Imagine being able to fly to LA for lunch, have a business meeting, and then be back home in time for dinner.

It could happen, if a research project currently underway at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is successful in demonstrating that a new, high tech airplane can break the sound barrier without causing the noisy and destructive sonic booms that helped end commercial supersonic air travel in 2003.

Listen now to our conversation with the Deputy Project Manager for the commercial supersonic technology project at NASA Glenn, Peggy Cornell, and with Walsh University President, Dr. Tim Collins.

Cornell's background includes hands-on experience with jet engines, test engineering expertise in the effort to power space missions, and leadership roles in aeronautics, she has demonstrated exceptional and sustained contributions to aeronautics and space. In addition, she has more than 28 years of experience at NASA, most recently as an integral part of leadership teams supporting commercial supersonics, electrified aircraft, electric vertical takeoff/landing vehicles, unmanned aircraft systems, and other groundbreaking areas.

Collins, who heads the North Canton-based Walsh University, is also a former Aviation technology researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory , and US Air Force fighter pilot. He has more than 4,000 flying hours, including over 260 combat hours, as a command pilot in a variety of unmanned and manned fighter, tanker, reconnaissance, and command and control aircraft. He is a U.S. Air Force Command Pilot, a military parachutist, and is a credentialed Board President for both aviation Safety Investigation Boards and Accident Investigation Boards.

We'll explore the history of supersonic flight, including the iconic Concorde Airliner, and find out what NASA is doing that they believe will completely revolutionize air travel. 

Peggy Cornell, Deputy Project Manager, NASA Glenn Research Center

Dr. Tim Collins, President, Walsh Universtiy