Original subtitles

(triumphant music)

(airplane engine rumbling)

- [Narrator] Concorde, a legendary aircraft.

It was nicknamed the Great White Bird,

the King of the Skies.

It hasn't flown since 2003,

but it's still thought of as mythical

and not just by aviation enthusiasts.

(speaking in foreign language) - In handling terms,

it was an exceptional plane.

- [Narrator] Was this due to its futuristic design,

immediately recognizable?

Or its exceptional performance never equaled?

For almost 27 years, it was the only supersonic

commercial airliner to surf the stratosphere,

flying at Mach 2,

twice the speed of sound.

(speaking in foreign language) - Concorde was like

putting 100 passengers in a bullet.

- [Narrator] Just imagine, 2,200 kilometers per hour,

600 meters per second.

A flight from Paris to New York

took three hours 40 minutes,

twice as fast as today,

a staggering feat.

- Power, speed, and beauty.

(speaking in foreign language) - There's no other plane

in the world like it.

- [Narrator] We're going to tell you why and how

this aircraft was conceived,

what political, economic and technological challenges

led to the success of the Concorde program.

And Concorde involved incredible challenges.

The engineers invented everything.

It was they who dreamed up the revolutionary wing,

the famous droop snoot,

engines that adapted to the various phases of flight.

It was also with Concorde that we used,

for the first time,

electrical flight controls and carbon brakes.

Concorde revolutionized modern aeronautics.

- It was fantastic, yeah.

It was a marvelous experience.

- [Narrator] We're going to take you to

the heart of the Concorde machine,

explain its history and how it worked,

thanks to exceptional archives, brand new 3D images,

and the testimony of our experts.

- This airplane was thought about in the 1950s,

designed in the 60s, built in the 70s,

and flown into the next century.

Some amazing technology.

- [Narrator] Concorde, the most beautiful flying

machine ever created by man,

a peerless marvel of technology and grace,

was an extraordinary 20th century adventure.

Concorde's adventure began in France

in the early 1960s.

Aircraft manufacturers were considering

the future of civil aviation

when an idea hatched in the minds of French engineers,

to create a supersonic airliner,

a plane capable of carrying passengers

faster than the speed of sound.

It was a real challenge

that would cement France's reputation technologically,

showing that it deserved its place

among the great nations during the Cold War era

when the USA and the USSR

shared world dominance.

General De Gaulle understood the stakes,

the state would financially underwrite

the development of Concorde,

the fastest airliner in the world.

But on the other side of the English channel,

the British were also finalizing

a project for a supersonic plane.

Rather than compete,

the two nations decided to join forces

and design this extraordinary aircraft together.

A first step towards European aeronautical collaboration.

But how could an aircraft carry 100 passengers

faster than the speed of sound for several hours

when military aircraft of the day

could only sustain that speed for two or three minutes?

Extraordinary men stepped forward to pick up the gauntlet

and Concorde would be borne of their conviction.

The statistics defied belief.

Cruising at an altitude of 18,000 meters

at the speed of Mach 2.02, 2200 kilometers an hour,

it would carry a hundred passengers from Paris to New York

in just three hours 40 minutes.

How was all that possible?

What technological innovations

made this mad dream come true?

We're at the Aeroscopia Museum at Toulouse Blagnac,

cradle of French aeronautics

and also the birthplace of the Concorde program.

This fantastic technological adventure

was born in a hanger not far from here.

Here, the first Concorde prototype was devised,

designed and built.

It was here too that it flew

for the first time in the late 1960s,

before being modified and improved

to finally earn, on October 10, 1975,

its certificate of airworthiness

or permission to carry passengers.

Though it had a fuselage, a wing, engines,

flight controls and landing gear,

Concorde was not an aircraft like any other.

It's realm of flight had driven engineers

to show ingenuity and inventiveness.

(speaking in foreign language) - Concorde was in fact

a test bench for a whole heap of future technologies.

- [Narrator] Let's take a look together

at the things that made Concorde

an exceptional plane.

First and foremost, Concorde was an exceptional design

carried by a very special wing.

This wing had to allow Concorde to fly

at both subsonic and supersonic speeds.

Subsonic speed is that of all airliners,

in other words, less than the speed of sound,

which is 1,100 kilometers per hour.

To reach that barrier is to break the wall of sound

and to enter the world of supersonic speed,

Concorde's world.

This revolutionary delta wing was a neo-Gothic shape.

Wing span 25 meters,

surface area 420 square meters,

the size of a basketball court.

