Concorde - Air France -

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The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport (SST) was the more successful of only two supersonic passenger airliners to have operated commercially (the Tupolev Tu-144 being the other). First flown in 1969, Concorde service commenced in 1976 and continued for 27 years. It regularly flew from London Heathrow (British Airways) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (Air France) to New York JFK and Washington Dulles. It set many records, including circumnavigating the world in a time of 31 hours 27 minutes 49 seconds flight, on August 16, 1995.

The costly development phase represented a substantial economic loss for the British and French governments, although it made large operating profits for British Airways for much of its service life. Commercial flights, by British Airways and Air France, began on 21 January 1976. As a result of its only crash (in 2000), world economic effects arising from the September 11, 2001 attacks and other factors, operations ceased on 24 October 2003, with the last "retirement" flight on 26 November that year. Even in retirement, Concorde remains an icon of aviation history.

General characteristics

Crew: 9
Length: 202 ft 4 in[61] (61.66 m)
Wingspan: 84 ft 0 in (25.6 m)
Height: 40 ft 0 in (12.2 m)
Wing area: 3,856 ft² (358.25 m² )
Empty weight: 173,500 lb (78,700 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × SNECMA Olympus 593 Mk 610 afterburning turbojets
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 2.04 (2,164 km/h)
Range: 3,900 nm (4,500 mi, 7,250 km)
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,300 m)
Rate of climb: 1,525 m (5,000 ft) /min (25,41 m/s)
Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: .373
Fuel consumption for max. range (max. fuel/max. range): 46.85 lb/mi (13.2 kg/km)
Maximum nose tip temperature: 260 °F (127 °C)