Mention “Concorde” to any aviation enthusiast and chances are that they’ll get a certain look in their eyes. That is quite understandable, as the Concorde wasn’t just any other aircraft. Capable of flying at twice the speed of sound, it whisked the wealthy across the Atlantic in under three and a half hours. And for many, it remains the pinnacle of commercial aviation achievement.
Anglo-French ambitions take shape
The Concorde story began in the late 1950s. It was an era when everything seemingly was possible and optimism for what humanity could achieve prevailed, fueled by healthy (?) competition between the Western and Eastern bloc. Britain and France had during this period independently pursued supersonic transport programs, only to arrive at the conclusion that their work was better carried out together. Hence the British Aircraft Corporation and France’s Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) joined forces in 1962.
With an invisible line seemingly running between the English Channel, the partnership was challenging from the start. Designers of each nation apparently nurtured and favored different engineering philosophies, including measurement systems. It is no surprise then that even the name of the aircraft itself would be the source of bickering. The British preferred “Concord,” while the French slapped an “e” on the end, insisting it be “Concorde.” We all know which side won.
Brilliant engineering
Concorde’s designers faced unprecedented challenges. At Mach 2.04 (roughly 2,180 km/h or 1,354 mph, assuming a standard atmosphere at FL600) aerodynamic heating raised the aircraft’s skin temperature to 127°C (260 °F), causing the fuselage to expand by up to 25 centimetres (10 inches) during flight. The solution was an engineering masterpiece—an elegant workaround to the laws of physics, and a joy to look at.
The distinctive ogival delta wing was designed to provide lift with minimal drag penalties for a wide speed-range. Interestingly, it also lacked most of the moving parts found on wings of common commercial jet aircraft—such as flaps. To control pitch and roll, six “elevons” (combined elevator and aileron surfaces) were used. Horizontal stabilizer? Not needed. Elegant design, indeed.
The famous drooping nose lowered 5 degrees below horizontal for take-off and 12.5 degrees for landing, giving pilots visibility while maintaining aerodynamic efficiency. Engineers developed specialized fuel management systems that transferred fuel between tanks to maintain the aircraft’s center of gravity throughout the various flight stages.
Powering it all were four Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 engines, each capable of producing a massive 38,050 pounds of thrust with afterburners. Yes, afterburners. Don’t you just wish your regular A320 would have those?
Fading interest
The first prototype took flight on March 2, 1969, from Toulouse, France. With the advent of supersonic flight for regular (well…) passengers, many envisioned a future where hundreds of Concorde would be built and put into operation. Airlines as diverse as American Airlines, Iran Air, Japan Airlines, Air India and Lufthansa all secured options to purchase units. But operating the aircraft turned out to be very expensive. The oil crisis of the 1970s surely didn’t help. Fuel prices soared, an especially sore pain point for an aircraft that wasn’t exactly modest when it came to guzzling kerosene.
Options faded and even converted orders were cancelled. In the end, only 20 aircraft were built—with only 14 reaching commercial service. British Airways (BA/BAW) and Air France (AF/AFR) each took delivery of seven new aircraft from the production line. The Concorde entered commercial service on January 21st, 1976. Merely three years later, production ceased in 1979.
The Concorde experience
For passengers, flying onboard the Concorde was something out of the ordinary. Not all of it was enjoyable. Former passengers have described the cabin as rather cramped, the width of the seats being similar to what you’d experience aboard any low-cost carrier of today. Those tiny windows probably didn’t help either.
Speaking of space however, the feeling of ogling through said windows at FL600 must have been a very redeeming experience. Passengers could clearly see the Earth’s curvature against the darkness of the stratosphere. The cabin theoretically seated 92 to 128 passengers depending on configuration, with every row made up of four seats divided by a narrow aisle. Both operators ultimately configured their cabins to cater for 100 passengers, in a single class layout.
