Blake Scholl: The Future Was Supposed to Be Faster
Blake Scholl, founder of Boom Aerospace, discusses building the first independently developed supersonic jet by applying software development principles to hardware manufacturing. He argues that startups can compete in regulated industries by building solutions that solve regulatory concerns, and emphasizes that passion, iteration, and vertical integration are key to breakthrough innovation in deep tech.
Summary
Blake Scholl opens by highlighting the stagnation of innovation in aerospace and speed over the past 50 years, contrasting the rapid progress of the jet age with modern incremental improvements. He frames the problem: despite technological capability, supersonic passenger flight has been illegal in the US since the Concorde era.
Scholl traces his journey starting Boom Aerospace in 2014 with no aerospace background—only a software engineering background and pilot's license. He describes early failures, including a cardboard mockup and multiple near-death experiences, culminating in XB1 becoming the first independently developed supersonic jet to break the sound barrier in 2023. A key breakthrough was solving the sonic boom problem through Mach cutoff, demonstrating that supersonic flight could occur without audible ground-level booms, which removed a major regulatory objection.
The technical approach centered on making hardware development resemble software development through tools like Makeboom (an aircraft simulation system) and Bladerunner (turbine blade design tool), enabling rapid iteration in the digital space. Scholl emphasizes vertical integration as critical—building internal machine shops, test facilities, and now a superfactory—allowing 24-hour turnaround from digital design to physical prototypes, versus months with external suppliers.
Regarding regulation, Scholl argues the choice between early engagement versus deploy-first depends on context. For Boom, engaging regulators early worked because there was no entrenched opponent blocking progress, safety was critical, and they could demonstrate technical solutions to regulatory concerns. This approach yielded FAA approval in 90 minutes rather than months.
On financing deep tech development, Scholl describes using the engines developed for supersonic flight as a separate product (Superpower turbines for ground power generation), generating capital and operational data without requiring the complete airplane to be finished first.
Scholl addresses startup hiring philosophy, arguing that early-career talent without aerospace baggage is valuable, paired with strategic advice from experienced people without over-relying on them. He advocates for working on problems you love rather than problems matching your resume, providing his own example of leaving mobile e-commerce (which he knew) for supersonic flight (which he didn't).
On the broader innovation ecosystem, Scholl challenges the belief that all viable technologies are pursued immediately—arguing that supersonic flight technology existed decades before Boom was founded, but nobody attempted it. He suggests the 'why now' question shouldn't constrain founders if they're inspired by a problem.
Finally, Scholl emphasizes building in public to inspire the next generation, and concludes with advice about seeking meaningful work, managing work-life integration rather than balance, and valuing passion over credentials when evaluating people.
Key Insights
- Scholl argues that the sonic boom problem was solved through Mach cutoff technology at high altitude, which allowed supersonic flight without audible ground booms, removing the regulatory objection that had plagued supersonic aviation discussions for decades.
- Scholl claims that by vertically integrating manufacturing (building their own machine shop and test facilities), Boom achieved 24-hour turnaround from digital design to physical prototype parts, a speed impossible with external aerospace suppliers.
- Scholl asserts that the decision to engage regulators early versus deploy-first should be contextual: at Boom, early FAA engagement worked because there was no entrenched opponent blocking the technology and they could technically solve regulatory concerns.
- Scholl argues that supersonic flight technology existed long before Boom was founded, suggesting many billion-dollar ideas remain unsolved not due to technical impossibility but simply because nobody attempted them.
- Scholl contends that the belief 'every good technology gets created at the earliest possible moment in history' is false and causes founders to cluster around recently-possible ideas rather than exploring decades-old unsolved problems.
Topics
Transcript
[0:07] I want to start by saying Houston, we have a problem. In 1969, we landed on the moon for the first time and the same year we flew Concord, the faster than the speed of sound airliner. The future was supposed to be faster and better. where we're supposed to look forward to innovation in air and in space. And yet, half a century later, we can't go to the moon and we can't fly faster than the speed of sound. And not [0:40] only have we lost the ability to go fast, we've lost the ability to do things even at any kind of reasonable speed. This was the Wall Street Journal just a couple weeks ago. It…
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