Meet NASA's X-59 Test Pilot Nils Larson | Armstrong Flight Research Center

Meet NASA's X-59 Test Pilot Nils Larson | Armstrong Flight Research Center

Get to know one of the NASA X-59 test pilots working on the Quesst mission—Nils Larson! 

What inspired him to become a test pilot? 

Does he sing karaoke? Learn about his pre-flight routine and what his career would be if he was not a test pilot.

The X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft builds on decades of supersonic flight research and is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission. The vast amount of data collected over the years has given designers the tools they needed to craft the shape of the X-59. The goal is to enable the aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds and reduce a loud sonic boom to a quieter “sonic thump.” Follow the X-59 team as they take on the exciting journey of building the X-59 and working toward quiet supersonic flight.

The X-59’s engine, a modified F414-GE-100, packs 22,000 pounds of thrust. This will enable the X-59 to achieve the desired cruising speed of Mach 1.4 (925 miles per hour) at an altitude of approximately 55,000 feet. It sits in a nontraditional spot–atop the aircraft—to aid in making the X-59 quieter.

The X-59's goal is to help change existing national and international aviation rules that ban commercial supersonic flight over land.

For more information about the X-59 and NASA's Quesst mission, visit www.nasa.gov/quesst

Video Credit: NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Dec. 12, 2025

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