Great Britian and France come together to construct history's most successful supersonic passenger plane.
Near the end of the 1950s several governments were looking into the possibility of constructing supersonic passenger aircraft. Foremost among them were France and Great Britain, both of who were poised to start building prototypes in the early 1960s. However, the cost of constructing even the prototype of such an aircraft was so high, that the British government went looking for partners who would help fund the project. In 1962, Great Britain and France signed an international treaty to work together on the development and construction of these new aircraft.
This spirit of working together gave the new aircraft its name, "Concorde". The French spelling of the English word "Concorde" meaning: a state of peaceful agreement. However, several years later, after a perceived slight from the French Prime Minister, Britain announced they were changing the name to "Concord". Eventually things calmed down, the name was changed back, and the British public were told that the extra "e" stood for England and excellence!
Even with the two countries working together, they were not the first to get a supersonic passenger aircraft off the ground. That distinction goes to the U.S.S.R. with their plane, the Tu-144. Unfortunately, early on the Tu-144 suffered a pair of spectacular and deadly crashes that destroyed any chance of it competing with the Concorde.
The first flight of a Concorde occurred in 1969 and in 1976 it made its first commercial flight, but not to the United States. Just months before, the US had banned supersonic passenger flights ostensibly because of the noise of the sonic boom. This law was soon repealed, and Concorde soon touched down in the US.
The Concorde could hold about 100 passengers and make the trans-Atlantic in an average of 3.5 hours (though it also set the record by making a London to NY flight in just under 2 hours and 53 minutes). Although fast, the Concorde was not luxurious. Its narrow form meant there was little head or foot room, and the seats were no bigger than standard economy airline seats are today. Plus, the Concorde never incorporated any kind of video playing equipment for passenger entertainment. Still, by halving the time, Concorde proved a popular means of travel.
Although over 100 Concordes were originally ordered, only 14 were ever produced for commercial usage. The £26 million asking price proved too much for most companies. Of the few made, most spent there time flying between England, France, and the United States.
In July of 2000, a Concorde crashed in France, killing all 109 people aboard. It was the first fatal accident involving a Concorde, but it proved the beginning of the end. In the next couple years the 9/11 attacks and rising fuel costs hit the entire aircraft industry hard, and airlines were forced to cut back or go under. Concorde proved especially susceptible as its unique design and aging frame sent maintenance costs skyrocketing. In April of 2003, France and Britain simultaneously announced that Concorde would be withdrawn from service later that year.
Although there has been a lot of talk, there seems little hope that the Concorde will ever fly again. Most have been mothballed and are slowly decaying away. There is still one in France that is being kept in flight-worthy condition by a group of volunteer engineers, but the passing years make it seem less and less likely that she'll ever get off the ground.
