50 years ago today: Concorde maiden flight
On this date in 1969, the Concorde SST (Super Sonic Transport) made its first flight.
The Concorde had a maximum cruising speed of 1,354 miles per hour, or Mach 2.04 (more than twice the speed of sound), allowing the aircraft to reduce the flight time between London and New York to about three hours. The development costs of the Concorde were so great that they could never be recovered from operations, and the aircraft was never financially profitable. Nevertheless, it proved that European governments and manufacturers could cooperate in complex ventures, and it helped to ensure that Europe would remain at the technical forefront of aerospace development.
On July 25, 2000, a Concorde en route from Paris to New York City suffered engine failure shortly after takeoff when debris from a burst tire caused a fuel tank to rupture and burst into flames. There are various debates regarding whether the "metal debris" theory regarding the cause of the crash is unfounded, but nevertheless, Concorde has gone out of service. It still retains a strong "fan base" of aviation enthusiasts, and there is even a fund established to finance the resumption of Concorde flights once again in the future.