Going Supersonic, with Tristan Brandenburg

By John Zimmerman
Jun 3, 2025
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Pilot's Discretion Podcast, episode 105

Breaking the sound barrier isn’t like the movies, and Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg would know: he’s done it both as a Navy F/A-18 fighter pilot and as a test pilot in Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 demonstrator aircraft. He talks about Boom’s plans for supersonic airline travel, learning to fly an all-new design, and the aerodynamics of flight at Mach 1.1. Tristan also talks about his Navy career, including what it was like to make his first carrier landing. In the Ready to Copy segment, you’ll hear what it was like to fly the F-104 Starfighter, what flutter is, and tips for better landings in a Mooney.

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Quotes:

Why Boom exists: “We believe that time is most people’s most valuable resource.”
A different approach then Concorde: “Pilots probably won’t have any natural vision to the runway, but rather than carrying around the extra weight of the droop nose, we can carry some rather lightweight cameras.”
What it’s like to break the sound barrier: “Unfortunately, going supersonic is rather anticlimactic.”
The tradeoffs required: “The hardest part of designing a supersonic airplane is designing a supersonic airplane that also handles well at low speed.”
Why the production airplane has four wing-mounted engines: “We learned that having the engines in the back makes a lot of things difficult.”
What military flight training does well: “One thing that I really appreciated about the military training was the emphasis spent on emergency procedures.”
Learning carrier landings in the Navy: “The first time you land on an aircraft carrier, you’re solo.”
What it feels like to grab the wire: “As soon as you touch down and that hook grabs… the best way to describe it is like a controlled car crash. I just could not believe how quickly I came to a stop.”
A test pilot habit that’s useful for all pilots: “Listen to what the aircraft is telling you.”
Flying the F-104: “That was the first airplane I flew that was truly happier supersonic than subsonic.”
Why he loves the F/A-18: “I always kinda felt invincible in that airplane.”
How owning a Mooney humbled him: “I have way more wave-offs in the Mooney than I do in any of the other airplanes combined. Don’t be afraid to take it around.”