Concorde facts
Get the facts about the famous plane.
Concorde technical
- Concorde took off at 220 knots (c.253mph), 55 knots (c.63mph)
faster than most planes.
- Dimensions:
Length: 203ft 9 ins (62.1m)
Wingspan: 83ft 8 ins (25.5m)
Height: 37ft 1 ins (11.3m).
- Only twenty Concordes were ever built. They were owned
exclusively by British Airways and Air France.
- The needle shaped nose helped to penetrate the air. It was
tilted down at take-off and landing to allow the pilots to see the
runway. The nose tip could reach a temperature of 127 degrees
Celsius – this was due to the friction of the air at high
speed.
- Concorde guzzled a staggering 25,629 litres of fuel per hour
which led to protests about the environmental impact and noise
pollution of the aircraft.
Concorde crew
- There have been more US astronauts than BA Concorde
pilots.
- Each flight consisted of the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer
and six cabin crew.
- In 1993, Barbara Harmer, a former hairdresser from Bognor
Regis, became Concorde's first female pilot.
- British Airways limited their cabin crew to a maximum of three
years' service to allow as many people as possible the chance to
work on Concorde.
- Pilots wanting to fly Concorde had to complete an intensive six
month conversion programme consisting of a six week technical
course, nineteen weeks on the simulator, route briefing and route
flying training.
Concorde passengers
- Concorde had a capacity of 100 passengers and 2.5 tonnes of
cargo.
- More than 2.5 million passengers flew supersonically on British
Airways' Concorde since she entered commercial service in
1976.
- The standard return fare from London to New York was
£6,636.
- The sumptuous menu offered passengers the choice of dishes such
as lobster truffle salad, smoked salmon fish cakes and breast of
guinea fowl. The extensive wine list included some of the finest
vintage wines and champagne available.
- Passengers were given a variety of branded souvenirs and VIP
gifts during their flight. These items are now highly collectable
and are selling for vast amounts of money at auction.
Concorde lifestyle
- In 1993 pop star Suggs from the group Madness hit the world's
longest putt down the aisle of Concorde's cabin to raise money for
charity. Five miles in two seconds!
- Victoria Beckham flew Concorde for three wedding dress fittings
in New York in 1999.
- Over one million bottles of champagne have been consumed on
Concorde passenger flights.
- Supersonic celebrities have included: Sir Sean Connery, Joan
Collins, Elizabeth Taylor, Sir Elton John, Kate Moss, Rod Stewart,
Robbie Williams, Mike Tyson and members of the Royal family
- The Ryder Cup was brought back to Europe by Concorde in
1995.
National Museums Scotland, Scottish Charity, No. SC 011130