X-59 Reaches Mach 1.4 and 55,000 Feet Ahead of Community Flights

The X-59 experimental aircraft reached a major milestone on Friday, June 12, flying Mach 1.4 (about 924 mph) and reaching 55,000 feet — the conditions required for future flights critical to its mission. It still has months of performance testing ahead, but once those are complete the Quesst mission will fly the aircraft over several U.S.

communities to collect data on public perception of the quiet sonic thump it will make at supersonic speeds. Those community overflights will include flights at Mach 1.4 and 55,000 feet. The milestone comes days after the X-59’s first supersonic flight, which showed the aircraft performed as expected at Mach 1.1.

The team has steadily expanded the flight envelope by evaluating performance at a variety of speeds and altitudes and having pilots take on a battery of maneuvers. For these early supersonic flights the X-59 has been accompanied by an F-15 research aircraft, a traditional supersonic jet that causes booms obscuring any noise the X-59 makes.

United States

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