The “Baby Boom” supersonic airliner test bed is scheduled to fly this year
Boom Technology shares its ambitious vision for succeeding Concorde with a supersonic commercial aircraft.
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Since the retirement from service of Concorde in 2003, there has not been a supersonic commercial aircraft available to travellers. If an ambitious start-up aerospace company has its way, however, supersonic passenger travel will again become an option in about five years’ time.
Denver, Colorado-based Boom Technology is one of a handful of new companies currently developing supersonic civil aircraft. Most of them are business jets, but Boom’s project is an airliner that the company hopes will bring supersonic flight back to the airline industry – and with a much wider reach than Concorde was able to achieve.Boom Technologies was formed in 2014 by CEO Blake Scholl, a pilot and technology entrepreneur whose previous achievements include building marketing automation at Amazon. The rest of the team comprises people with considerable experience in the aerospace industry – designers, engineers and scientists covering all aspects of structure, propulsion, systems and manufacturing.Boom’s selling point is speed. Cruising at Mach 2.2 (2335km/h), it will more than halve point-to-point travel times.
This was Concorde’s appeal, but it was only regularly used on transatlantic services. Boom expects its aircraft to have much more widespread applications.The company is highly optimistic, predicting a market for 1000-2000 of its aircraft and, when in full production, manufacturing up to 100 each year.Boom is claiming considerable early interest, with 76 options placed by five operators. The first 10 are earmarked for Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic, while Japan Air Lines has gone further by investing $US10 million in the program and reserving 20 production slots.Most of the financial backing raised so far has come from Silicone Valley investors, people who also backed Dropbox, online accommodation broker Airbnb and online merchant payment processor Stripe, along with “many of the most successful internet companies,” according to Blake Scholl.
Boom is planning on flying the first aircraft in 2020 and after certification, delivering the first customer example in late 2023.TechnicalitiesThe Boom will be similar in size to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, made of carbon-fibre composites, feature a delta wing and be powered by three non-afterburning turbofan engines modified for the aircraft from an existing commercial powerplant.Why three engines? To achieve the necessary thrust, obviously, but also to sidestep the aerodynamic penalties that would result from having two larger diameter powerplants. Operationally, having three also helps bypass ETOPS (Extended Twin-engined Operations) regulations when flying over water.
ETOPS rules require that twin-engined airliners must always be a certain maximum flying time from an airport in case one engine fails. This often requires flying a longer, less efficient flight path, while Boom’s third engine will allow more direct routing. If one fails, there’s still two more.(A long-standing industry joke is that ETOPS actually stands for ‘Engines Turning Or Passengers Swimming’, but we won’t go there …)
The Boom will have a range of up to 8300 kilometres, sufficient for non-stop trans-Atlantic services, but requiring a technical stop for fuel over longer journeys. Blake Scholl says this is not a problem as the stops will be short, only about 45 minutes, and elapsed times will still be less than half that of a subsonic airliner going non-stop.Boom will carry up to 55 passengers in a standard equivalent to short-haul first class. Seating is just two abreast so everyone will have a window and aisle seat and the company is aiming for business class air fares to be the pricing standard.Operating economics are the key to Boom’s future. Even if all the technical issues are conquered, if it won’t make money for the airlines – assuming some of them want to go supersonic in the first place – it won’t sell, simple as that.
Before the full-size product takes to the air, the concept needs to be proven. To achieve this, Boom is building an approximately one-third scale proof-of-concept prototype. The XB-1 Baby Boom is scheduled to fly later this year, powered by three small General Electric turbojets. Designed to be achieve the same speed as the final product, it will conduct much of its testing from Edwards Air Force Base in California.Baby Boom will carry no passengers, just a flight crew of two. Windtunnel testing was performed at Wichita State University and once the airflow characteristics were confirmed as being in accordance with the various simulations, construction of the aircraft could begin.
Boom times One major barrier to commercial supersonic flight is the sonic boom. Legislation introduced for Concorde still prohibits overland supersonic operations in many parts of the world. This is an obvious block to the Boom’s capabilities being fully exploited. It is also the reason why – initially, at least – its supersonic flights will be over water only.The sonic boom is as much an issue of perception as reality and usually misunderstood by the public and, of course, the mass media. Due largely to advances in aerodynamics design and other technology, Boom claims its airliner’s supersonic footprint will be “at least 30 times quieter than Concorde’s” and barely perceptible on the ground.The Boom’s relatively small size also helps minimise the supersonic footprint as simple physics dictate it will disturb the air less than would a larger aircraft.
