“Kennedy Tower, Speedbird Concorde Two with you for the last time, we would like release brakes 37”
“Speedbird two heavy, I happen to have the good luck of being here the first person to issue the first landing clearance to Concorde in 77, just wanted to say it’s been wonderful working with your aircraft and I wish good luck to all the crews and we will miss you, clear for takeoff”
The words echo through our hearts as Concorde took one more final flight from New York City. An end of an Era ended 16 years ago when British Airways retired the Concorde. The Concorde flew thousands of passengers, and flew thousands of miles through its history. Due to the accident of Air France 4590, September 11th and other reasons Air France and British Airways decided it was time to close the doors on the age of sonic flight. 16 years ago to this day.
This beauty retired in the same year I was born, I wish i had the chance to travel on it once ah I guess I’ll have to wait for another generation of supersonic planes :(
The Concorde was more then just a beautiful aircraft, without the Concorde there would be no Airbus company today, the Concorde introduced fly by wire to the civil aircraft industrie, new materials were used and the Airbus A300 got a lot of technology from the Concorde:
-The main landing gear, also slightly modified, but including the Brake Fans.
-A Fuel Balance System which was introduced as a fuel trim tank in the tail of the A300-600.
-The Passenger Door open / close mechanism
-Fly by wire for secondary flight controls
-Titanium as part of the aircraft structure
and so on.
So when Concorde stopped flying, the aviation technology did not decrease, more the opposite, the Concorde could be named as the origin of every Airbus. Therefore it was the beginning and not the end of the development of a lot of modern technology found in today’s aircraft.
Beautiful and revolutionary aircraft, the Concorde was. Decades ahead of its time. A sad day, the day the Concorde retired. 16 years later, we remember this aircraft, for all its advances in technology. It ushered in a new era — an era that is just beginning. We shall remember the Concorde forever.
