Inspiring the Next Generation of Aviation Talent
When you’re building the sustainable, supersonic future of air travel, you don’t need to talk about innovation, it’s understood. Absent the Concorde, commercial aviation has not seen a speed-up in sixty years.
But innovation requires talent. Boom is also working to inspire a new generation of talent to get engaged in building the future of aviation. Boom Supersonic Founder and CEO Blake Scholl explained these sentiments to members of the House Small Business Committee in Washington, D.C. on May 12, 2022.
During the testimony, Scholl explored how innovation contributes to economic growth and called for the next transportation revolution built on green energy.
Growing companies like Boom are innovative, nimble, and willing to take risks. They are also crucial job creators, contributing to economic growth through investing in domestic manufacturing and upskilling America’s workforce for jobs in science, technology, and engineering.
Overture, Boom’s supersonic commercial airliner, is expected to be the first large commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from day one, running on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It often takes new entrants like Boom to change the fundamental paradigm of aviation, both in terms of speed and sustainability, and attract next-generation talent to the industry.
From defense to energy to talent, here are some of the actions Boom is taking to drive the next generation in aviation.
Partnering with the United States Air Force
The Committee heard from industry leaders and small business owners on how innovation in aviation and aerospace strengthens the economy and supports the defense industrial base. In fact, small entities comprise more than 90% of businesses in airline transportation, air transport support, and aviation manufacturing. Without them, innovation would be stymied.
Scholl also highlighted the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program as an example of how new companies like Boom can contribute to defense priorities while accelerating technological progress.
Boom was awarded a SBIR Phase II contract in September 2020 from the U.S. Air Force under its program meant to help fund innovations with future Air Force applications. In January 2022, Boom and the U.S. Air Force entered into a three year strategic cost-share partnership ($30 million/$30 million match) designed to accelerate research and development on Overture.
Capitalizing on a Revolution in Clean Energy
“Faster flight is possible thanks to a revolution in clean energy,” said Scholl during the testimony. “Just as new forms of energy helped us move from sail to steam and railroads to airplanes, in this coming decade alternative fuels will power the transition to sustainable supersonic flight.”
In May 2022, Boom released its 2021 Environmental Sustainability Report, setting the company’s path toward a sustainable future of travel, including its commitment to net zero carbon and actions to help scale SAF by contributing to efforts to accelerate the advancement, commercialization, accessibility, and price parity.
While Boom is designing Overture to accommodate 100% SAF, its focus goes beyond a sustainable product strategy and its own net zero commitments. The company is working to help make sustainable aviation fuels the industry standard, while furthering the scale of SAF through efforts to fast-track future fuels, build strategic partnerships across the value chain, and lead efforts in advocacy.
Building the Future in North Carolina
Overture will be built in a 65-acre superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, bringing thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to the state over time.
“The U.S. has long been the global leader in aerospace, and at Boom we are determined to see the U.S. remain at the forefront,” said Scholl. “The supersonic future will be built here in the United States, leveraging the formidable talent, entrepreneurial spirit and tradition of innovation in our workforce. It takes new entrants like Boom to change the fundamental paradigm of aviation, improve both speed and sustainability, and attract new talent to the industry.”
Boom will bring more than 1,750 jobs to North Carolina by 2030, expanding to a total of more than 2,400 jobs by 2032. North Carolina economists estimate that the Overture Superfactory will grow the state’s economy by at least $32.3 billion over 20 years.
In anticipation of the Overture Superfactory opening in North Carolina as part of Boom’s Emerging Talent program, the company will launch an internship and apprenticeship program at its production facility in North Carolina—specifically for students who attend university, community college, and/or technical school in North Carolina.
In April 2022, President Joe Biden highlighted both the city and the state’s economic development achievements, saying that Greensboro was a place where “the future is being written” and that “more is going to change in the next 10 years than in the last 50.”
Focused on the safe, sustainable return of supersonic commercial flight, Boom is inspiring a new generation of talent to get engaged in building the future of aviation and opening the door to economic growth and the next energy revolution.
To view a recording of the hearing, visit: https://smallbusiness.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=4253