The very high altitudes at which the aircraft will fly also helps minimise the effects of the sonic boom.The US banned overland supersonic flight by commercial aircraft in 1973. This was part of the anti-Concorde movement generally, politics and a prime example of the ‘not invented here’ syndrome at work. There is substantial lobbying to repeal or at least modify the relevant laws to allow supersonic flight over the US, promoted by Boom, the other new companies which are developing supersonic business jets and the industry generally. It’s an important issue for the industry. Established manufacturers of large-cabin, long-range corporate jets like Gulfstream and Dassault have shelved development of supersonic aircraft because the business case does not work for them so long as overland supersonic flights are banned.Everyone agrees that the technology now exists to overcome the perceived noise issues that led to the bans being imposed, so it’s up to the industry to convince the legislators that they should be lifted. In the meantime, Boom will focus on routes that are primarily over water, such as New York to London or San Francisco to Tokyo, flying subsonically when over land. It will, however, offer a business jet version of its aircraft for those prepared to spend the basic price of US$200 million plus interior and equipment fit-out to fly at twice the speed of sound.
Australian advantages Blake Scholl sees Australia as an ideal market for the Boom because of our remoteness, for both business and tourist passengers. “Does it make sense for a Chinese or US company to put a remote office in Sydney?” he asks. “It’s hard to get back and forth. While those flights are, for example, Tokyo to Sydney today is nearly 10 hours now, it can be less than five. Or Hong Kong shrinks to about four.”
Sydney to London will take about 13 hours including two stops for fuel, while Sydney to Los Angeles can be done in seven hours including a fuel stop in Tahiti. The latter benefits from being entirely over water, while Scholl argues there is no reason why the first part of the journey to London over outback Australia can’t be supersonic.He says that going supersonic about 20 minutes or so after departing Sydney shouldn’t be an issue: “[The sonic boom] will blend in with the background, it’s not going to cause any damage, it’s not going to wake up sleeping children. On the other hand, the upside is tremendous.
Think of the improvement in connectivity.” Much to doBoom’s schedule for its new airliner is highly ambitious. Designing, building, testing, certifying and then getting series production of a new airliner underway is a complex and very expensive exercise for any manufacturer, even for established powerhouses like Airbus and Boeing.For a start-up like Boom, it’s even more difficult and the fact that its aircraft is supersonic adds several layers of complexity and cost to the process. Boom still has much to do with even with the basics.
At the time of writing, its engines still had to be selected (and developed) and the location of the factory in which it will be built decided. On the other hand, Scholl says that there is no single material or component on his airliner that is not already in common use in the aviation industry. Can it succeed? Can it even get into production? Some are doubtful, but others are convinced it will. As they say, “the bottom line is the bottom line,” and if Boom can prove to airlines that its aircraft can generate healthy profits for them, there’s every chance that the order book will start filling up.
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Forget a Bow Tie. Here Are 3 Black-Tie Accessories to Rock Instead
Stylist Tom Stubbs on ditching the bow tie this festive season—and what to wear alternatively.
Black tie, that essential marker of an increasingly rarefied ceremonial style, is inspiring. Nothing coaxes men into upping the sartorial ante quite like reading those words on an invitation. I say amen to raising the bar, but I can’t bear wearing a traditional bow tie—and haven’t done so for over a decade.
Around the turn of the millennium, I was enthusiastically dress-code obedient, but two unstoppable forces put me off: Fashion moved on, and I got old. Where abiding by hallowed traditions once felt exalted, it suddenly began to seem restrictive and stuffy. And while it was extraordinary to be a bow-tied 30-something, in my 40s, the convention made me feel like a pompous, conservative square. Now, menswear has changed so much that bow ties register as pedestrian garb better suited to waiters than to revellers.
Fortunately, there are several black-tie alternatives that excite and inspire me now that I’m well into my 50s—many espoused by stylish guys on the red carpet and innovative designers in London, Paris, Florence, and Milan. And though I might take a bow on nonconformism as I step into my 60s, I still plan to steer clear of the bow tie, that ultimate symbol of gentlemanly customs, for as long as I can. Here’s what I’m replacing it with.
Form and Function
I got excited seeing Lemaire’s slim metallic modernised bolo ties in the house’s fall 2024 show. A favourite of men as varied as Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, and Snoop Dogg, the bolo is perhaps best remembered as the chosen neckwear of John Travolta’s surly hit man, Vincent, in Pulp Fiction. Originally, Native American tribes including the Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo used these accessories used to fasten bandannas with plaited-leather cords. High-end versions double as a bit of jewellery, with silver slides set with turquoise and often engraved with animal motifs, including buffalo skulls and eagles. Contemporary takes abound, but vintage sleuthing can turn up some particularly beguiling options.
