AVIATION
JULY 18, 2021
the concorde supersonic jet
The Concorde supersonic jet is the first supersonic passenger commercial airplane (supersonic transport/SST). The jet was built jointly by aircraft manufacturers in Great Britain and France.
The supersonic jet made its first transatlantic crossing on September 26, 1973 and on January 21, 1976, the Concorde supersonic jet was inaugurated as the world’s first scheduled supersonic passenger.
On November 29, 1962, Britain and France signed a treaty to share costs and risks in producing an SST.
Aircraft manufacturers, British Aerospace and the French firm Aérospatiale were responsible for the airframe. The jet engines were developed by both Britain’s Rolls-Royce and France’s SNECMA (Société Nationale d’Étude et de Construction de Moteurs d’Aviation).
The result was a high technology aircraft, the delta-wing passenger jet, which made its maiden flight on March 2, 1969.
The Concorde had a maximum cruising speed of 2,179 km (1,354 miles) per hour, or Mach 2.04 (more than twice the speed of sound). With this speed the aircraft was able to fly between London and New York in about three hours.
In January 1976, Concorde service began for commercial passengers and by November, these graceful SSTs were flying to the United States. A technological masterpiece, each Concorde smoothly transitioned to supersonic flight with no disturbing efforts to the passenger.
During the flight, the Concorde supersonic jet would cruise at twice the speed of sound (Mach 2) between 55,000 and 60,000 feet. The altitude was so high that even passengers could actually see the curvature of the Earth.
The designers of Concorde created an aircraft that carried only 100 seats in tight four-across rows because they realized that only the wealthier passengers could afford the ticket.
They assumed that first class passengers would choose the Concorde to save valuable time while economy class passengers would remain in larger and slower subsonic airliners with cheaper costs.
Operated by Air France and British Airways, the supersonic jets offered a luxurious and fast trip across the Atlantic ocean and other select routes for 27 years.
But despite the excellence of the Concorde’s performance, its operators realized that its days were numbered because of its high operational costs.
With the average round trip ticket costing more than $12,000, only few could afford to fly this magnificent aircraft. Operating costs for the supersonic jet escalated as parts for the plane became more difficult to acquire.
With an average of one ton of fuel consumed per seat, the already small market for the Concorde gradually grew smaller.
Following the decision by the aircraft’s manufacturer to stop supporting the fleet, in April of 2003 Air France president Jean Cyril Spinetta informed the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum that Concorde service would end on May 31st.
As planned, on June 12 Air France delivered its most treasured Concorde, F-BVFA, to Washington Dulles International Airport on its last supersonic flight for the airline.
It was the first production Concorde delivered to Air France, the first Concorde to open service between Paris and New York, Washington, and Rio de Janeiro and had collected more than 17 thousands flight hour.
The Concorde supersonic jet unit is now eternally displayed at the Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
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