20 years ago, the supersonic passenger jet Concorde flew for the last time
-
A British Airways Concorde takes off from London's Heathrow Airport in 2001.David Parker / BWP Media/Getty Images -
Singer Phil Collins and his wife Jill Tavelman check their watches at London's Heathrow Airport on July 13, 1985. Collins boarded a Concorde and flew to the U.S. for a Live Aid benefit concert in Philadelphia — after playing the London stage the same day.Mirrorpix via Getty Images -
Firefighters spray water amid the debris of Air France Flight 4590. The Concorde crashed shortly after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle Airport on July 25, 2000.Joachim Bertrand / Ministere de l'interieur/AFP via Getty Images -
The last decommissioned Concorde sails down the River Thames and past Britain's Houses of Parliament on April 13, 2004, en route to its new home at the National Museum of Flight in Scotland.Scott Barbour / Getty Images
This is part of a special series where NPR looks back at our coverage of major news stories in the past. Listen to the full audio story to hear NPR's archival audio.
There was a time when you could fly from New York City to London at twice the speed of sound. Passengers dined on caviar and sipped champagne, all while zipping across the Atlantic Ocean in just 3 1/2 hours.
The plane had a slender white fuselage, a pointy nose that moved up and down, and a delta wing that formed a triangle.
Air France pilot Michel Butel told NPR that flying this plane was like flying a fighter jet.
"It's amazing what you can do with that machine," Butel said.
He was describing the supersonic airliner Concorde, which 20 years ago made its final flight — marking the end of a groundbreaking chapter in aviation history.
Concorde was a joint project between Britain and France, which is partly why the plane is synonymous with two airlines: British Airways and Air France. The plane's first commercial flight to the U.S. dates back to May 24, 1976. Concorde took off from London and landed with a roar at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.
Ira Flatow covered the much-anticipated arrival for NPR.
"We literally were on the apron of the runway when the Concorde came by. It was the loudest sound I had ever heard in my life," he remembered in a 2003 interview.
Travel time between the two continents was cut in half.
Concorde had its critics
Concorde's early triumph was hardly without turbulence.
Environmental advocates criticized the plane's inefficiency and argued its emissions would damage the ozone layer shielding humans and the environment from harmful levels of the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
Concorde guzzled four times more fuel than a jumbo jet like the Boeing 747, which could also carry nearly 500 passengers (Concorde's cramped seating arrangement could carry just 100). And a round-trip ticket in the 1990s could cost as much as $10,000 — about $20,000 in today's money.
People on the ground complained about the noise from Concorde's boisterous turbojet engines, and its alarming sonic booms as it broke the sound barrier over the Atlantic.
But Concorde defied its critics. For almost three decades, the small fleet of jets kept flying — and shattering records. In 1996, a British Airways Concorde crossed from New York to London in just 2 hours 52 minutes and 59 seconds, which to this day is the fastest trans-Atlantic crossing by a passenger plane.
Concorde became the trendy way to travel for celebrity jet-setters, from Paul McCartney to Elizabeth Taylor. In 1985 during the worldwide benefit concert Live Aid, Phil Collins played the London stage, then boarded Concorde and made it to the U.S. in time to play the Philadelphia stage — all on the same day.
"I was in England this afternoon," Collins told the cheering Philadelphia crowd after taking his seat behind the piano. "Funny old world, isn't it?"
The crash that changed everything
Over the years the cost to maintain the aging supersonic jets grew more and more expensive. And even though Concorde had a reliable safety record, everything changed on July 25, 2000.
An Air France Concorde taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris struck a piece of metal debris left behind by another plane on the runway. The debris punctured one of the Concorde's tires, sending chunks of rubber into the fuel tank. The Concorde's left wing burst into flames, before the plane crashed into a roadside hotel.
"We overheard a very loud, roaring noise," said Jamie Ritchie, a British businessman who witnessed the crash. "And there was a large plume of smoke some thousand feet high."
All 109 people on board were killed, along with four people on the ground.
Aviation authorities immediately grounded every Concorde still in service. The planes wouldn't return for over a year amid government investigations and intense regulatory scrutiny.
A farewell to supersonic passenger travel
Concorde never fully recovered.
The crash did lasting damage to consumer confidence. Then, 9/11 rocked the airline industry. The sky-high costs of supersonic jet travel became even more difficult to justify.
"Commercial supersonic flight will become like travel to the moon: a goal achieved, and then long abandoned," commentator Lester Reingold predicted on NPR's Morning Edition.
Concorde made its last-ever flight on Nov. 26, 2003, departing London's Heathrow Airport and landing in Bristol, England, greeted by a cheering crowd gathered behind fences near the runway.
These days, Concorde is sitting in museums all over the world. But passenger air travel at the speed of sound may not be gone for good.
NASA and Lockheed Martin are developing a supersonic aircraft that reduces the loudness of a sonic boom. And a Colorado-based company called Boom has deals with major airlines including American and United to buy its supersonic plane, which is still in development.
The company says the jets will one day cut travel time across the Atlantic in half.
Sound familiar?
9(MDAxODcyMTgzMDEyMTgxMTY5NjYxN2I4OQ004))
Transcript
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
There was a time when you could fly from New York City to London at twice the speed of sound. It was in futuristic TV ads like this one from the 1970s.
