And if the Concorde had been taken up by more airlines, we’d have realised just how dangerous it was, much earlier.
Exactly how dangerous was it? In 31 years of operation, it had 1 crash! Boeing 747 - 28, Boeing 737 - 83, DC9 - 45, A318-321 family - 14, the list goes on and on.
Plane crash rates by model
Concorde was a miraculous piece of engineering, many many years ahead of its time and despite what a lot of people think, it was profitable, making on average £30-50 Million a year profit. More than profit, the Concorde was a symbol of beauty and everything that people can achieve if they set their minds to it. People loved Concorde even if they were never going to be able to fly it themselves. This is why it was the flagship for BA. I remember Concorde coming to Cairns in October 1999. It was amazing. 30,000 people from Cairns and surrounds, some travelling hundreds of kilometres, came to see it. The city was abuzz with excitement. It was due to come back to Cairns again 1 year later, something I eagerly awaited, but......
Air France flight 4590 crashed in France on 25 July 2000. Some say this was the same plane that visited Cairns. I think the world was shocked and saddened when it happened, the same sort of feeling as when we heard about Princess Diana's crash. But this isn't what killed Concorde. The plane was grounded and upgrades made and it was brought back into service, which much fanfare, on 11st September 2001..........It never flew commercially again.
Flying Concorde was high on my bucket list. I've now gotten to a point in my life where I could afford it, at least one-way. That dream died 20 years ago, but with renewed interest in supersonic planes, that dream has re-sparked. The Boom Overture will not be Concorde, nothing can replace that, but it may be a close second, a second chance at a dream. I for one hope with all my heart that it becomes a reality so that my dream can be realised. I wish the program all the success in the world and hope beyond hope it becomes a reality, which one day may see me jetting across the skies at mach 1.7. She'll be slower than Concorde by 400km/h, but it's better than nothing.
The only problem I have about supersonic travel, and in true AFF style, the flight will be too short and too direct
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Fun Facts: For many years Corcorde was the only aircraft in the world to be able to supercruise, which is sustained supersonic flight without using afterburners. Only the most modern fighter jets are now capable of doing this, like the F22.
The Royal Airforce once tried to practice an intercept of the Concorde and sent a Panavia Tornado after it. The Tornado gave up.
There is only 1 photo of the Concorde at supersonic speed. The Concorde had to slow down to mach 1.5/1.6 so the fighter jet could snap the shot.
boomsupersonic.com
