**TODAY ONLY**

January 21

Concorde Takes Off
On this day in 1976, two Concorde aircraft simultaneously took off ~ one from London's Heathrow Airport and one from Orly Airport outside Paris. Destinations: Bahrain in the Persian Gulf and Rio de Janeiro, via Senegal, West Africa. Cruising. At their cruising speeds, the Concordes easily broke the sound barrier at 1,350 miles an hour. Concorde flights cut air travel time in half. East vs. West. The flights were the result of a 12-year effort that became a competition: English and French engineers vs. their counterparts in the USSR. Some History, Please... In 1962 ~ 15 years after US pilot Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier (see Today Only, October 14) ~ Britain and France signed a treaty to develop the world's first supersonic passenger airline. The next year, President John F. Kennedy proposed a similar US project. Back in the USSR. Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union, Nikita Khruschev ordered his top aviation engineers to beat the West to the achievement. You Know It Don't Come Easy... There were huge technical challenges in building a supersonic airliner: engines had to be twice as powerful as normal jet engines the aircraft's frame had to be able to withstand immense pressure from shock waves and high temperatures caused by air friction. Checking In. In the United States, Boeing tackled the supersonic project but soon ran into trouble with its swing-wing design. In England and France, early results were more promising Khruschev sent Soviet intelligence to find out as much as possible about the Anglo-French prototypes. Spy vs. Spy. In 1965, the French arrested Sergei Pavlov, head of the Paris office of the Soviet airliner Aeroflot. His crime? Illegally obtaining classified information about France's supersonic project. Another Soviet spy remained at large, and continued to send the Soviets information about the Concorde until his arrest in 1977.	*Konkordski.* On December 31, 1968, three months before the first scheduled flight of the Concorde prototype, the Soviets revealed their supersonic jetliner: the TU-144. The TU-144, which became the first supersonic jet to fly, looked so much like the Concorde that the Western press dubbed it *Konkordski. Testing, One, Two...* In 1969, the Concorde began test flights. Two years later, the US gave up on its supersonic program, due to budget and environmental concerns. Now, On the Runway... In 1973 the TU-144 came to the West to appear alongside the Concorde at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport. On June 3, in front of 200,000 spectators, the Concorde did a perfect demonstration. Not So, the TU-144. When the TU-144 took its turn, it made a successful 360-degree turn, then began a steep climb. It abruptly leveled off and started a sharp descent. About 1,500 feet above the ground, it broke up from overstress and crashed into the ground, killing all six Soviet crewmembers and eight French civilians. Cause? Soviet and French investigators ruled pilot error as the cause of the accident. However, in recent years, some Russian investigators have revealed that a French Mirage intelligence aircraft was photographing the TU-144 from above during the flight. The Soviet pilot was not told that the Mirage was there, which was a breach of air regulations. After beginning his climb, it is possible that the Soviet pilot leveled off the TU-144 so as not to crash into the Mirage. In the sudden motion, the thrust probably failed. The pilot would have been forced to restart the engines by going into a dive. Unfortunately, the jet was too close to the ground. The pilot then would have pulled up, overstressing the aircraft. Not a Great Moment in Diplomacy. In exchange for Soviet cooperation in the cover-up, French investigators agreed not to criticize the TU-144's design or engineering. Got Problems? Further problems with the TU-144, which had been hastily designed in an attempt to win the race, delayed the beginning of Soviet commercial service. The Soviets eventually allowed just 100 domestic flights with the TU-144 before they discontinued the airliner.	On This Day in 1976, Concorde passenger service began. Western Europe had won its supersonic race with the Soviets. Before its first flight, it had been subjected to 5,000 hours of testing, making it the most vetted aircraft in aviation history. A test pilot from the US government said it "could be the safest airplane ever built." Yeah, But... The Concorde was not a great commercial success. People complained about the noise pollution caused by its sonic booms and loud engines. Most airlines didn't purchase the aircraft. Only 20 Concordes were ever built. Seven were in service for British Airways and six for Air France. Service was eventually limited between London and New York and Paris and New York, where luxury travelers could a trip across the Atlantic in 3 hours and 45 minutes. Tragic Footnote. On July 25, 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed 60 seconds after takeoff from Paris en route to New York. All 109 people aboard and four on the ground were killed. The cause: a burst tire that ruptured a fuel tank, creating a fire that led to engine failure. It was the Concorde's first fatal accident, but it triggered a further decline of the aircraft. Newer, Bigger, Faster. The US is working on a larger and more efficient supersonic airliner. NASA and the US companies involved are receiving help from the Russians, who have provided a TU-144 for experimental flights. Link for More. Concorde on the Net. Concorde Timeline. Concorde Fact Snacks.