Inflight entertainment consisted of screens mounted on the forward bulkhead displaying flight information such as speed, altitude and outside temperature. Either of the pilots would ceremoniously inform the passengers once they’d gone supersonic. To make up for the cramped cabin, the level of service aboard was superb. Meals were served using fine china, the cutlery was of the silver variety and the Champagne arrived chilled in crystal glassware. The trip between London and New York only took about 3.5 hours, the quickest hop recorded as being only 2 hours and 52 minutes long.
The speed and flair (bodyshaming seat width aside) came at a price. Adjusted for inflation, a one-way ticket between London and New York would set you back about 2,800 USD in the mid 1970’s, eventually soaring to about twice that number by the 1990’s. The pricing strategy consistently placed Concorde tickets well above first class tickets on subsonic aircraft.
Destinations of the Concorde
Most will recall the transatlantic routes operated by British Airways and Air France whenever the name Concorde gets brought up. And while London Heathrow (LHR/EGLL) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG/LFPG) to New York John F. Kennedy (JFK/KJFK) quickly became flagship routes, they were far from the only destinations seeing traffic from the spaceaged jet. In fact, due to political squabbles delaying landing rights, Concorde had been operating commercial flights for half a year before it touched down in the United States.
On its inaugural day in the sky, Air France routed the Concorde to Rio de Janeiro (GIG/SBGL), with a quick stop in Dakar. British Airways chose Bahrain as its premiere destination instead, trimming the flight time by approximately 1.5 hours compared to flights utilizing less speedy equipment.
In the other direction, a codeshare venture between British Airways and Singapore Airlines utilized a Concorde painted in a unique dual livery. This particular aircraft (G-BOAD) hence featured BA’s livery on the starboard side, while the other was dressed in SIA’s color scheme. It whisked passengers from London to Singapore in about 10 hours, with a 40 minute refuelling stop in Bahrain. That could have been cut further, had India allowed overflights and supersonic flight been utilized throughout the route.
The latter became quite the issue for operators. While passengers were oblivious (apart from receiving word from the flight crew) to when the Concorde went supersonic, anyone on the ground for sure heard the loud bang that reportedly could reach well-beyond 100dB. This effectively limited overland use of its full potential to sectors with sparsely populated areas, such as deserts. But even sandy dunes apparently had something to say about it. Saudi Arabia withdrew supersonic permissions after learning from nomads that camels were upset by the sudden noise from above.
The end of an era
Noise constrictions and a gargantuan thirst for fuel quickly had beancounters write the Concorde off as little more than a marketing tool. Even with ticket prices bordering on extortion, it was hard to make business sense out of the once futuristic metal bird. Still, she continued to grace the skies for decades before a tragic accident marked what undoubtedly was the beginning of the end for the Concorde.
On July 25, 2000, Air France Flight 4590 crashed shortly after takeoff from Paris Charles de Gaulle, killing all 109 aboard and four on the ground. Investigation revealed that runway debris punctured a tire, sending rubber fragments into fuel tanks and causing catastrophic fire. The tragic accident led to temporary grounding and safety modifications.
Concorde returned to service in November 2001, but its fate was already sealed. The September 11 attacks on US soil earlier that year devastated premium travel markets. Aging airframes required increasing maintenance. The murmur of the beancounters grew louder. On April 10, 2003, Air France and British Airways simultaneously announced retirement of the Concorde by the end of October the same year. Air France in fact effectively withdrew it from service merely a month later, while the British continued service through the summer season.
The final commercial flight took place on October 24, 2003, when flight BA002 sped travelers from JFK to London Heathrow, ending supersonic passenger service upon engine shutdown.
The Concorde legacy
Today, 18 surviving Concordes rest in museums worldwide, from New York’s Intrepid Museum to the Imperial War Museum in Cambridgeshire, England. Concorde proved that supersonic commercial flight was technically feasible and demonstrated what international cooperation could achieve (bickering aside). Modern supersonic developers, Boom Supersonic being perhaps the most famous one, study Concorde’s successes and limitations as they work to revive supersonic passenger travel.
More than two decades after retirement, Concorde remains aviation’s most elegant expression of speed, luxury, and technological ambition.
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