Gambling Man
Varying in size, flounce, and attitude, ribbon ties—also called gambler or Kentucky neckties—have long been a legitimate black-tie alternative. Actor Cillian Murphy has worn Saint Laurent’s take to various award shows, looking stand-alone chic and authentically cool. They have a distinct Western energy—Kirk Douglas donned one as Doc Holliday in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, as did Robert Vaughan in The Magnificent Seven. But they’re as much rock star as they are gunslinger: The late Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls and Bauhaus front man Peter Murphy (style role models of mine) also wore them with panache. Take a note from the runway and wear them with a pair of boots—cowboy, Chelsea, or with a Cuban heel—to really step away from the standard.
Fit to Be Tied
Getty Images/Courtesy of Lemaire
If you want to give yourself some breathing room, consider scarves and neckerchiefs. This fall, Tom Ford proposed a louche take on evening style, using black, slim-plaited, or delicately sequined scarves whose long tassels provocatively dangle at the hips. For maximum effect, the brand styled them with open satin shirts, recalling rockers Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart. London’s La Bowtique also does beautiful outsize bows. On a smaller scale, the Twilly—a short silk scarf pioneered by Hermès—works in much the same manner. The French maison makes gorgeous options with angled ends for extra verve, whether hanging loose or more discreetly knotted.
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Show Stoppers
The Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance—a beauty pageant for priceless classic cars—returns for another instalment at the city’s most intriguing, and unlikeliest, venue.
The logic behind staging a prestige automobile show on an island may, at face value, seem warped—history tells us that cars and water do not play nicely. The rationale twists further when said piece of land is a former shipyard that is, aesthetically, more workhorse ute than classic Ferrari.
Scratch beneath the surface, however, and the decision to plant the Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance on Cockatoo Island for the second year running begins to make locational sense: the steel arch of the emblematic bridge acting as photogenic backcloth; the UNESCO World Heritage site’s previous guises as 19th-century penal colony and eminent boat-building facility fleshing the show’s historical bones; the theatre of watching collectors delicately coaxing their four-wheeled artworks off a rusty roll-on/roll-off barge in the islet’s wharf before showtime. (After all, if owning a car in this stratosphere isn’t about projecting drama, then what’s the point?)
Throw in an endless endowment of free Champagne for guests and VIP transport from the mainland via superyacht, and it barely matters that the three-day jamboree is, in the words of founder and curator James Nicholls, “a logistical nightmare”.
“People love the energy, the adventure” says the Anglo-Italian, a broadcaster, writer and photographer whose extensive resume includes various stints as a concours judge across the world. “There’s a great contrast between the luxurious motor cars and the industrial environment. The Turbine Shop [a timeworn, hanger-like space used to display the vehicles] is where ocean-going liners and propellers were built. People interested in cars are also interested in that kind of thing but it’s just a backdrop. Cars are the main focal point.”
The concours d’elegance concept (“concours” means “competition” in French) can be traced back to 17th-century Paris, when aristocrats would flaunt horse-drawn carriages in local parks during summer months. Animals eventually gave way to automobiles, and the gatherings mutated into more organised contests in which these new-fangled contraptions were, in somewhat prescient fashion, judged solely on the appearance. The trend spread throughout European high society, before reaching America in 1950 with an inaugural pageant at Pebble Beach, California—a concours which has since evolved into a behemoth of the species, now billing itself as “the world’s most prestigious car show” and drawing 214 vehicles and spectators in the low five figures at the last annual meeting. Other concours are thriving globally, from spectacles in Lake Como in Italy (the longest running event, launched in 1929) to Udaipur in India. Vanity, it seems, remains in vogue.
Among this storied company, Sydney’s interpretation is playing catch-up. But Nicholls insists the local variant—launched in 2019, having occupied three other citywide locations—has no intention of locking horns with competitors. Not numerically, at least.
“In 2024, we had 500 people over the three days; this year we’ll aim for 750. But we’re never going to become a 20,000-people show,” he says. “We want it to be bespoke and beautiful, so people don’t have to queue for a glass of Champagne. You can talk to the car owners, and everyone feels like a VIP.” The overarching aim is to become a “destination event” on the socialite calendar, on par with the Melbourne Cup or the Australian Grand Prix.
