IT WAS the day when a longheld aviation dream finally came true. Exactly 40 years ago this week, at 11.40am on Wednesday 21st January 1976, the world’s first commercial supersonic passenger service was launched.
Two Concorde aircraft took off simultaneously, one from Heathrow, the other from Paris, flying respectively to Bahrain and Rio de Janeiro.
For the first time ever air passengers could travel faster than the speed of sound. In fact, on board Concorde, with its cruising speed of 1350mph, passengers could travel twice as fast as the speed of sound.
The supersonic age had truly begun....
You can read the whole article here.
3 comments:
Concorde was indeed a lovely flyer, if a bit dear on the gas. Hope we get a prestige replacement soon, if only for national pride..
On the topic of your commentary on the Litvinenko Report (you went on RT Live), you claim that the British have no evidence for claiming that the assassination was a state-sponsored hit. "Probably", is your favourite word on that topic.
But you have no commentary on the Russian involvement in this matter? You comments are solely on how the British have an agenda. Nothing on the Russian part.. how so?
James Murray
Perth Uk
james__uk@hotmail.com
I remember working on a construction site at Ashford common a few years back and the highlight of the morning at around the eleven o clock mark was concord taking off..that unmistakable supersonic jet roar then there you saw her just let keep a swan gracefully making her way transatlantic! Same at around six when concord came back to land, I never grew tired of it! Funny thing was a couple of years after I'd finished working down there I was at home in the back garden when I heard the same unmistakable roar! I looked up for a few moments and bingo there she was! Apparently she made a stop at Teeside Airport unbeknown to me!!!! Interesting Tony Benn's words given that concord was an extravagance! I think he reflects most people's opinions especially us further down the chain that even we back such engineering marvels and take them to our hearts regardless of any perceived contradiction.... I'd love to see concord back and furthermore see no reason why not!
Hi James,
'Probably' was the favourite word of Sir Robert Owen in his report- but 'probably' 'possibly' and could' does not mean 'certainly' as some are claiming. If there is hard-core evidence, then why isn't it released? that's the question we all need to be asking.
del: Great post. I think you're very right about Tony Benn reflecting most people's opinions- we took such engineering marvels to our hearts, as you say regardless of any perceived contradiction. Concorde was a great feat of engineering from the UK and France. It was actually making money for BA when retired- but it seems they preferred to concentrate on even more profitable subsonic planes.
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