Concorde’s father and mother
The dream of a truly fast passenger jet began in the early 1950s, before supersonic fighter aircraft entered service. In 1955 a research team led by Maurien Morgan of the Royal Aeronautical Research Establishment, later known as the “father of the Concorde,” published a report outlining the design of such an aircraft.
At that time the physics of supersonic flight were not well understood, but scientists knew drag rose with speed and was heavily influenced by wingspan. The initial Concorde concept favored small trapezoidal wings, echoing the American F-104 fighter jet, which could reach Mach 2. Yet the short wing produced little lift during takeoff and landing, making a heavy passenger version impractical due to high takeoff and landing speeds.
The design direction shifted after the Royal Aircraft Establishment introduced a new wing type, the “thin delta.” German-born British mathematician Johanna Weber played a pivotal role and is often regarded as the “Mother of Concorde.”
The lift of a wing depends on the pressure difference above and below it. Calculations showed that the slender leading edge of the extended delta could create rearward vortices that significantly reduced pressure, increasing lift during takeoff and landing and enabling supersonic flight with a smaller wingspan.
As a result, Concorde adopted its iconic narrow, elongated wedge shape. The concept was tested in 1961 on the Handley Page HP.115, a small test aircraft that foreshadowed the future supersonic passenger jet.
It’s a matter of prestige
By the early 1960s engineers had a clear aerodynamic direction, but the economic prospects remained uncertain. Lift-to-drag ratios at supersonic speed are roughly half of those at subsonic speeds, meaning greater fuel burn. Nonetheless, cruising speeds above 2,000 km/h promised much shorter travel times, translating into the possibility of more flights with the same fleet. The project could stay profitable if fuel prices stayed relatively low and demand remained strong.
In the late 1950s France joined Britain on the project. France lacked large turbojet engines, while Britain possessed the Rolls-Royce Olympus engines from the Avro Vulcan bomber, which helped shape the propulsion strategy.
When the final design was ready, it was presented to the British Cabinet, which initially did not share the enthusiasm. The government balked at the projected development cost of £150 million, a figure many experts believed was too optimistic.
Economically the project faced doubt, but politics kept it alive. Britain sought closer ties with the European Economic Community, and a joint image project with France became strategically appealing during negotiations.
On November 29, 1962, Britain and France signed an accord to develop the aircraft, including penalties for unilateral withdrawal. The aircraft was named Concorde, a Latin word meaning “harmony.”
Primer for the rich
Once guaranteed government funding turned Concorde into an image project, profitability concerns receded. The team focused on delivering a large four-engine transcontinental airliner, still using the slender delta wing and a set of unconventional solutions. For instance, during takeoff and landing the nose would drop along with outer cockpit glass to improve runway visibility at steep angles, while engine intakes adapted to varying speeds through electronic control.
Concorde featured a high degree of automation, with a computer system monitoring flight parameters and even shifting fuel from forward to rear tanks to maintain stability at supersonic speed. The autopilot allowed pilots to fly from ascent to descent without continuous hands-on control.
The aircraft achieved a supersonic cruise speed of about 2,100 km/h without constant afterburner use, which was reserved for takeoff. This approach delivered meaningful fuel savings and helped justify the project’s costs.
Concorde’s maiden test flight occurred in France on March 2, 1969, and the aircraft broke the sound barrier in October that year. The first prototypes, including a British-built counterpart, then embarked on a long cycle of air shows, demonstrations, and diplomatic missions aimed at convincing airlines to purchase the jet.
Yet there were significant hurdles.
First, development costs proved six times higher than anticipated, a risk the U.K. government had feared.
Second, the aircraft could not operate from land on a wide scale: the intense sonic boom produced by supersonic flight over land could damage buildings, limiting most routes to transatlantic journeys.
Thirdly, in 1973 oil-importing nations imposed sanctions that pushed fuel prices higher. Combined with the advent of wide-body subsonic jets like the Boeing 747, Concorde’s economics became even more challenging.
As a result, pre-orders dwindled by 1973; even Pan Am, a key potential long-haul client, pulled back from the program. In total only 14 commercial Concordes were produced, despite hundreds planned. Regular service began in 1976 with London–Bahrain and Paris–Rio de Janeiro routes, with the United States becoming a major market later on, almost exclusively operated by Air France and British Airways, and occasionally by Asian partners.
Affluent travelers kept Concorde popular for a time, with a 1990s first-class ticket price around £4,700, higher than typical subsonic fares. The plane enjoyed a celebrity aura among politicians, musicians, actors, and other public figures, effectively turning travel into a status statement.
In the early 2000s Concorde gradually exited service, with the final flight carrying a mix of political and symbolic significance. The decision to suspend flights was controversial, driven by tight margins, a fatal 2000 accident, and the broader downturn in air travel following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
Today various programs aim to revive supersonic passenger travel by addressing Concorde’s flaws. For instance, researchers at NASA have explored fuselage shapes that reduce sonic booms over land, though these initiatives remain in early stages with a realistic return to service not expected before the 2030s.