(^94) FRANCE/UNITED KINGDOM
feature a highly complex delta wing combining
cambering and ogival leading edges with pairs
of afterburning engines mounted in pods
underneath. The slender fuselage featured a
high neness ratio to keep supersonic drag to a
minimum, while the fuel system was designed
to trim the aircraft longitudinally by transferring
fuel between tanks to combat the change in the
centre of pressure as the aircraft accelerated.
The aircraft used reheat (afterburners) at take-
Left: Concorde could y up to 60,000ft, a height
of over 11 miles. From there, at the edge of space
in the layers between the stratosphere, it was
possible to see the curvature of the Earth.
Below: Due to jet engines being highly ine cient
at low speeds, Concorde burned two tonnes of
fuel (almost 2% of the maximum fuel load) just
taxiing out to the runway before take-o .
Overleaf: Concorde has been retired for nearly
15 years and yet it remains the pinnacle of civil
aviation development for one reason – speed.
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
#1