It's triangular shape afforded

optimal penetration in the air.

The aerodynamics had been tested in the 1950s

on fighter aircraft,

then, the only ones capable of reaching supersonic speeds.

For Concorde, the engineers developed the delta wing

by giving it a leading edge with double curvature

in order to boost lift at the end of the wing.

Lift is a major factor.

It's the force that enables an airplane to climb

and maintain itself at altitude.

At a time when computer science was in its infancy,

this wing was studied and drawn on the ground

by design office specialists.

(speaking in foreign language) - Concorde achieved the feat

of having a fixed wing that was able to fly

at a very high incidence,

in order to land at low speed

and on the contrary, at high speed,

like an arrow.

That can only be obtained with a double curvature

that we can see very clearly on the CAD plans for example.

It is a non developable hull

with a very particular ogival shape.

- [Narrator] To admire this extraordinary wing,

we had a date with Henri-Gilles Fournier,

captain of Concorde.

He gave us an emotional tour of Concorde 209,

the ninth Concorde to enter service

in the Air France fleet in August 1976.

A plane he has flown

and one he still admires as much as ever.

(speaking in foreign language) - Look at the wing profile.

Stand in front of Concorde's nose and observe the wing.

It's neo-Gothic,

an evolutionary profile.

It's a work of art.

Concorde is an aircraft that marked its era

by its shape, it's elegance and its performance.

It has been without doubt,

the most wonderful aircraft of the past 50 years.

- [Narrator] A proper revolution

in the field of aeronautics,

the first time anyone had dreamt of building an airliner

with that type of wing.

It was a bold departure

but one that reflected a time when the world of aviation

was constantly evolving.

(speaking in foreign language) - You have to put yourself

in the context of the time.

We had the British Comet,

the French Caravelle 1955

and then the Boeing 707 in the early '60s.

We were going faster,

propeller driven planes crossed the Atlantic

at 600 kilometers per hour,

jet planes were reaching 850 kilometers per hour,

so we were saving time.

What limited us was the sound barrier.

- [Narrator] For a long time we thought

the sound barrier couldn't be broken.

It was a wall no aircraft could pass,

to reach Mach 1 to go faster than

the speed of sound through the air,

1,100 kilometers an hour, 300 meters per second,

three times faster than a high speed train

or a Formula One car.

From the end of the Second World War,

that was the target to be reached.

It was a difficult mission

because as they approached the speed,

aircraft was subjected to major vibrations

that often cause a loss of control

and sometimes a fall.

On October 14, 1947

the dream became reality.

Mach 1 was reached by the American Chuck Yeager

in his aircraft the Bell X-1.

He was also the first to trigger a sonic phenomenon,

until then unknown,

the spectacular supersonic bang.

(sonic boom)

It was an enormous shockwave

caused by the sonic vibrations

emitted by the plane when it reaches Mach 1.

The race for speed was launched between the United States,

the USSR, France and Great Britain.

In France in 1952,

Mach 1 was recorded in a dive by the Mystere 2,

then six years later Dassault Aviation's Mirage 3

broke Mach 2,

twice the speed of sound,

2,200 kilometers an hour, 600 meters per second.

One year previously, in the United Kingdom,

the fighter aircraft Lightening,

had broken the same barrier.

So there was already competition

between France and Great Britain

but this rivalry would give rise

to incredible technological cooperation.

Concorde was also a world first

with the design of a nose

that was unique in the history of aeronautics.

For Concorde, they designed a long, pointed nose

for better penetration through the air

but the choice of wing meant the aircraft

pulled its nose up dramatically

in the takeoff and landing phases.

These two factors considerably reduced

runway visibility for pilots.

To counter this constraint,

Concorde was equipped with a daring system,

the droop snoot.

Concorde's nose would tilt downwards

during ground maneuvers, takeoff and landing,

offering the crew a perfect view of the runway.

Former fighter pilot, Jean Pinet,

was one of the first test pilots

to try out this unique system.

(speaking in foreign language) - We could see

the runway very well.

The landscape had excellent visibility.

Handling-wise it was extremely precise, very smooth.

In terms of flight qualities

it truly was an exceptional plane.

- [Narrator] When it flew supersonic,

Concorde's nose would rise and a transparent visor

would cover all the windscreens.

(pilots talking)

(speaking in foreign language) - We would bring up

the nose and the visor

and this made the airflow around the cockpit

perfectly silent.

(male speaking in foreign language over radio)

- [Narrator] The British were to thank

for perfecting the droop snoot.

Michel Retif was one of the pioneers of this story.

