AIRCRAFT
The Anglo-French Concorde has a history dating back to 1955, though it wasn't until January, 1976 that it began commercial revenue service with British Airways and Air France. In 1955 member companies of the British aerospace industry and government agencies undertook preliminary design work that led to the establishment in 1956 of a Supersonic Transport Aircraft Committee (STAC) to study the feasibility of an SST. Among the project studies looked at by STAC was the Bristol Type 198 &emdash; a design number covering several different aircraft configurations, of which the most favored came to be a slender delta-winged layout with eight engines and able to operate across the North Atlantic at twice the speed of sound.
Through a process of continuous refinement, this evolved into the smaller Type 223, with four engines and 110 seats typically for a London to New York operation. While this work went on in the UK., a similar process was under way in France, leading by 1961 to evolution of a project called the Super Caravelle, which was strikingly similar to the Bristol 223. At government behest, the British and French designers were merged into a single project, and a protocol of agreement was signed between the two governments on Nov. 29, 1962.
Principal airframe companies were BAC (which had absorbed Bristol) and Aerospatiale (incorporating Sud). The engine companies were Rolls-Royce (which had meanwhile acquired the Bristol Siddeley engine company in which Concorde's Olympus engines originated) and Snecma. It was also agreed to spell the name the French way, with an "e".
The Concorde program was handled in a number of stages, embracing the construction and testing of two prototypes, known as Concordes 001 and 002; two pre-production aircraft, originally known as Concordes 01 and 02 and subsequently as Concordes 101 and 102, and a production sequence commencing with Concorde 201. Production of an initial batch of 16 aircraft was authorized by the two governments and production of major airframe and engine components was divided between companies in the UK. and France without duplication. Separate final assembly lines were set up at Toulouse and Filton, alternate aircraft being assembled in the U.K. and France.
Concorde 001 made its first flight from Toulouse on Mar. 2, 1969, its first supersonic flight on Oct. 1, 1969, and its first excursion to Mach 2 on Nov. 4, 1970 (on its 102nd flight). Concorde 002 was the first to fly in the UK, (at Filton) on Apr. 9, 1969. Concordes 001 and 002 were slightly smaller than the production standard, which introduced lengthened front and rear fuselages, revised nose visors, changes to the wing geometry and uprated engines. These new features were progressively introduced on Concorde 101, first flown from Toulouse on Dec. 17, 1971, and Concorde 102, flown at Filton on Jan. 10, 1973. The more definitive production standard was represented by Concorde 201, flown at Toulouse on Dec. 6, 1973, and Concorde 202, flown at Filton on Feb. 13, 1974. Production aircraft 203 to 216 flew alternately from the two assembly lines, the last two on Dec. 26, 1978, and Apr. 20, 1979, respectively.
Certification of the Concorde for full passenger-carrying operations was obtained on Oct. 13, 1975, in France and on Dec. 5, 1975, in the UK., leading to introduction into service by British Airways and Air France simultaneously on Jan. 21, 1976. The routes, respectively, were London to Bahrain and Paris to Rio de Janeiro (via Dakar). Services to Washington began on May 24, 1976, and to New York in December, 1977. British Airways flew a service from London to Singapore (via Bahrain) jointly with Singapore Airlines in 1979/80, and in the same period Braniff leased aircraft time from Air France and British Airways to extend the Washington services to Dallas/Ft. Worth. In 1985, British Airways introduced a service to Miami as an extension from Washington. For a time, Air France flew scheduled services to Caracas and to Mexico via Washington; many other destinations around the world have been served under an extensive program of charters, primarily by British Airways aircraft.
Concorde has long been a symbol of European aerospace prowess, but it was actually designed around the same time as the long obsolete Boeing 707. In spite of its futuristic needle-shaped nose, Concorde is starting to get long in the tooth.
Concorde's reputation as the world's safest aircraft was destroyed in the flames of the accident on July 25, 2000 which killed 109 passengers and crew and four people on the ground near Paris. Statistically, it is now the world's least safe commercial aircraft. The recommended suspension of Concorde's certificate of airworthiness by both British and French authorities on August 16 caused cessation of Concorde's commercial services. This is an almost unprecedented action in the annals of modern civil air transport.
The figures are skewed by the fact that Concorde is relatively young in terms of overall flying hours, although it is long past the age at which other planes are destined for the scrap heap or sold off to airlines in the developing world.
Each Concorde while in operation flew only about 1,000 hours a year, and the French transport ministry said in a statement, ''Despite its long life, its track record is less developed than that of any other aircraft in civilian fleets.'' Both British Airways and Air France had put in place programs to prolong the life of the aircraft for at least another 12 years.
It was reported that a study commissioned by British Airways had found 55 ''significant risks'' inherent in the design of the Rolls Royce Olympus engines. The risks reportedly included ''noncontainment of high-energy debris, engine separation, uncontrolled fire'' and ''multiple engine failures.''
Concorde has created a class of passengers who because of their style of life or their professional demands have become addicted to the convenience of crossing the Atlantic in little more than three hours.
The withdrawal of the Concorde's airworthiness certificate in August 2000 spelled the death knell for supersonic travel, with neither of the major aircraft manufacturers planning a replacement.
On May 30, 2003 the last commercial Air France flight landed back at Paris Charles de Gaulle from New York. The very last flight for Air France was made on June 27 2003 when F-BVFC flew from Paris to its place of construction in Toulouse for preservation.
British Airways hoped to operate Concorde services well into the first decade of the new century, but did terminate its supersonic services in October 2003 with a final farewell flight from New York JFK to London Heathrow.
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