While keen to keep paying visitors guessing, Nicholls offers Robb Report a sneak peek into some of the 44 objets booked to occupy the coarse, exposed-brick viewing hall, ranging from turn-of-the-century rarities to modern-day exotics: a 1905 Eugène Brillié 20/24 HP Coupé Chauffeur, believed to be the only one of its ilk left; a 1955 Porsche Speedster 356 “Pre A”, examples of which are valued in excess of $750,000; a Lamborghini Miura 3400, a model famed for its starring role in the opening sequence to 1969’s The Italian Job movie; a 2021 Audi R8 Spyder, an iteration that is no longer being produced and thus quietly accruing kudos.
Up to seven “classes” will be open, including categories solely for Porsche Speedsters and pre-war Australian coachbuilt cars. Two 1930s Bugattis are slated for appearance, one of which is, as this article is being written, on a boat somewhere, on its way to Australia. A panel of seven judges, led by the first ever female concours head assessor, who also adjudicated in 2024, will select the overall “Best in Show” winner—scored last time out by a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, a model line with a $24 million price tag attached. And in a progressive play designed to lure the oil-shunning generation, an “electric elegance” section will debut. Nicholls estimates the combined value of all this precious metal at around $80 million.
While it would provoke an illicit thrill to discover that frenzied super-collectors were slyly puncturing rivals’ tyres or keying priceless bodywork—skulduggery has plagued other pageants, from dog show Crufts (canine poisoning) to Miss World (rigging allegations)—the entrants are, in keeping with the show’s refined, English-garden-party profile—a gentlemanly bunch. To a point. “They like meeting up, the community that’s here, but they do get competitive,” says Mark Ussher, the Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance managing director, and on-the-ground organiser. “They care about their cars but they’re investors as well as collectors. If they win a concours anywhere around the world it adds value to the car.”
Which makes it doubly important that, surrounded by all that deep Harbour water, everyone remembers to put their handbrake on.
The Sydney Harbour Concours D’Elegance runs from February 28th-March 2nd 2025; sydneyharbourconcours.com.au
Book tickets now and take benefit from the RR 15% discount code: ROBB15
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Jannik Sinner Is the First Tennis Player to Take a Luxury Bag Onto Wimbledon’s Centre Court
The 23-year-old Italian flaunted a custom Gucci duffle bag on center court.
Jannik Sinner aced the style game at last year’s Wimbledon Championships.
The Italian tennis star turned up to his match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo with a custom Gucci duffel bag on his shoulder. It marks the first time a designer bag has been carried onto centre court in the history of the prestigious, centuries-old tennis tournament, as reported by Women’s Wear Daily.
The duffel, which Sinner describes as a “timeless classic,” showcases the house’s signature beige and ebony colorway, the iconic GG monogram, and a contrasting green and red web stripe. It also features the athlete’s initials near the straps. Ironically, the rather traditional design has called into question a 150-year tradition.
“For sure this will create a conversation,” Sinner told WWD before defeating Cerundolo in straight sets. “Bringing sport and luxury fashion together in this way is something that’s never been done before and I feel extremely proud to be a part of it. I hope people will love it as much as I do.”
Wimbledon’s dress code is extremely strict: Players have been required to wear white at the event since 1877, with not even off-white or cream permitted on the court. Tennis whites were originally instated as it was believed the ensemble showed less sweat, as reported by Time. The tradition has continued out of respect for the sport’s history and a desire to maintain formality.
The rules are enforced, too: Our own player Nick Kyrgios was allegedly fined $25,000 for rocking red Air Jordan trainers at 2023’s tournament. Interestingly, the decidedly non-white Gucci accessory was reportedly given the all-clear by the powers that be. A spokesperson for Gucci told WWD the house worked with Sinner’s team “for the approvals from the ITF (International Tennis Federation), ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), and Grand Slams, including Wimbledon, to ensure the bag met the necessary requirements.”
The 23-year-old, who turned pro at age 18, became a Gucci ambassador in 2023 in his first luxury fashion endorsement. “Gucci for me represents Italian excellence around the world, excellence which is rooted in tradition as much as in innovation,” Sinner said. “This is the kind of message I am proud to convey when I represent my country wherever I am in the world.”
The Italian player was capture in action last week during his 1st round men’s singles match against Nicolas Jarry (from Chile) on day two of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park with more Gucci gear. Sinner carried a custom duffle bag crafted by HEAD and designed by Gucci to the men’s singles match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.
Sinner will play Australian Alex de Minaur tomorrow 22 January at the Australian Open.
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We Cherrypicked the Best Elements of Luxury Resorts to Create the Ultimate Fantasy Hotel
Everyone has a favourite hotel—but what if you could create your own? We envision the ultimate place to stay, combining elements of the world’s most noteworthy openings.
