Submission + - DOT announces "Return of Supersonic Flight" for commercial airlines (faa.gov)
The FAA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), released on June 30, 2026, marks the first formal regulatory step toward lifting the 53-year-old ban on civil supersonic flight over the continental United States.
Core Objectives of the Proposal
- Replacing Speed Limits with Noise Standards: The proposal would replace the current, blanket speed-based ban (dating to 1973) with a performance-based noise standard. Aircraft would be permitted to fly at speeds exceeding Mach 1 over land, provided they do not generate surface-level noise (sonic boom overpressure) exceeding a specific threshold of 0.11 pounds per square foot (psf).
- En-Route Focus: This specific proposal addresses en-route cruise noise. It does not set standards for takeoff and landing, which the FAA plans to address in a separate proposal later this year.
- Implementation of Executive Order 14304: This action fulfills part of the June 2025 Executive Order signed by President Trump, which directed the FAA to modernize aviation standards to ensure the U.S. remains a leader in aerospace innovation.
Why Now?
The FAA is citing significant technological advancements as
the justification for this shift, specifically:
- Aerodynamic Innovation: New airframe designs and propulsion systems—exemplified by testing of NASA’s X-59 "quiet" demonstrator—can now break the sound barrier while reducing the sonic boom to a low-intensity "thump" that is manageable for ground-level communities.
- Operational Techniques: The use of "Mach cutoff" flight techniques, where speed, altitude, and atmospheric conditions are synchronized to ensure sonic booms refract back into the atmosphere rather than reaching the ground.
Next Steps
- Public Comment: The proposal (Docket FAA-2026-6935) is now open for a 45-day public comment period.
- Future Regulations: The FAA intends to finalize both the en-route noise standards and the upcoming takeoff/landing noise standards by mid-2027.
- International Alignment: The FAA is working alongside the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and foreign aviation authorities to ensure that these domestic standards eventually align with global frameworks for international supersonic operations.
By establishing these metrics, the FAA aims to provide
manufacturers—such as those developing next-generation supersonic
transports—with the clear regulatory guidance needed to finalize aircraft
designs and move toward commercial certification.
Submission + - Satellite Pay-TV Provider Dish DBS Prepares for Bankruptcy Filing (cordcuttersnews.com)
EchoStar, led by founder and chairman Charlie Ergen, has faced mounting financial pressure for years. The company carries approximately $25 billion in debt across its various entities, including its core satellite television businesses under the Dish Network and Sling TV brands, as well as its wireless operations through Boost Mobile. Subscriber losses in the traditional linear television segment have accelerated as consumers increasingly shift toward streaming services, cord-cutting trends, and alternative entertainment options. This erosion of the customer base has squeezed revenue and heightened the urgency for a comprehensive financial reset.
Comment Re:peak slashdot-maxxing (Score 1) 111
Ate a lot of paint chips as a child, eh?
Comment Re:Volvo but not Polestar? (Score 1) 125
Tesla is already in trouble due to profound incompetence.
Comment Re:A winner for mainstream gamers (and lazy people (Score 1) 92
Good observations, though I am Gen X so after a childhood of editing config.sys to get retail games to run on the PC I have an incredibly high tolerance for putting up with that nonsense.
Comment hmm (Score 1) 92
I'm a busy man. I'm also a lazy man. Could someone tell me if this is cheaper or more expensive than a desktop gaming PC with the same stats?
Comment Re:Betteidge's law (Score 1) 152
Additionally, the way it's phrased, as a "bet," is implicitly skeptical.
Comment Re:Betteidge's law (Score 1) 152
There is no question that states are betting on AI.
Comment Re:Sojust like every other tech growth story (Score 1) 231
FDNY life is rough but it is still vastly better than Chinese factor worker life. That 18-hour shift is not constant answering calls, a lot of it is downtime. Also, they get a lot of time off in between. And retire with good benefits years and years before the Chinese worker.
Journal Journal: SQL: * expansion inside of EXISTS()
[Used gemini for formatting. It seems to have edited the text somewhere, and the table on bottom is atrocious. I ought to come back to this later. It's too late to continue with it now.]
Comment Re:Sojust like every other tech growth story (Score 1) 231
"and where blue collar workers get to retire on a full pension before white collar workers."
Yes, if only I could enjoy the life of a blue collar factor worker in China. Why can't I work 12 hour shifts 6 days a week?!
Comment Re:Correction (Score 4, Interesting) 96
The elites hate labor shortages. They love labor surpluses.
Submission + - Fox to buy streaming device maker Roku for $22 billion (cnbc.com) 1
The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2027.
Submission + - Arch Linux's AUR Sees More Than 400 Packages Compromised With Malware. (phoronix.com)
"The Arch Linux User Repository "AUR" was hit by a large-scale malware campaign this week with more than 400 of these user-supplied packages being compromised.
Since yesterday Arch Linux maintainers have been working to reset/delete all of the malicious content and banning affected accounts. Over 400 packages are believed impacted by this latest malware campaign for Arch Linux's AUR. Again, to be completely clear, this just is affecting AUR packages and not the official Arch Linux packages. "