TODAY ONLY

January 21

Concorde Takes Off

On this day in 1976, two Concorde aircraft simultaneously took off ~ one from London's Heathrow Airport and one from Orly Airport outside Paris. Destinations: Bahrain in the Persian Gulf and Rio de Janeiro, via Senegal, West Africa.

Cruising. At their cruising speeds, the Concordes easily broke the sound barrier at 1,350 miles an hour. Concorde flights cut air travel time in half.

East vs. West. The flights were the result of a 12-year effort that became a competition: English and French engineers vs. their counterparts in the USSR.

Some History, Please... In 1962 ~ 15 years after US pilot Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier (see Today Only, October 14) ~ Britain and France signed a treaty to develop the world's first supersonic passenger airline. The next year, President John F. Kennedy proposed a similar US project.

Back in the USSR. Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union, Nikita Khruschev ordered his top aviation engineers to beat the West to the achievement.

You Know It Don't Come Easy... There were huge technical challenges in building a supersonic airliner:

engines had to be twice as powerful as normal jet engines
the aircraft's frame had to be able to withstand immense pressure from shock waves and high temperatures caused by air friction.

Checking In.

In the United States, Boeing tackled the supersonic project but soon ran into trouble with its swing-wing design.
In England and France, early results were more promising
Khruschev sent Soviet intelligence to find out as much as possible about the Anglo-French prototypes.

Spy vs. Spy. In 1965, the French arrested Sergei Pavlov, head of the Paris office of the Soviet airliner Aeroflot. His crime? Illegally obtaining classified information about France's supersonic project. Another Soviet spy remained at large, and continued to send the Soviets information about the Concorde until his arrest in 1977.

Konkordski. On December 31, 1968, three months before the first scheduled flight of the Concorde prototype, the Soviets revealed their supersonic jetliner: the TU-144. The TU-144, which became the first supersonic jet to fly, looked so much like the Concorde that the Western press dubbed it Konkordski.

Testing, One, Two... In 1969, the Concorde began test flights. Two years later, the US gave up on its supersonic program, due to budget and environmental concerns.

Now, On the Runway... In 1973 the TU-144 came to the West to appear alongside the Concorde at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport. On June 3, in front of 200,000 spectators, the Concorde did a perfect demonstration.

Not So, the TU-144. When the TU-144 took its turn, it made a successful 360-degree turn, then began a steep climb. It abruptly leveled off and started a sharp descent. About 1,500 feet above the ground, it broke up from overstress and crashed into the ground, killing all six Soviet crewmembers and eight French civilians.

Cause? Soviet and French investigators ruled pilot error as the cause of the accident. However, in recent years, some Russian investigators have revealed that a French Mirage intelligence aircraft was photographing the TU-144 from above during the flight. The Soviet pilot was not told that the Mirage was there, which was a breach of air regulations. After beginning his climb, it is possible that the Soviet pilot leveled off the TU-144 so as not to crash into the Mirage. In the sudden motion, the thrust probably failed. The pilot would have been forced to restart the engines by going into a dive. Unfortunately, the jet was too close to the ground. The pilot then would have pulled up, overstressing the aircraft.

Not a Great Moment in Diplomacy. In exchange for Soviet cooperation in the cover-up, French investigators agreed not to criticize the TU-144's design or engineering.

Got Problems? Further problems with the TU-144, which had been hastily designed in an attempt to win the race, delayed the beginning of Soviet commercial service. The Soviets eventually allowed just 100 domestic flights with the TU-144 before they discontinued the airliner.

On This Day in 1976, Concorde passenger service began. Western Europe had won its supersonic race with the Soviets. Before its first flight, it had been subjected to 5,000 hours of testing, making it the most vetted aircraft in aviation history. A test pilot from the US government said it "could be the safest airplane ever built."

Yeah, But... The Concorde was not a great commercial success. People complained about the noise pollution caused by its sonic booms and loud engines. Most airlines didn't purchase the aircraft. Only 20 Concordes were ever built. Seven were in service for British Airways and six for Air France. Service was eventually limited between London and New York and Paris and New York, where luxury travelers could a trip across the Atlantic in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Tragic Footnote. On July 25, 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed 60 seconds after takeoff from Paris en route to New York. All 109 people aboard and four on the ground were killed. The cause: a burst tire that ruptured a fuel tank, creating a fire that led to engine failure. It was the Concorde's first fatal accident, but it triggered a further decline of the aircraft.

Newer, Bigger, Faster. The US is working on a larger and more efficient supersonic airliner. NASA and the US companies involved are receiving help from the Russians, who have provided a TU-144 for experimental flights.

Link for More.

Concorde on the Net.

Concorde Timeline.

Concorde Fact Snacks.