Supersonic and Hypersonic Aircraft Testing Corridor Act

Supersonic and Hypersonic Aircraft Testing Corridor Act

This bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in consultation with the Department of Defense (DOD), to designate an overland supersonic and hypersonic testing corridor for military passenger aircraft, military non-passenger aircraft, and civil aircraft.

The FAA must designate the corridor within existing military operation areas, as practicable, that run from Edwards Air Force Base in California to the Utah Test and Training Range and Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

DOD must allow civil aircraft testing unless such testing would interfere with any military operations or testing in the corridor, or the FAA has not granted a required special flight authorization for the testing.

Further, testing may only occur from sunrise to sunset and may not include commercial passengers or cargo.

For civil aircraft testing that requires a special flight authorization, the FAA must (1) permit a measurable amount of sonic boom overpressure outside of the corridor if the available data is sufficient to determine that the sonic boom overpressure does not significantly affect the quality of the human environment, (2) not require additional environmental impact analysis regarding noise impact if certain requirements are met, and (3) allow for the reuse of certain research and findings from prior tests.