It's actually a part of the human condition to want to go faster and further.

The desire to build a supersonic airliner was inevitable, really.

By the 19 sixties, science behind supersonic flight was so well understood that many companies started investing in the development of supersonic airliners, believing that to be the next natural step in airliner evolution 100 passengers and all that baggage from London to New York in three hours.

That's the promise of the Concorde that joined Anglo French supersonic aircraft.

It was designed by a consortium of the British Aircraft Corporation.

As it was a time on, especially in France.

The Anglo French partnership came about to reduce costs by combining engineering knowledge on jointly building the aircraft.

They had two large nationalized companies to governments, and also every aspect of designing and building a supersonic airliner was new.

The development costs for Concord rose from an estimated 70 million to £1.3 million primarily because just about every aspect of the machine was new.

Supersonic cruise required new materials, a different mentality.

Very, very complex.

Systems, Probably every aspect of the machine had to be very rigorously tested as well.

Before going into service.

Other manufacturers attempted to compete but struggled.

The American, bowing to 702 was canceled before any operational prototypes had even being built.

The Russians, as well as trying to race the west of the moon, also racing for a supersonic airliner.

And they thought their own Tupelov t you 144 was probably not sophisticated as the Concord.

It was also marred by two crashes, a very high profile, one of the Paris session on one several years later in Russia, but also probably failed because in Russia the market didn't exist purely because there weren't rich entrepreneurs with a burning desire to get from Moscow to moments.

In the same way that businessman wanted to get from London to New York, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries imposed its boycott and within a year raise prices more than 300%.

There were probably a dozen different customers for Conchords Pan am T W.

A price of fuel rocketed on the aircraft were no longer viable.

Originally, they predicted to build on dhe cell around 350 models by 1980.

But with a rise in oil prices and a ban on supersonic flight in some countries, their most important objection concerns noise potential buyers.

We're worried in conventional terms.

I say.

It's Ah, playing been running at a loss.

Someone doesn't like to operate any pain of loss.

By the time it was ready for service, every other airline cancel disorders, and even Air France and British Airways didn't want the aircraft had ordered.

But they were essentially footed upon them by their respective governments.

Now ready.

British Airways took six.

Air France also operated six for about 25 years in 1976 3 years behind schedule and severely over budget.

Concord entered commercial service.

It was the most advanced passenger aircraft ever built.

Congo was the first air to use fly by wire, where, by electrical impulses are used to actuate the controls.

Home court has a very specific wing design in order to go supersonic.

It's a delta wing rather than conventional wing on dhe, the engines underneath it, essentially the same as those in the big military aircraft lighting the Vulcan DOMA, unlike every other civil airliner Concord was fitted with after burning.

Typically, only 52 jet fighters with an afterburner extra fuel is injected into the engine, which generates a lot more frost.

One of the limiting factors for Conchords operational cruising speed was actually heat at very, very high speed.

Such back to there's a consider amount of friction.

Friction causes heat.

The structure of the aircraft got so high a flight that actually stretched about 1/3 of a meter.

It's generally thought to be a very safe aircraft, but having said that, it's rather small fleet on Dhe know that extensively used, you know, they were quite young aircraft in terms of flying hours.

E 25th July 2000 on Air France Concorde Taking off from Charles to go, I was taking a polity off Germans to join a cruise ship in that North America Concord takeoff speeds were significantly faster than conventional aircraft.

You're asking a lot Maur from his components, particularly in the tires.

As some call went down the runway.

It ran over a piece off engine cowling, which had bean dropped by a previous aircraft, taking off about five minutes earlier that unfortunately made one of the tires fail.

A huge chunk of rubber flicked up hit the inside of the wing.

The shock wave rippled through the tank, all the fuel starting a stream out.

And the port wing caught fire control tower toward dick.

You'd there was a fire.

All of this happened at a time when Concord had passed what they call the one which is the time where you're committed to a take off.

If the speed is now grow to the V one, the crew must take their craft into the air, even if an engine is called fire, there was a loss of power toe both the left.

Angie's engine one surged but failed to recover on.

The thrust caused the aircraft to roll by more than 100 degrees.

I looked up.

I saw Concorde coming straight at me in flames.

I said to myself, You're going to die.

And the fire destroyed her almost completely the wing and it was not possible to fly anymore.

And after a few minutes from taking off, the plane crashed.

The whole floor started to tremble, sort of the flames.

So there was no way out right, the stairs or anything on, obviously just went straight to the window.

Nothing could have prepared the people of goodness for the catastrophe that's unfolded on their doorstep.