Leading the World in Supersonic Flight
This Executive Order directs the federal government to accelerate the return of civil supersonic flight over U.S. land by changing the regulatory and research landscape. It instructs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to remove regulatory prohibitions on overland supersonic flight, create new noise-based certification standards, and complete a rulemaking process to set acceptable noise thresholds. It also tasks the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) with coordinating federal research and testing, and directs the Department of Transportation and FAA to pursue international alignment and safety agreements. The order aims to promote commercial supersonic aviation, spur aerospace innovation, and restore U.S. leadership in high‑speed flight while calling for consideration of community acceptability, economic feasibility, and technological progress.
Key Points
- 1FAA rule changes and timelines: The FAA must act within 180 days to repeal the overland supersonic flight prohibition in 14 CFR 91.817 and related provisions (14 CFR 91.819 and 91.821) and establish an interim noise-based certification standard; it must publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) within 18 months and issue a final rule within 24 months to set permanent noise certification standards under 14 CFR Part 36 and amend 91.817.
- 2Noise-based certification standard: The proposed and final rules will define acceptable noise thresholds for takeoff, landing, and en-route supersonic operation using research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) data. The rulemaking must weigh community acceptability, economic reasonableness, and technological feasibility and include periodic review provisions.
- 3Federal RDT&E coordination: OSTP is directed to coordinate supersonic-related RDT&E across federal agencies (including DoD, Commerce, Transportation, and NASA) through the National Science and Technology Council to identify research needs, coordinate testing at federal sites, and collect and share results to inform regulations and international engagement.
- 4International engagement and safety agreements: The Secretary of Transportation and FAA, working with OSTP and the State Department, should engage the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and foreign partners to seek global alignment on supersonic regulations and pursue bilateral aviation safety agreements needed for international operations.
- 5Limits and implementation constraints: The order preserves existing statutory authorities of agencies and OMB functions, requires implementation consistent with law and available appropriations, does not create private enforceable rights, and directs the FAA to bear publication costs.