Like a lot of young boys Blake Scholl had an interest in things that flew and went very fast. One fascination was Concorde and supersonic flight.
Now he's at the Dubai Airshow trying to woo investors and Middle East airlines to back his ambition to once again make breaking the sound barrier commercially viable.
It's an idea that a few years ago might have been dismissed with a polite "good luck", but one which is now taking on serious shape.
Mr Scholl, founder and chief executive of Denver-based Boom Supersonic, already has 76 pre-orders from airlines and says he is talking to another 20 carriers.