Summary Boom Supersonic unveiled a revolutionary cockpit for Overture at Farnborough Airshow, emphasizing safety and pilot comfort. Development of the cockpit involved VR simulations, seat prototypes, and pilot feedback for maximum efficiency. Overture cockpit integrates modern technologies, such as AR and active sidesticks, offering a cutting-edge flying experience.
During the 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. I caught up with Boom at their chalet to take a look at the new flight deck myself and find out what’s new and interesting about this design.
Developing a new and different cockpit Boom started to design the new flight deck around two and a half years ago. The group was tasked with creating a cockpit that delivers on ergonomics and comfort, improves situational awareness for the crew, and integrates 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, too, 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 .