The FAA will allow supersonic flights over the U.S. to make it easier for testing of the next crop of proposed supersonic business aircraft. “The renewed interest in development of supersonic airplanes caused FAA to review its application procedures that allow for flight tests of these aircraft,” the agency said in its final rule. “This final rule modifies the criteria for applying for these authorizations and moves the material from an appendix to a regulation to make it easier to find and understand.” The agency also said that the process is for testing only and “the FAA continues generally to prohibit civil supersonic flight over land in the United States.”
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-streamlines-supersonic-testing