Concorde
Concorde is the world's only
supersonic passenger aircraft. It has been flying for many years, but
the sight
of a Concorde taking off or landing is still an exciting one. When it
was
developed, this sleek aircraft revolutionized air transport, and it
continues
to be a symbol of speed and luxury.
FLYING
AT THE
SPEED OF SOUND
On the ground, sound travels at
a speed of 1225 kilometers an hour. The speed of sound in the air is
slightly
slower - pilots call it Mach 1. Twice the speed of sound is Mach 2. By
the
1940s, the fastest planes were almost flying at Mach 1. Then in 1947 a
US Air
Force research plane broke the sound barrier.
SUPERSONIC
PROBLEMS
Pilots noticed that when planes
flew at supersonic speeds they met huge shock waves, which acted like a
barrier. The waves caused loud noises like thunder, called sonic booms.
The
planes also became dangerously hot, despite such problems, engineers
set about
designing supersonic aircraft that could withstand these effects.
INTERNATIONAL
COOPERATION
In the 1950s British and French
engineers worked separately on developing a supersonic airliner. Then
in 1962
the British Aircraft Corporation and French Aerospatiale joined forces.
They
worked together with Rolls-Royce and SNECMA, who manufactured jet
engines.
NAMING
THE PLANE
The companies called the
plane
they were developing Concorde, which means harmony between nations.
After seven
years work, the end product was a narrow, 100 seat aircraft with
swept-back
wings and a nose section that could be lowered when taking off and
landing.
TAKING
OFF
Two Concordes were built in
each of the two countries. The first took off at Toulouse, in France,
on 2nd
March 1969. Engineers and pilots spend 5000 flying hours testing the
plane,
making it the most tested aircraft in history. Concorde finally entered
service
in 1976 with British Airways and Air France. Today each airline has a
fleet of
seven Concordes. Only 16 production models have ever been built with
remaining
at the development bases.
FUTURISTIC
TECHNOLOGY
Concorde is 62.1 meters long,
with a wingspan of 25.5 meters. It cruises at a height of up to 18,300
meters
at Mach 2 – faster than some rifle bullets. It mainly flies from
London and
Paris to New York. Its New York to London record, set in 1990 is 2
hours and 54
minutes – less than three hours to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The
aircraft
follow routes that allow their sonic booms to take place over the sea.
THE
END OF
CONCORDE
Although Concorde is technologically a modern
wonder it is not a great commercial success. Eventually the whole fleet
will be
grounded. The planes now being developed are much larger and can fly
vast
distances without having to refuel. They can carry more passengers and
cargo
and cause less noise pollution.
