commercial plane tested in 1969, became a cautionary tale that set back aerospace innovation by decades. The jet worked well, but it just didn’t have product-market fit. Its cramped design and $20,000 ticket prices meant it flew half empty and only worked on a few overseas routes. Instead of proving the promise of supersonic travel, Concorde convinced the world it wasn’t economically feasible. Over 50 years later, we’re finally seeing the possibility of flying NYC to London in 3 hours again.
➡️ The business case for disrupting Boeing with all-business-class supersonic jets
20% of airline seats—those in business class—account for 80% of profits. Boeing and Airbus rely on this model, bundling business, premium economy, and coach to balance economics. Boom is betting on business class travelers, building a premium-only jet for further travel. The incumbents avoid this move because it would disrupt their bundled model. In a duopoly with no pressure to differentiate, they play it safe—unlike founder-led innovators willing to sacrifice existing revenue to unlock bigger markets.
➡️ SaaS vs Supersonic - How much capital is needed?
There’s a common myth that deep tech companies require more capital than SaaS, but that’s not always true. The key difference is how early you can test product-market fit. SaaS products can launch quickly and cheaply, while you can’t just ship a supersonic jet to see if it works. Boom took a different approach, developing a “three-legged stool” model: build with capital-efficiency, ensure airlines could operate their planes profitability, and validate passenger willingness to pay. This allowed them to secure orders and prove PMF before the aircraft is even built. So far, Boom’s spent $450M with a team of 50.
⭐ Trailer
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