Pic of the Day: Concorde unwrapped

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Concorde unwrapped
Concorde unwrapped

The last Concorde supersonic passenger jet to be made – and flown – is unwrapped in preparation for settling into its new home at the Aerospace Bristol Centre.

The Concorde 216 was towed to the museum in February, then carefully wrapped in hundreds of meters of film to protect it while the hangar it is housed in was sprayed in fire protection paint.

The supersonic jet will form the centerpiece of the £19 million Aerospace Bristol center, documenting Bristol’s aviation history.

Concorde History

Concorde was a supersonic passenger jet that British Airways and Air France operated from 1976 to 2003. It was one of the most iconic and recognizable planes in aviation history, known for its sleek design and incredible speed.

The Concorde was designed to fly at twice the speed of sound (Mach 2), meaning it could travel from London to New York in just over three hours. This significantly reduced travel time compared to other commercial jets, which took around seven hours to make the same journey.

The Concorde was a joint project between the British and French governments, with the two countries collaborating to design and build the plane. The prototype made its maiden flight in 1969, and the first commercial flight occurred in 1976.

The Concorde was powered by four Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 engines designed explicitly for supersonic flight. The plane could fly at a maximum speed of Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,179 km/h), at an altitude of around 60,000 feet.

The interior of the Concorde was luxurious, with leather seats, fine dining, and plenty of legroom. The plane had a capacity of just 100 passengers, which made for a very exclusive and intimate travel experience.

Despite its many advantages,

the Concorde was not without its problems. The plane was costly, with high fuel costs and maintenance requirements. It was also deafening, which limited the number of airports where it could take off and land.

The Concorde was retired in 2003, following a crash in 2000 that claimed the lives of 113 people. The incident occurred just after takeoff from Paris and was caused by a fuel tank rupture. In the aftermath of the crash, concerns about the safety of the Concorde led to its retirement.

Today, the Concorde is remembered as a pioneering aircraft that pushed the boundaries of what was possible in aviation. Its legacy lives on in the countless technological innovations it inspired and the many people who were lucky enough to experience the thrill of flying at twice the speed of sound.