A flight test mechanic,

he earned his stripes on French military aircraft

before joining the Concorde program.

He reveals how the French and the British

were developing separate supersonic aircraft projects.

(speaking in foreign language) - Lucien Servanty

imagined building a supersonic Super-Caravelle,

which was a medium hold jet,

and the British meanwhile

led by Bill Strang were also looking to build a

supersonic aircraft, the 223.

- [Narrator] This is the plan for the 223,

the British project,

and this is the design for the Super-Caravelle,

the idea of Lucien Servanty,

technical director of the Concorde program,

one of the most famous engineers in French aeronautics.

Two very similar projects

so why no cooperate and build a totally new aircraft?

We went to meet Ted Talbot,

former British Aircraft Corporation engineer in Bristol.

- We were working on other aircraft as well but then

certainly we met the French in '62

and they were very close to what we got

so it became rather easy to

use both sets of results to get into a Concorde shape.

- [Narrator] Wasn't it a pipe dream

wanting to fly passengers at Mach 2,

2,200 kilometers an hour in 1962?

(speaking in foreign language) - Of course

it was a pipe dream

the only supersonic planes we had were fighter planes

that would go supersonic for two or three minutes.

It certainly wasn't common place

and we were talking about a commercial jet

with passengers on board which flies for hours

so it was a huge challenge.

- [Narrator] Both French and British took up the challenge

to jointly design and build a supersonic aircraft

to be named Concorde.

The agreement was signed on November 29, 1962.

(speaking in foreign language) - It was really an

intergovernmental project between France and Great Britain,

so it was highly political.

- [Narrator] At the 1963 Paris Air Show,

General De Gaulle lingered in front of the

mock up of Concorde,

a way of emphasizing that the program was decisive

to the influence of France in the world.

(speaking in foreign language) - We were at a time

when aviation was growing at break neck speed,

making the leap to supersonic

would show our determination to a firm European

or at least Franco-British technology.

- [Narrator] To build Concorde was to imagine a plane

twice as fast as any other.

It would have arrived in New York

before the competition were halfway there.

- My son says to me,

"Dad, how am I going to tell my children

"that their grandad was able to fly

"from London to New York in three hours 20 minutes

"and yet now

"if you want to do London to New York,

"you have to take eight hours?"

And he said, "How am I gonna explain that to my children?"

And I say, "Well you just have to tell 'em it was Concorde".

- [Narrator] French and British had to agree

in order to optimize the processes,

the schedules as well as the costs,

to lift what was then just a blueprint, into the air.

How would they organize things?

How best to divide the assignments of each team?

Quite simply,

by taking into account the respective areas

of technological expertise.

The French team from Sud Aviation,

later Aerospatiale,

would build the part in front of the wing,

the central part of the fuselage,

the elevons and the landing gear.

The British team from the Bristol Aircraft Corporation

would be in charge of the forward part,

including the droop snoot, engine integration,

the rear part of the fuselage,

the fin and the rudder.

Key elements of the aircraft, the powerplant,

would be built by the Bristol Siddeley Company,

part of the Rolls-Royce group and by Snecma.

This Franco-British cooperation was an aviation first,

initially disconcerting but one that would bear fruit.

(speaking in foreign language) - The reason Concorde actually

came about was this

odd kind of organization where each side

would fight their own corner.

- [Narrator] And amazing as it may seem,

it worked perfectly.

Even though it posed a major challenge to engineer

a collaboration between two countries

who didn't speak the same language

or use the same measurement system,

the metric system in France,

the imperial system in Great Britain.

Meters and centimeters versus feet and inches.

Concorde was born of this learned alchemy.

- English people think it's an English plane (laughs).

But there was collaboration

on both sides and

as I say, the engineers we worked with all the time and

they became family friends.

- I think there will always be

some competition between the French and the British

as to who led and who developed

certain technologies and capabilities

but there was the same number of Concordes built

in France as there were in Britain.

- [Narrator] For the first time in Europe

the most sophisticated parts were manufactured

on CNC machines.

According to the collaboration agreements,

each country pledged to build its own prototype.

One was started on the assembly line in Toulouse Blagnac,

the other at Bristol Filton.

The question then arose of how to

move the various elements of the aircraft

between the two factories,

often parts that weighed several tons.

An impressive logistical operation arose

on either side of the channel.

Air France Breguet 763s were specially seconded

for shipping engines between the factory at Bristol Filton

and that of Melun-Villaroche,

an organization that would later inspire

the European Airbus program.