(SOUNDBITE OF AD)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: The world is about to become a smaller place. Soon you'll be able to travel a mile every three seconds.
DETROW: On this flight, passengers dine on caviar and sip champagne while zipping across the Atlantic Ocean in just 3 1/2 hours.
(SOUNDBITE OF AD)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: The phenomenal Concorde from British Airways.
DETROW: On November 26, 2003, the Concorde supersonic airliner made its final flight - the end of a groundbreaking chapter in aviation history. NPR's Jack Mitchell takes us back.
JACK MITCHELL, BYLINE: A slender, white fuselage, a pointy nose that moves up and down and a delta wing that forms a triangle. An Air France pilot tells NPR that flying Concorde is like flying a fighter jet.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: In this country in particular, you always say that time is money, and I think Concorde is the answer to that.
(SOUNDBITE OF PLANE FLYING OVERHEAD)
MITCHELL: Concorde was a joint project between Britain and France, which is partly why the plane is synonymous with two airlines - British Airways and Air France. The plane's first commercial flight to the U.S. dates back to May 24, 1976. Concorde took off from London...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: At a height of 55,000 feet, Mach 2 - twice the speed of sound.
MITCHELL: ...And landed with a roar at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Concorde herself, stretching her wings, is like a beautiful swan.
MITCHELL: Travel time between the two continents was cut in half. British Airways and Air France officials marked the moment with a celebratory news conference.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: The Mayflower took 66 days across the Atlantic. In the 19th century, ships took about four weeks. The great liners used to take about four days. We took less than four hours.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
MITCHELL: Concorde's early triumph is hardly without turbulence. Environmental advocates criticized the plane's inefficiency and argue its emissions will damage the ozone layer. Concorde guzzles four times more fuel than a jumbo jet like the 747, which can also carry nearly 500 passengers, while Concorde's cramped seating arrangement can carry just 100. And a round-trip ticket in the 1990s could cost as much as $10,000. That's about $20,000 in today's money. People on the ground complain about Concorde's noise and its alarming sonic booms as it breaks the sound barrier over the Atlantic.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: That's right. I'm very much a concerned citizen. I live in town, and no, I don't want it landing.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #6: It sounds to me like it's going to be very disruptive of our already troubled environment. It's a marvelous scientific project which we really don't need.
MITCHELL: Concorde defies its critics. For almost three decades, the jets keep flying and shattering records. In 1996, a British Airways Concorde crosses from New York to London in just two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds, which, to this day, is the fastest transatlantic crossing by a passenger jet.
(SOUNDBITE OF PLANE FLYING OVERHEAD)
MITCHELL: Concorde becomes the trendy way to travel for the rich and famous - Paul McCartney, Princess Diana, Mike Tyson, Elizabeth Taylor. In 1985, during the worldwide benefit concert Live Aid, Phil Collins played the London stage, then boarded Concorde and made it to the U.S. in time to play the Philadelphia stage - all on the same day.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PHIL COLLINS: I was in England this afternoon.
(APPLAUSE)
COLLINS: Funny old world, innit (ph)?
MITCHELL: Over the years, the cost to maintain the aging supersonic jets becomes more and more expensive. And even though Concorde has a reliable safety record, on July 25, 2000, everything changes.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #7: We overheard a very loud roaring noise. We saw something fall from the tail, and then the plane crashed.
UNIDENTIFIED BYLINE: The crash of the Concorde outside Paris.
MITCHELL: An Air France Concorde taking off from Paris strikes a piece of metal debris left behind by another plane on the runway. The debris punctures one of the Concorde's tires, sending chunks of rubber into the fuel tank. The Concorde's left wing bursts into flames before the plane crashes into a roadside motel.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
SARAH CHAYES: The smoke was so thick and sort of noxious.
MITCHELL: NPR's Sarah Chayes was at the crash site earlier.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
CHAYES: A line of vans that appeared to be hearses, which may have been carrying out, you know, some of the bodies and also...
MITCHELL: One hundred nine people on board are killed, along with four people on the ground. Aviation authorities immediately ground every Concorde still in service. The planes won't return for over a year amid government investigations and intense regulatory scrutiny. But Concorde never fully recovers. The crash does lasting damage to consumer confidence. Then 9/11 rocks the airline industry. The sky-high costs of supersonic jet travel become even more difficult to justify.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #8: Lifting into the skies with its characteristic elegance and the distinctive roar of the engines, there is no other aircraft like this. There will probably never be another aircraft like this, and so it marks the end of an extraordinary chapter in aviation history.
MITCHELL: On November 26, 2003, Concorde makes its last-ever flight, landing in Bristol, England, greeted by a cheering crowd gathered behind fences near the runway.
(APPLAUSE)
MITCHELL: These days, Concorde is sitting in museums all over the world, but passenger air travel at the speed of sound may not be gone for good. NASA and Lockheed Martin are developing a supersonic aircraft that reduces the loudness of a sonic boom. And a Colorado-based company called Boom has deals with major airlines like American and United to buy its supersonic plane, which is still in development. The company says the jets will one day cut travel time across the Atlantic in half. Sound familiar?
Jack Mitchell, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
300x250 Ad
300x250 Ad