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Concorde

France and Britain hoped to take the lead in aviation with the introduction of its superonic jet, the Concorde.

By the end of the 1950s, Britain's huge lead in commercial jets evaporated once the de Havilland Comets were grounded. As the United States surged ahead in its development of commercial jetliners, such as the 707 and the DC-8, many in the European community felt they might be falling behind. Hoping to surpass the Americans, Britain joined forces with France to develop a supersonic passenger jet. In November of 1962, the two nations signed the Anglo-French Supersonic Aircraft Agreement to build the Concorde.

Not about to be left behind by the British and French, or by the Russians who were developing their own supersonic plane, President John F. Kennedy announced in 1963 that the United States would fund development of the Supersonic Transport, or SST. In 1966, Boeing beat out Lockheed for the government contract to build the SST. The government conducted a test, called Operation Bongo, over Oklahoma City to gauge public reaction to sonic booms as a part of daily life. The study found some people's lives were significantly disrupted by sonic booms. Environmental groups formed to voice their concern about noise pollution caused by sonic booms. Others protested that the SST would damage the atmosphere. Still others found the price tag - $3 billion before one SST would even be produced - too expensive. Even Charles Lindbergh voiced his dissatisfaction with the project. All these issues led to the SST's eventual demise. In 1971, Congress voted against further funding of an American built supersonic passenger jet.

Lockheed unveiled a mock-up of its proposed supersonic transport design in 1966.

By this time, the British and French had completed the Concorde, but it, too, would prove to be a disappointment. In the 1960s, when supersonic flight seemed to be the last unconquered frontier of commercial aviation, nearly all major carriers lined up to take delivery of the Concorde. Orders poured in for more than 270 of the jets. But as high fuel costs and environmental opposition eroded its commercial potential, the Concorde ended up being purchased only by two airlines - Air France and British Airways. Production of the plane ended in 1979 with only 16 Concordes completed.

Still, though, the Concorde is a remarkable achievement in design and engineering. To achieve the Concorde's cruising speed of over Mach 2, many design issues had to be addressed. One was heat. At Mach 2 heat from friction would reach temperatures of nearly 250 degrees Fahrenheit on the jet's surface. Another was airframe expansion resulting from the high temperatures. A special aluminum alloy was found to be able to not only provide a shield against this heat, but also to withstand the significant structural expansion the frame experiences when traveling at twice the speed of sound. Four engines provide over 150,000 total pounds of thrust to achieve such velocity. Despite these powerful forces, first-time passengers are surprised to feel a smooth, steady ride even when passing through the sound barrier.

The Concorde flew for nearly 25 years before experiencing its first major accident. On July 25, 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed shortly after takeoff from Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport killing all 109 aboard. A thin metal strip is suspected of blowing one of the Concorde's tires, which in turn ruptured the supersonic jet's fuel tanks upon takeoff. British Airways and Air France both expect their fleet of Concordes, which have been grounded since the accident, to return to the skies before the end of 2001.

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