Isn't it incredible to think

that a plane with such a futuristic silhouette

was designed more than 50 years ago?

To penetrate the atmosphere most efficiently

and reach supersonic speed,

the engineers sought to refine Concorde's shape

as much as possible.

Supersonic flight does however,

require you to fly at a very high altitude, 18,000 meters.

Other airliners only fly between 9,000 and 13,000 meters.

At 18,000 meters the external temperature is -56 degrees

but at Mach 2, the temperature of the fuselage,

with the effect of air friction,

can reach 128 degrees Celsius,

a substantial temperature differential.

This heating has a staggering consequence.

The fuselage expands and Concorde could sometimes

stretch by as much as 20 centimeters.

Since no alloy could resist

these major differences in temperature,

the engineers developed a new material, AU2GN,

an alloy of aluminum, copper and magnesium.

(speaking in foreign language) - It's the one and only time

in the history of aviation

that a material was developed for just one plane.

These extreme flight conditions

involved many other innovations

for the air conditioning and pressurization systems'

fluids insulation.

There was even talk for a time of removing the port holes,

an idea quickly abandoned

but they were reduced in size and made with special glass.

All these inventions

enabled Concorde to pull off a major feat,

to cover 6,500 kilometers,

flying for three hours at supersonic speed,

at an altitude of 18,000 meters,

in the heart of the stratosphere.

(speaking in foreign language) - There was a real sense of

leaving the world of subsonic aviation and stepping up

at high speed,

to a world where there was only ourselves

and possibly the British Airways Concorde,

but we remained outside the world of conventional aviation.

- [Narrator] That's the reason

Concorde remains a legend, a myth,

flying where no other airliner had ever flown.

A battery of tests exceptional for the period

confirm the choices of the design office and the engineers.

They were partly carried out by ONERA,

the French national aerospace research center.

The worst punishments were inflicted on the models.

The wing was mounted on a missile

and propelled to 9,000 meters altitude

to test its resistance to heat.

In a wind tunnel they studied the air flows and vortices

around the wing, the engines

and the aircraft's major elements.

They also built a dynamic model

to analyze the aircraft's behavior in motion.

(speaking in foreign language) - This model was used

in the late 1960s by the engineers at Sud Aviation

to round out the development of the aircraft's design.

So it's something that accompanied the design loops

which today are mainly done digitally.

At the time we did it with this type of material

which is very interesting

from an educational point of view because

on a small scale the dynamics of what happens on the model

is reproduced exactly on the real aircraft.

- [Narrator] The French and British weren't the only ones

interested in supersonic flight.

In the United States, the Boeing 2707 project

didn't get past the mock up stage,

but the USSR did see Supersonic Tupolev 144

through to completion.

It was nicknamed Concordski by the International Press

as the two aircraft looked amazingly similar.

Some in fact, suspected the Soviets

of stealing Concorde's blueprints.

The TU-144's career was cut short

following an accident at the Paris Air Show in 1973.

(speaking in foreign language) - It was the

only real competitor

but it didn't last long.

After this problem they halted everything.

- [Narrator] Nothing could stop Concorde from being built.

Among the major problems was that of propulsion.

What engines were powerful enough

to give this marvelous 185 ton machine

the necessary impetus?

These engines, or more exactly these powerplants,

must adapt to both flight phases subsonic and supersonic

and be capable of functioning continuously

at very high temperatures

and delivering sufficient power for takeoff.

On a subsonic plane, the engine would provide all the thrust

but for a supersonic aircraft,

the air intake and ejection system

proved to be very important.

(speaking in foreign language) - Concorde flew

twice as fast as other planes

and at 18,000 meters, it flew twice as high

at 2,200 kilometers an hour.

That's ballistics.

- [Narrator] The four powerplants

each delivered 18 tons of thrust.

It was the first twin rotor engine with an afterburner

that provides an extra thrust during takeoff

and supersonic acceleration.

This made it possible to obtain

twice the power of the engines in service at the time.

The speed of a hundred kilometers per hour

was attained in eight seconds.

Franco-British cooperation would again prove decisive

in the development of this very complex propulsion system.

At the heart of the power unit

was the Olympus 593, a British engine.

Originally created to equip bombers,

it was adapted and fitted with an air inlet

and an ejection system, including the thrusters.

The afterburner and the ejection system

were made in France by Snecma.

The first flight tests were carried out in September 1966.

The engine was tested with the central part fixed

under the belly of the British Vulcan bomber.

It was engineer John Britton's task

to integrate these engines on Concorde.

