Boom Supersonic Reinvents The Flight Deck: What’s New For Overture?

At Farnborough International Airshow  2024 Boom Supersonic unveiled its   flight deck for the Overture. The  company said it had ‘reinvented   the cockpit’ with a design that centers  on pilots, with safety at the forefront. Simple Flying’s Managing Director, Joanna  Bailey, caught up with Boom at their chalet   to take a look at the new flight deck and find  out what’s new and interesting about this design. Boom started to design the new flight  deck around two and a half years ago.   The group was tasked with creating a cockpit that  promises to deliver on ergonomics and comfort,   as well as improve situational awareness for  the crew, and while also integrating emerging   technologies like automation. Naturally,  safety would be at the heart of any design. Designing a cockpit for Overture wasn’t easy. Like Concorde, it is narrow and pointed at  the end, meaning there is less real estate   to play with than on traditional aircraft.  Pilot visibility can be an issue as well,   so there were plenty of considerations  to be incorporated into the design. The first iterations were designed  using CAD (computer-aided design)   and then transposed into VR for  pilots to evaluate the proposal.   Pilots then had the opportunity to assess  whether the angles on displays were right,   get a feel for how everything fit into the  cockpit, and get a sense of comfort levels. Once the VR designs were refined, Boom  started making mock-ups of the layout.   By integrating Augmented Reality (AR)  into the plans, pilots could sit in a   seat and visualize where controls would  be and how everything would fit together. From here, the company iterated  on things like seat height and   position and the locations of critical components. Finally, a complete mockup, including  3D-printed components, was made,   allowing pilots to experience the design hands-on. And so, by the time Farnborough  Airshow 2024 rolled around,   Boom had integrated its final cockpit  design into a working simulator,   which some of the Simple Flying  team had the pleasure of flying. First - a little background on  the Boom Overture’s cockpit. Boom announced in December 2023 that  the Honeywell Anthem integrated flight   deck would form the basis of the Overture’s  avionics. At the time of making this video,   the technology is not yet certified  by the FAA, but first flew in May 2023   on a Pilatus PC-12. Thus, the flight  deck is well on the path to approval. Boom has customized the flight deck  to some extent and added some other   bits and pieces to create a unique and hopefully   lovely flying experience. Some of the most  interesting features include the following: Large 17” touchscreens: Hundreds of  breakers and buttons found in a normal   cockpit have been replaced with several huge  high-definition touchscreens. Every single   function of the aircraft is available via the  software, although the company is retaining   some physical controls for critical functions  including sidestick, throttle and landing gear. Active sidesticks: Boom went with  sidesticks after consultation with pilots,   who agreed these were better for comfort in  flight. The two BAE sidesticks are active,   meaning what happens on the left also happens  on the right, so there is no disagreement   possible between pilot and co-pilot.  They also get feedback from the aircraft,   so the pilots can actually ‘feel’  what’s happening to the plane. Augmented reality and autoland: Taking cues from  the success of the XB-1 prototype’s systems and   flights, Overture pilots will use AR for takeoff  and landing. The augmented reality will give   pilots excellent visibility outside and around the  aircraft, letting them see ‘through’ the walls of   the plane. Pilots will also have the option to  use an autoland feature for safe touchdowns. This technology-first development process   has produced what is a very  technology-first flight deck. Boom also says that Overtures will be able  to receive software updates over the air,   theoretically making updating your supersonic  jet as simple as updating your iPhone. Augmented reality is making waves all  over the industry, but Boom will be   the first to implement it as part of the  equipment list on a newly built aircraft. Overture pilots will use Universal  Avionics’ SkyLens II head-worn devices,   which integrate views and signals from cameras   and sensors all around the aircraft to  provide enhanced situational awareness. Most importantly for Boom, this way of providing  oversight of the outside world means there will   be no need for a droop nose, as was necessary for  Concorde. This would have added huge complexities   (and cost) to the project, but thanks to modern  technology, we have a more elegant solution. Blake Scholl, founder and CEO  of Boom Supersonic, stated: “Following XB-1’s successful  test flight, we’re accelerating.   Overture features an all-new flight deck,  incorporating extensive pilot feedback,   resulting in a flying experience that is  both innovative and instantly familiar.” At the Boom chalet, some of the Simple Flying team  got to experience landing the Overture at London   Heathrow Airport . The Boom crew were running  a competition for pilots, evaluating success by   the level of Gs at the point of touchdown. We  didn’t win, sadly, but put in a good showing! Abid Habib, a Journalist at Simple Flying  said that The cockpit interface is quite   user-friendly, akin to that of the A350 cockpit. He notes that, since the Overture has decided  to utilize the sidestick rather than the yoke,   it will be easier for Airbus pilots to  integrate into the Overture in the future. Feedback from our team and others flying  the sim was that it was very responsive,   and the position was comfortable.  We spotted that Boom had some pretty   cool pedals in development - although  they’re going to be a little smaller   once finalized - which sport the  Boom logo embossed into the metal. Mike Bannister, former Chief Concorde  Pilot for British Airways was also at   the show and tried landing Overture. This  is what he said in terms of feedback: “I’ve long believed that Overture is  the rightful successor to Concorde…after   experiencing Overture’s flight deck, which is  incredibly well designed and delightful to fly,   my excitement and enthusiasm for  this aircraft has only intensified.” There is also a lot of work taking place to bring  this supersonic passenger aircraft to market. This includes progress with Symphony,  the engine that will power Overture. In October 2023, the Symphony team successfully  completed the engine’s Conceptual Design Review. This paved the way for hardware rig tests, which  are now underway. Boom has also accelerated the   development of a full-scale engine core,  which will be operational in late 2025.  The other big somewhat recent update is  that Boom has completed the construction   of its Overture Superfactory - which is  located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Announced as complete on June 17th, 2024,   the first assembly line is planned to  produce 33 Overture supersonic aircraft   annually. A planned second assembly line will  double aircraft production to 66 each year. The construction of the building was completed  in less than 17 months after breaking ground   and so Boom is now focused on installing  tooling and operationalizing production. And so that’s a little bit about our experience  with the future flight deck of the Boom Overture   and the latest progress with  this exciting new aircraft. Over the air updates, augmented reality,  and several large touchscreens all sound   nice - but such technologies have  their respective issues. Are systems   vulnerable to remote hacking? What  happens if a touchscreen fails? Well, we can only hope that Boom, its partners,   and aviation regulators, have  thought these things through! But what do YOU think of the technology that has   been integrated into this upcoming jet?  Share your thoughts by leaving a comment. simple flying publishes over 150  articles every week if you're   looking for the latest Aviation news  and insights visit simple flying.com