Remembered by many as the most impressive and glamorous passenger aircraft ever built, here are some fun facts about Concorde:
1. Concorde was a UK-French connection.
Concorde was designed and built by British and French engineers in the 1960s.
2. It has an appropriate name.
Its name was chosen as the word ‘Concord’ means ‘Agreement’ in both French and English
3. She first set off in the mid-70s.
Concorde’s first commercial flights were on 21st January 1976. British Airways flew from London Heathrow to Bahrain and Air France from Paris to Rio de Janerio.
4. It’s almost one of a kind.
Concorde was one of only two supersonic aircraft to have ever operated commercially. (A Soviet aircraft dubbed Concordski by the British press is the other).
5. Concorde was a powerhouse.
Its engines were so powerful that while on the ground, pilots would use only two of Concorde’s four Rolls Royce engines to make taxiing around the airport easier.
6. Concorde was blisteringly fast.
Concorde’s cruising speed was 1,350 miles per hour and could reach speeds of over 1500mph! (That’s twice the speed of sound, or Mach 2.)
7. Concorde took to the heavens.
Concorde flew higher than any other commercial aeroplane, cruising at an altitude of nearly 60,000 feet. That’s high enough to see the curvature of the Earth!
8. It had specific paint.
Concorde was coated in special white paint to avoid overheating during supersonic flight. The short-lived exception was in 1996 when an Air France Concorde was painted blue as part of a marketing campaign for Pepsi. This restricted the aircraft’s speed and it only made 16 flights before going back to its normal livery.
9. Crew on board were minimal.
With a capacity of just 100 fare-paying passengers, a crew of nine were used: two pilots, one flight engineer, and six flight attendants.
10. It was lacking something.
There was no in-flight entertainment onboard Concorde.
11. It broke records in the 90s.
The fastest commercial transatlantic crossing ever was on February 7 1996: a British Airways Concorde flew from New York to London in an incredible two hours 52 minutes and 59 seconds!
12. The end of an era.
Following a crash in Paris on takeoff, rising fuel prices, an ageing fleet and the Twin Towers terrorist attack of 2001, Concorde finally became unviable to maintain.
Concorde’s last commercial flight was on October 24th, 2003, and flew from New York (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR).
FAQs about Concorde
What was the name of the first pilot to fly the British Concorde?
Earnest Brian Trubshaw, an experienced test pilot, became the first pilot to fly Concorde in Britain in 1969.
Is it true that Concorde stretched in flight?
Yes it certainly is - between 6 to 10 inches! During flight, the airframe of all aircraft heats up.
Was Concorde energy efficient?
Airborne, Concorde had the most energy efficient engines of the time! Flying at Mach 2, she had the most fuel efficient jet engines made during the era.
Do you know any fun facts about Concorde? Let us know in the comments below!
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