He was proud to show them off on Concorde 216,

the last of the line built at Filton.

- And here's the powerplant

which was our responsibility

and we have

the integration of the powerplant was really important

because the first part of the powerplant

is the engine intake

and the middle part is the Rolls-Royce engine

which was made at Patchway here, the Olympus 593,

and the back part of the engine

was the thrust reverse and we call it the TRA,

thrust reverse arm.

- [Narrator] Let's get to the heart of the powerplant.

At the front the engine intakes are a variable geometry.

Electronically controlled, they adapt the volume of air

entering the jet engine

which only works at Mach 0.5,

600 kilometers per hour.

(speaking in foreign language) - All these subsonic planes

have a fixed geometry air intake

whereas from the moment we passed Mach 1

we needed to modify the geometry of the air intake.

- [Interpreter] We need to manage

the aerodynamic flows from Mach 0.3 to Mach 2.02

with air intakes that have a very specific geometry

and whose stability we had to constantly monitor.

- [Narrator] At the rear of the engine,

the systems were also electronically controlled.

We find the afterburner then the exhaust system,

made up of variable geometry nozzles.

According to the flight phase,

these nozzles accelerate the speed of the gases

to generate thrust

and optimize the functioning of the engine

and fuel consumption.

This incredible technology also allows Concorde to break

by thrust reversal,

either to return to subsonic flight

or during the landing phase.

The nozzles' final function is to reduce takeoff noise.

Numerous tests on the ground provided proof positive

that all of these innovations were working.

The next step was to fly Concorde,

a moment everyone had been looking forward to.

After seven years research and ground testing,

the fateful day arrived.

March 2, 1969,

the prototype Concorde 001 sat on the runway at Blagnac.

For two days the flight was pushed back due to

very unfavorable weather conditions.

But on March 2nd, Andre Turcat,

director of flight testing and chief test pilot,

decided to attempt the flight.

Beside him in the cockpit, copilot Jaques Guignard,

flight test engineer Henri Perrier

and flight mechanic Michel Retif.

(speaking in foreign language) - We knew the plane

intimately.

We had mastered the mechanics.

The pilots were properly up to speed

so there was no problem.

- [Narrator] Around 400 representatives

of the International Press attended the event,

among them was Yves Marc.

(speaking in foreign language) - There were some

who hadn't followed the program,

like we had in Toulouse,

and who had doubts that it wasn't possible,

that plane could never fly.

It's going to be a dud.

There were grave doubts.

- [Interpreter] For me, it was obviously going to fly.

It came as no surprise.

It was something that happened,

that had been programmed by all the work done previously.

- [Narrator] The whole future of the Concorde program

depended on the first flight,

a decisive, risky stage.

If the aircraft did not take off

there would be no Great White.

(aircraft engine roaring)

- [Intercom] Twenty degrees as he's airborne.

(speaking in foreign language) - The plane

took off perfectly.

We went up to the (speaks foreign language)

and a little beyond.

- [Interpreter] When we saw it take off

so majestically, so elegantly,

we were all won over.

It was like a dream.

- [Interpreter] There was a noise you hardly noticed,

you're so impressed by the plane's takeoff.

It hits you in the stomach.

- [Interpreter] When he was asked what's going on

with this plane, he simply said,

"The plane is flying and flying well."

- [Narrator] That day, Gilbert Defer

was aboard an accompanying aircraft.

He was immediately aware of the historic nature

of what he was witnessing.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] It was the first,

the first and only supersonic transport aircraft

and it looked fabulous.

- [Narrator] And yet this historic moment almost went wrong.

The flight only lasted 29 minutes because

two of the three air conditioning systems broke down.

The interior of the plane was extremely hot

and Andre Turcat decided to land earlier than planned

to avoid the electronic equipment overheating.

But Concorde had proved that it could fly and fly well.

This first flight kindled the general enthusiasm

and one month later,

it was the turn of the British 002 prototype

to garner the same plaudits.

The year 1969 was indeed a special year

with the Apollo 11 mission.

Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon.

Thought it didn't match the Saturn V's

9,600 kilometers per hour,

Concorde was sometimes nicknamed The Rocket.

(rocket rumbling)

(speaking in foreign language) - In simple terms,

Concorde amounts to putting 100 passengers

in a rifle bullet.

It's a hell of a challenge.

- [Narrator] There were still many steps to take

before the first passengers

could enjoy this unforgettable experience.

By carrying the most famous names on the planet

across the Atlantic,

Concorde entered legend.

The technological adventure continued.

