MOJAVE, Calif. – XB-1 became the first American-made private supersonic jet to fly faster than the speed of sound as Boom Supersonic works toward building a fleet of supersonic jets for commercial air travel. Colorado-based Boom Supersonic is bringing a funky, fresh approach to airline travel. It aims to take passengers on supersonic travel by 2029. Tuesday morning’s test from the Mojave Air and Spaceport in California marked the first time its test jet XB-1 reached Mach 1.Former Naval test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg taxied the XB-1 jet down the runway before taking to the sky above the California desert. At about 35,000 feet and 12 minutes into the flight, Brandenburg reached Mach 1.11, about 10% over supersonic speed. The pilot said supersonic was XB-1’s “happy place.””That’s the best she’s ever flown was supersonic,” Brandenburg said after landing. XB-1 broke the sound barrier in a special piece of airspace called the “Bell X-1 Supersonic Corridor” after pilot Chuck Yeager’s historic 1947 supersonic flight. “She is flying faster than the rotation of the Earth,” said Mike Bannister, former chief Concorde pilot, the last commercial supersonic aircraft. Bannister said XB-1 was at supersonic speed for about 4 minutes for the first stretch. The pilot also took XB-1 above Mach 1 again for a second and third time during the 30-minute test flight. The weather for Tuesday’s test flight was near perfect. When XB-1 moved out of the hangar, it was about 43 degrees and sunny.”Winds and temperatures are within limits. Now, we just need the clouds to clear. But I think the clouds are clearing in America,” Boom CEO Blake Scholl wrote on X.The technological achievement was brought to the world live online by another technological advancement. Boom aired the test flight on X using SpaceX’s Starlink internet onboard one of two chase aircraft following XB-1.NEW AIRLINER ‘OVERTURE’ USHERS IN ERA OF SUPERSONIC TRAVEL WITH MAJOR AIRLINES COMMITTING TO PURCHASING FLEETSAn 11th test flight in January reached just 5% less than Mach 1 prior to the supersonic flight on Tuesday. The supersonic flight inched Boom closer to returning supersonic travel to the public. It’s been more than 20 years since the Concorde was retired, but Boom aims to enter a new era of supersonic travel with its environmentally friendly airliner, Overture.”It’s time to bring (supersonic flight) back for all of us. It’s time to bring it back in a mainstream way,” Scholl said. “We’re not going to stop until everyone can benefit from this, from the president to every family, to make the world a smaller place.”American, United and Japan airlines have agreements to purchase Boom aircraft for their fleets. The company is also developing a custom Overture for the U.S. Air Force. Boom said it could begin passenger flights in 2029.