On this day: Concorde first breaks the sound barrier
On this day, the 1st October, in 1969, Concorde first showed off its real party trick - breaking the sound barrier, writes Eliot Wilson.
On October 1, 1969, Concorde made history by being the first aircraft to break the sound barrier. The wind was unusually strong at the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport that day, but André Turcat, a veteran test pilot, remained focused on the task at hand. With a storied career in the French military and test flying, Turcat had overseen the experimental phase of the Nord 1500 Griffon and previously held the world speed record in 1959.
The Concorde was an ambitious project, a joint venture between French aircraft manufacturer Sud Aviation and British Aircraft Corporation. The sleek design and powerful turbojets allowed the aircraft to cruise at twice the speed of sound, cutting transatlantic flight times by more than half. On that pioneering flight, Turcat reported, "All was perfectly calm.
The Concorde seems made for supersonic flight." However, despite its groundbreaking performance, Concorde would face numerous challenges over the years, including soaring costs, reduced demand due to pollution concerns, and the cancellation of many orders by airlines.
Written by urgent.news from City AM's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