(engine roaring)

An exceptional plane required an exceptional crew.

To take 100 passengers up to Mach 2 supersonic speed,

they needed a team formed especially

to respond to the very particular demands of this aircraft.

Concorde's cockpit was unlike any other.

Concorde was not flown like any other aircraft.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] The Concorde really needed to be mastered,

that's the word I'd use.

- [Narrator] Mastering Concorde meant

managing its center of gravity.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] The area of flight of subsonic planes

is defined by their speed and altitude.

Concorde had a third dimension

which was its center of gravity.

- [Narrator] To manage this third dimension of flight,

the center of gravity,

the crew would use a key element on Concorde,

fuel.

To cross the Atlantic 95 tons of kerosene

were divided among 13 tanks in the wing,

the tailcone and the fuselage.

The engineers invented and audacious system

to transfer fuel between the tanks

in order to shift the center of gravity

according to the flight phase.

At supersonic cruising speed,

fuel was transferred from the front to the rear.

This shifted the aircraft's center of gravity

towards the rear.

When Concorde returned to subsonic mode,

fuel was fed from the rear to the front.

But the engineers didn't stop there.

During supersonic flight,

air friction on the fuselage caused it to heat up

to over 120 degrees.

They had the incredible idea of using the fuel,

which accounted for a lot of Concorde's weight,

as a cold source to cool the hot air from outside.

(speaking in foreign language) - On all

conventional airplanes

systems are cooled by the air taken in.

On Concorde, we can't cool with external air

even though the static temperature is -56 degrees Celsius.

But flying at Mach 2,

temperatures are such that you can't cool the equipment

with the outside air

so the cooling system is uniquely based on the fuel.

- [Narrator] To test all these systems in supersonic flight,

Concorde first had to break the sound barrier.

Mach 1 was passed on October 1, 1969,

Mach 2 the following year in November 1970.

Jean Pinet was at the controls

when Concorde first passed Mach 1 alongside Andre Turcat.

It was a decisive moment.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] Mach 1 was a crucial stage for the program

as it's from the start of supersonic

that all aerodynamic coefficients change.

The challenge lay in knowing

whether the engineers' estimates were correct.

- [Narrator] To pass Mach 1, Concorde needed a power boost,

supplied by the afterburner.

The second combustion chamber provided additional thrust

but it wasn't just in flight that the power was needed,

it was also needed to lift the 185 tons

from airport runways the world over.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] Takeoff would have required

runways that were too long

so the extra thrust came from afterburners.

Engaging these four afterburners was almost like

having an extra engine.

- [Narrator] These reheats were the key

to reaching 400 kilometers per hour in 30 seconds.

On the track, Concorde could beat any Formula One car

but the reheating process did present one drawback.

The very loud noise it caused was difficult to muffle

and unthinkable nowadays.

It led some to say that Concorde had an inimitable sound.

Another consequence of afterburning and supersonic flight

was fuel consumption.

Eighty two tons of kerosene to cover 6,500 kilometers.

During the first 20 minutes

Concorde burned 13 tons of fuel.

Today's planes by comparison,

consume only one third of that.

Concorde was therefore very thirsty with kerosene.

This made operation that much more expensive

when the 1973 oil crisis

saw the price per barrel skyrocket.

Though more than 70 options to purchase

had been signed by the world's major airlines,

all of Concorde's sales potential evaporated.

Air France and British Airways would operate supersonic

on their own.

One after the other, the challenges were met.

Concorde took off,

Concorde flew and flew well,

but one major challenge remained,

landing on regular airport runways.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] The Concorde used the same runways

for both takeoff and landing as normal aircraft.

For landing it arrived at relatively high speed,

rearing up dramatically.

- [Narrator] Concorde touch down at 280 kilometers per hour,

requiring very robust brakes.

The engineers fitted the plan with technology

that is still used today on all airliners.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] The first time

carbon brakes were ever used on a plane was on Concorde.

Weight was always Concorde's enemy

so the engineers, seeking a solution,

developed carbon brakes which are much lighter

and brake much more efficiently than steel brakes.

- [Narrator] One of the properties of

carbon compared to steel,

is its stability and high resistance

to the most extreme temperatures.

The Concorde landing gear is called a tricycle,

one main undercarriage under each part of the wing,

and one under the forward cabin.

From the cockpit,

the solenoid valve's activated by the electrical controls

which send a fluid into the hydraulic cylinders.

A tone wheel protects the fuselage

during Concorde's high angled takeoff,

a position that often saw Concorde compared to a

wader with long legs.

