Concorde
An aircraft that could fly across the Atlantic in under
three hours seemed as impossible as it was desirable
F
ly ing faster than the speed of sound has
always been the sole proviso of the
militar y, but in the late-Si xties, Russia,
France, the UK and the US were all working
on the idea of supersonic commercial travel.
Concorde was the result of France and the UK
combining their efforts to produce a supersonic
airliner and, even now, it’s impossible not to be
impressed by its pioneering stature. Its ogival or
double-cur ved w ings kept it aerody namic anddictated much of the plane’s shape, as they forced
the nose up on taxiing, take off and landing. To
help minimise drag on the aircraft as well as
improve v isibilit y, the nose cone could move,
dropping down to improve visibility then
straightening out in fl ight to improve the
aerodynamic profi le.
Concorde’s engines also had to be modifi ed for
extended supersonic fl ight. Jet engines can only
take in air at subsonic speed so the air passinginto the engines had to be slowed when fl ying at
Mach 2.0. Worse, the act of slow ing the air dow n
generated potentially damaging shock waves.
This was controlled by a pair of intake ramps and
an au xiliar y spill door that could be moved during
fl ight, slow ing the air and allow ing the engine to
operate effi ciently. This system was so
successful that 63 per cent of Concorde’s thrust
was generated by these intakes during
supersonic fl ight.Ogival wings
Concorde’s ‘double
delta’ wings helped its
aerodynamic profile
and speed.Rolls-Royce/Snecma
Olympus 593 engines
Concorde’s afterburning engines
were a development of engines
originally designed for the
Avro Vulcan bomber.Intake system
The intake ramps and spill
door were so effective they
could almost completely
offset an engine failure
and keep the aircraft
aerodynamic.Wing fuel tanks
Concorde, like many aircraft,
stored its fuel in its wings.
However, it also used its fuel
as a heat sink, drawing heat
away from the passengers.Lighter, stronger components
Concorde was constructed using ‘sculpture
milling’, a process that reduced the amount of
parts required while making those that were
necessary lighter and stronger.Inside
Concorde
What’s under
the wings?© John Batchelor / w w w.johnbatchelor.com© DocKur t2KHISTORIC