Concorde farewell - 2003

Star Lifestyle
Saturday November 8, 2003
Farewell Concorde


By Liz Prize

Some people loved her, others hated her. Fans loved her sleek lines and incredible speed; detractors pointed out she was noisy and a rich man’s plaything. Most admired her nonetheless. She was a one-off, a breed never to be repeated. And now she is history. The Concorde has had her last flight.

Oct 24, 2003 was a historic day because it marked the Concorde’s last commercial flight. This magnificent plane has finally been laid to rest after almost 30 years. She was one of the most talked-about planes ever built, a sophisticated icon of design. She was the world’s only supersonic airliner.


The Concorde made history in the 1960s when it was built. In all there were 13 Concordes. They were made jointly by British Airways and Air France, and were an extraordinary achievement. Both countries were immensely proud of this glamorous plane, and the Brits were very attached to it. In England they were made using imperial measurements, in France with the metric system, but when assembled, the parts fitted perfectly!

Concorde’s design was based on the old Vulcan plane. The first passenger service started in 1976, and 20 years later in 1996, celebrated its 20th anniversary in service.

Sadly after 27 years of supersonic trans-Atlantic flight, the Concorde stopped flying due to high operating costs and falling revenues. The last flight, from New York to London, was a notable one. Every seat was occupied – with celebrities, competition winners and invited guests.

The passengers were taken from Manhattan in chauffeur- driven limousines to John F. Kennedy Airport. There they boarded a Concorde which was draped in the Stars and Stripes and Union Jack. Water canons sprayed red, white and blue coloured water over the plane, representing the hues of the British and French flags.

Then, Flight 002 took off from New York for the last time. The flight time to London was about 3½ hours. It was planned that two other Concordes would land at London’s Heathrow airport at the same time, just 90 seconds apart. The three Concordes landed almost simultaneously, arriving just after 1500 GMT on Oct 24. (The French had retired their fleet earlier in the year.)

The Concorde takes off effortlessly at 225mph (360kph) and you cannot help being awestruck by the sheer power of the engines. It ascends to 29,000ft (8,840m), then prepares to go supersonic. As it climbs to 50,000ft (15,240m) it accelerates to Mach 2, travelling at 23 miles a minute, or 2,200kph. This is twice the speed of sound.

Today, passenger planes fly at 38,000ft (11,582m). The Concorde was the only commercial plane to fly higher, at 59,000ft (17,983m). From that height you can clearly see the curvature of the earth, flying on the edge of outer space. The sky is an intense deep blue. The windows, however, are much smaller than on normal aircrafts. Flying at twice the speed of sound isn’t really noticeable as there is nothing outside to give any indication. You have to keep looking at the Mach display to remind yourself of how fast you are going. The engines, four Rolls Royce Olympus turbo-jets, are quiet despite their power.


Among the celebrities to fly on the last Concorde flight JFK to Heathrow were Joan Collins and husband,Percy.
The Concorde is almost as long as a wide-bodied Boeing 747 at 62m, but during the flight it increases in length due to the heat generated. This heat can be felt on the doors. It is the outer skin which expands in flight, adding 25cm to the length. The Concorde is higher than a Boeing 747 with more external steps up to the low doorway. Inside the plane is long and tube-like with two rows of twin seats beautifully upholstered in grey leather. There are two cabins.

The flight deck is prehistoric compared to the 21st century planes. It’s a tiny area crammed full with dials, instruments and switches.

The Concorde is a beautiful machine. So sleek. So magnificent. It was always a special moment to see a Concorde flying overhead with her unique bird’s beak, long tapering fuselage and sweeping delta shaped wings.

Her looks were perfect. The paper dart shaped wings are very efficient at high speeds, but not on landing. The famous droop nose is characteristic. On landing, as on takeoff, the nose is lowered so the plane can land on a cushion of air beneath the surface of the wings. It also gives a clear view to the flight deck crew. During flight the nose is streamlined to penetrate the atmosphere with minimum resistance.


(Left)Concorde cabin service director Claire Sullivan wipes away a tear for Concorde.
When the planes were first built, they were a huge government investment based on a sci-fi ideal. But supersonic travel never really took off. People preferred air buses, not rocket travel!

In the 1970s when the Concorde really started flying, the oil crisis emerged. However the Concorde continued to fly despite ever increasing costs. Then the price of oil came down again in the 1980s, and the Concorde became a nice little earner for its operators. In 2000, a Concorde crashed on take-off in France, again resulting in decreasing passenger loads.

Whilst flying supersonic the Concorde produces the characteristic boom, hence the reason she was not allowed to fly supersonic over inhabited land.

The Concorde also consumed huge reservoirs of fuel. And its high cruising altitude makes the pollutants it emits particularly damaging in terms of global warming.

Flying on the Concorde was not cheap. It would set you back about RM20,000 to fly from London or Paris to New York in 3½ hours in champagne-sipping silence and luxury. But for Concorde aficionados, its looks, its sheer power, as well as short flying time, makes it a loveable machine.

What will happen to the Concorde? Well, the planes will be distributed to various museums around the world as static exhibits. Even the spare parts will be kept. And for anyone who has flown on the Concorde, hang on to those souvenirs you were given, as they will be collectors’ items in years to come. Already the less common items are fetching prices of up to RM630.

I was lucky enough to fly on the Concorde once (thanks, Mum), and certainly will be keeping my mementos of the trip. Farewell Concorde, RIP.