Concorde also introduced innovations

in its command center, the cockpit.

The cramped cockpit bristled with technological marvels

and extremely sensitive warning systems

to detect any anomaly.

The crew had close to 200 dials to monitor,

including one that wasn't found on any other airliner,

the Mach meter.

The joystick here is M-shaped

but it was on Concorde that they first tested

the sidestick in flight.

Located to one side,

it freed up space between the pilot and the instrument panel

and revolutionized flying.

The sidestick is now fitted to all Airbus planes.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] There were lots of new things.

Firstly, the electrical controls,

they never existed before,

even on military jets at the time.

- [Interpreter] It was the first civil airplane

to benefit from this technology

which allowed for great precision

in the commands given to the aircraft.

- [Narrator] The flight mechanic seat surveys

an incredible multifunction instrument panel.

(speaking in foreign language) - All this part

is fuel management.

Here are the hydraulics,

the whole electrical part.

These are the jet engines,

the engine intakes,

and the whole hydraulic part including all air intakes.

- [Narrator] To sit at the controls of Concorde

was a privilege,

an unforgettable experience for all crews.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] It was an airplane

with far faster acceleration

and far higher cruising speeds

so you had to get used to that.

It went so fast that you had to anticipate everything.

- It was always exciting.

Every time we went flying we all had a smile on our face

because it was such an exciting

thing to look forward to, to fly the Concorde

from London to New York

or better still, London to Barbados.

We could do that in three hours and 45 minutes.

It was a non-stop event as well.

You didn't sit back and rest on your laurels,

you were working all the time

from the start of the flight to the finish

so you were never bored.

- [Narrator] On January 21, 1976

both British and French Concordes took to the skies.

Seven years after their first test flight,

Concorde made its official debut

and carried its first passengers.

The exceptional event aroused such pride in both countries

that it was broadcast live on television.

Air France flew to Rio de Janeiro,

British Airways to Bahrain.

Several destinations in the world

were served by Concorde,

but the one that remains symbolic is New York.

Initially rejected by the US authorities

because of environmental and noise pollution,

the dream came through one year later.

Concorde was permitted to land at JFK airport

on November 22, 1977.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] Something not many people know

is that supersonic planes aren't allowed

to fly above inhabited lands at supersonic speed.

From Paris, we'd set off towards Evreux

then bear right towards Le Harve

and then we'd engage continuous supersonic flight.

From the moment we ask for a supersonic clearance

we'd enter another world,

one that my friend Captain Edward Chomel called

the blue sky world of Concorde.

- [Narrator] Asking for clearance involved

requesting permission from air traffic control

to engage the afterburners,

to change the aircraft's center of gravity

and to accelerate continuously up to 18,000 meters altitude

and reach the cruising speed of Mach 2.02.

Beatrice Vialle is one of two women

along with Briton Barbara Harmer to pilot Concorde.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] When we took off from New York,

we'd fly at full throttle

and only throttle back

when we reached the skies above Guernsey

before arriving in France.

So it was a plane that was always pushing the limits.

To me it was an unattainable dream.

I never even imagined I'd one day fly that plane.

- [Narrator] A flight on Concorde

was an unforgettable memory for the crews

as well as the passengers.

Caroline Cadier, Chief Flight Attendant,

notched up close to 3,000 hours of supersonic flight.

She shared all the emotion with the passengers.

(speaking in foreign language) - Mach 101 and everyone

took a photo or even applauded.

For them it was magical.

- [Interpreter] You had a small screen

that indicated the aircraft's speed

and when you saw Mach 2 you thought,

"We're flying supersonic."

Psychologically it was impressive but

physically you didn't feel much.

- [Narrator] Concorde entered into legend.

For the planet's elite

whether cultural, political or economic,

it became de riguer to fly Concorde

at least once in your life.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] There was

an extraordinary craze for Concorde

but it was restricted to the privileged few.

There was always a film star or a head of state on board.

- [Interpreter] The Concorde passenger was

either a regular or a person who was in business

or showbiz or the movies and

who had chosen to fly in that plane.

One day Michael Jackson gently took my microphone

while waiting for a toilet to come free

for one of his children

and started singing.

We could hear it really well.

It didn't last long but the passengers applauded.

Each time I could feel that they were thrilled,

astonished and full of admiration.

- [Narrator] It's hard to imagine

a fight on Concorde nowadays.

It would take off every morning from Roissy at 11 o'clock

and land in New York at 8:45 local time.

You arrive even before you set off.

A magic trick?

No, just Concorde.