Forget fantasy football—what about a heavenly hotel? Imagine you could create one from scratch, cherrypicking the best aspects of the world’s most noteworthy recent openings and reopenings, combined into the perfect, impossible property. That’s what we’ve done, from the best rooftop restaurant for supper to the only beach club where’s it’s truly worth basking in the sun, this is the world’s ultimate hotel. The only thing we can’t arrange: the chance to check in.
FACADE Capella Sydney
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It took seven years to turn this local landmark—the building once housed the departments of education and agriculture—into a luxury hotel. A honey-coloured jewel in a precinct awash with appealing sandstone facades, its crowning glory, literally, is the gleaming, four-storey glass addition that perches atop the structure like an architectural tiara.
SUITES
The Surrey, a Corinthia Hotel
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After a full reimagining by Martin Brudnizki and its new operators, Malta-based Corinthia Hotels, this Upper East Side stalwart’s signature suites now include a quartet inspired by Central Park bridges. Mouldings nod to the structures’ architectural details, while hand-painted sketches inside the grandes armoires evoke the Ramble-adjacent Bow Bridge.
RESTAURANT
Le Rooftop at Royal Mansour Casablanca
Morocco
Relax on the 23rd floor of this Art Deco-inflected skyscraper hotel and you’ll not only enjoy astonishing views over the water and toward the towering Hassan II Mosque, but you’ll also find yourself rubbing elbows with the coolest crowd in the city. Snag a sofa on the terrace before sundown and linger all evening.
LOBBY
Peninsula London
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Hong Kong’s Peninsula hotels are renowned for their fleet of high-end classic cars—a personal passion of billionaire owner Sir Michael Kadoorie. No wonder he struck a deal with Surrey’s Brooklands Museum for his latest opening in London: not only is the Claude Bosi-operated restaurant named in its honour, but the institution also makes available a rotating selection of outstanding vintage vehicles—most recently, a Bentley Blower and a Napier-Railton—for display in the eatery’s dedicated lobby, close to the Concorde nose installed overhead, sourced from Kadoorie’s personal collection.
BEACH CLUB
Borgo Santandrea
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The dearth of standout beaches is the Amalfi Coast’s dirty secret, so this is a remarkable asset: walk down through the terraced, lemon-tree-filled gardens of this Gio Ponti-inspired hotel bolted to the steep cliffs by Conca dei Marini, and you’ll stumble upon its own beach club attached to the property. The restaurant sits in a renovated boathouse; feel free to snip some herbs from the mismatched pots filled with sage and basil.
SPA
Meritage Resort and Spa
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The naturally formed 2,044 m² Estate Cave, located 12 m underground, was already spectacular—its extensive menu of treatments includes both cave-stone massage and guided breathing and meditation sessions—but the $37 million rehab of this establishment thankfully doubled the size of the adults- only pool in front of Spa Terra.
POOL
One&Only Za’abeel Dubai
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This gravity-defying infinity pool, sitting atop the cantilevered link between the hotel’s two towers, has a clubby vibe, swim-up bars and sunken seating pods—and the fact that it’s Instagram catnip doesn’t hurt either.
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Hole In One
The Citizen Kanebridge VHG Golf Open Returns to The Southern Highlands This February.
The third annual Citizen Kanebridge VHG Golf Open Day is happening again this year at Citizen Kanebridge Lodge in the Southern Highlands on Friday, February 21. Players will tee off from 8 am for a day of unrivalled bucolic hospitality in the spirit of friendly competition.
The Open unites forces with the operators of Mount Broughton in Sutton Forrest to stage the popular day, in which teams of four enter to enjoy 18 holes of unadulterated fun.
Players will meet at the clubhouse, where—golf aside—they will be served breakfast, lunch and liquid refreshments throughout the day before heading back to Citizen Kanebridge Lodge for a special dinner, fun awards ceremony and more drinks.
Located just 10 minutes from the Citizen Kanebridge Lodge in Berrima, the stunning Mount Broughton course gives players—male and female, and ranging from amateur to semi professional—the chance to compete in a golf day with plenty of high-jinks and food along with way.
The event is part of the new offering from Citizen Kanebridge, a private membership club based in Sydney. Citizen Kanebridge allows members to have access to the Robb Report Club(RR1) based in the United States of America, Citizen Kanebridge Lodge in the Southern Highlands of NSW, and The Royal Automobile Club of Australia (RACA) in Circular Quay, Sydney.
Members interested in Golf Open Day, may enquire by reaching out to leanne@citizenkanebridge.com.au. For more information on Golf Open day, you can download the information brochure here.
Love golf? jump to our golf connoisseurship package from the Spring 2024 issue of Robb Report ANZ.
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