Project Boom is an international student-led initiative aiming to break the sound barrier with a remote-control plane while promoting student empowerment and education.

Founded at the start of the pandemic, Project Boom took advantage of online working to build a network of volunteers across 5 continents. A Reddit post in July 2020 saw the project grow from a group of students to over 100 members worldwide, with the team presenting a unique opportunity to gain practical experience and develop teamwork and communication skills over platforms like zoom.

“A group of highly-motivated kids from all over the world facing more than one barrier. Cost, experience, time zones, expectations – these are all barriers that will be broken. The sound barrier is just the destination. This is the journey.”

To achieve our ambitious goal, experience is key. The team planned a phased approach that first sees a 3D-printed prototype aircraft to test our avionics and control, and validate CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) data, before moving to Phase-I, a transonic aircraft that will break the world record for the fastest remote control plane, currently set at 465 mph. With flight systems tested and additional funding secured, the team can then move to Phase-II which will go supersonic and achieve our namesake.