A boom to businessmen and travelers in a hurry.

In 2003 this wonderful event just stopped.

Despite the special flights and world tours

accessible to a wider audience,

Concorde cost too much.

Air France and British Airways decided

to halt supersonic operations.

In the UK and in France

this decision was greeted by an emotional response.

Fifteen thousand people came to Roissy

to witness the arrival of the last commercial flight

from New York.

(crowd cheering, applauding)

A second Concorde also landed on the runway that day,

chartered by enthusiasts.

(speaking in foreign language) - I was there in 2003

along the runway with everybody else to watch the planes

because I knew it was a historic moment.

- [Interpreter] I was there to do the last supersonic loop

that landed in Paris

and it was magical

because the flight was filled with Concorde lovers.

- [Narrator] To justify halting Concorde

they cited the excessive operating cost,

the heavy toll on the environment, maintenance problems

and a drop in traffic to the United States

following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

The tragic accident on July 25, 2000,

when Concorde crashed into Gonesse, near Paris,

killing 113, was perhaps also one of the reasons

to end the saga,

even though it was the only accident

in Concorde's 27 years of service.

Concorde no longer flies but its history has not stopped.

It has now achieved timeless mythical status,

a bonafide legend.

- When you see the picture of the aircraft being rolled out,

all the cars that were there looked really old.

The aircraft looked futuristic.

And now, when you look at it,

you wouldn't think that it was

designed in the 1960s.

- [Narrator] A mythical aircraft with legendary appeal,

a repository of revolutionary technologies

that turn the world of aviation upside down.

A true accelerator of ideas and techniques

that modern aeronautics has inherited.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] The reason we have

electric flight controls on Airbus

is that France gave them to us through Concorde.

The reason we know how to integrate engines

on aircraft like we do today,

is because Concorde's development brought us that know-how.

The former Aerospatiale makes and integrates

engines, cockpits and flight commands

and it all comes from Concorde.

It's adapted to Airbus but Airbus wouldn't be here

without those teams.

- [Interpreter] It triggered the rise of

Franco-European aeronautics and the Airbus program

and so what Concorde generated financially,

the book is yet to be written.

- [Interpreter] The program triggered countless tests

to extend technology

and today, although the aircraft is no longer flying,

we are still benefiting

from all the technologies that stem from Concorde

and if I might say so, the philosophy.

The progress made within this philosophy

has proved extremely useful in today's quest

for cleaner aircraft.

- [Narrator] A cleaner, greener aircraft

is the ambition for the 21st century.

The race for speed is now over,

even though many still dream of supersonic flights.

New projects are emerging to build a supersonic plane

for a privileged clientele.

As for Concorde, it is passed into posterity.

In this epic tale, some 20 Concordes were built.

Each became the star of an aeronautical museum

somewhere in the world.

Two of them were fated to return to their birthplace.

At Filton, Concorde 216

became the centerpiece of a new space

devoted to the aeronautics industry,

Aerospace Bristol.

And in 2003, Concorde 209

was brought back to Toulouse Blagnac

by Henri Gilles Fournier.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] It was an emotional flight of course,

for several reasons.

Firstly, I had the crew of the first

Concorde test flight aboard.

Andre Rocache,

who insisted on sitting in the last seat saying,

"On the first flight I sat up in front,

"now I want to be at the rear of the plane

"for the last flight."

I said, "Sit where you like.

"This is your home."

- [Interpreter] I personally realized that

the saga had come to an end

on Concorde's last flight

when it returned from Roissy to Toulouse.

Only when I saw the vast crowd

that had gathered to greet us

did it dawn on me that this was probably the end of an era.

- [Narrator] Visitors today who flock to discover Concorde

can only imagine surfing the stratosphere at Mach 2.02,

straddling the Atlantic at 2,200 kilometers per hour

and then there are those who experience Concorde

for whom this extraordinary human an technological adventure

is forever etched in their memory.

(speaking in foreign language) - All Air France pilots dream

or dreamed at least,

of flying on Concorde.

- To be able to carry a hundred people

at speeds faster than a speeding bullet is unique.

- It's a very significant program

to mark the history of aerospace in the UK.

(speaking in foreign language) - Speed,

perfection,

and unforgettable memories.

- [Interpreter] Beauty,

technique

and fantastic.

- [Narrator] After 14,000 transatlantic crossings,

four million passengers carried,

30 trips around the world,

Concorde has joined the pantheon of the most

beautiful flying machines that man has ever built,

the great white bird,

the king of the skies.

(triumphant music)