1 00:00:01,533 --> 00:00:04,700 PILOT: Three, two, one, 2 00:00:04,733 --> 00:00:06,433 zero. 3 00:00:04,733 --> 00:00:06,433 (engines roar) 4 00:00:06,466 --> 00:00:08,933 ♪ 5 00:00:08,966 --> 00:00:10,600 NARRATOR: It's a legendary plane 6 00:00:10,633 --> 00:00:13,166 that flew at twice the speed of sound-- 7 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:14,333 the Concorde. 8 00:00:14,366 --> 00:00:16,233 ♪ 9 00:00:16,266 --> 00:00:18,600 KATIE JOHN: You could go from France or Britain 10 00:00:18,633 --> 00:00:21,000 to America and back in the same day. 11 00:00:21,033 --> 00:00:25,133 NARRATOR: An unprecedented partnership between rival countries. 12 00:00:25,166 --> 00:00:27,200 (applause) 13 00:00:27,233 --> 00:00:28,800 Concorde was our man-on-the-moon project 14 00:00:28,833 --> 00:00:30,833 here in Europe. 15 00:00:30,866 --> 00:00:32,233 NARRATOR: A triumph of technology and invention 16 00:00:32,266 --> 00:00:35,133 that revolutionized air travel... 17 00:00:36,733 --> 00:00:39,733 MIKE BANNISTER: It's amazing that an airplane that was designed 18 00:00:39,766 --> 00:00:41,200 and brought into production in the '70s 19 00:00:41,233 --> 00:00:43,866 can still outperform pretty much everything, 20 00:00:43,900 --> 00:00:45,500 including most Air Force jets. 21 00:00:45,533 --> 00:00:49,533 NARRATOR: The ultimate in luxury for global jet setters... 22 00:00:49,566 --> 00:00:52,866 JOHN HUTCHINSON: I think the regular passengers on the Concorde 23 00:00:52,900 --> 00:00:54,666 thought that they were members 24 00:00:54,700 --> 00:00:58,466 of a very expensive and very exclusive club. 25 00:00:58,500 --> 00:01:01,533 ♪ 26 00:01:01,566 --> 00:01:03,966 NARRATOR: And today, the inspiration 27 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,266 for a new generation of supersonic planes. 28 00:01:08,300 --> 00:01:10,200 If I think into the future, 29 00:01:10,233 --> 00:01:13,466 I would really like to be able to imagine 30 00:01:13,500 --> 00:01:16,500 that I could walk out and get on a sleek, new, 31 00:01:16,533 --> 00:01:19,000 quiet supersonic airliner 32 00:01:19,033 --> 00:01:21,033 and get to where I'm going in half the time. 33 00:01:21,066 --> 00:01:24,033 NARRATOR: Right now on "NOVA"-- 34 00:01:24,066 --> 00:01:26,466 "Flying Supersonic." 35 00:01:26,500 --> 00:01:31,533 ♪ 36 00:01:31,566 --> 00:01:35,066 Major funding for "NOVA" is provided by the following: 37 00:01:45,533 --> 00:01:47,566 NASA WORKER: 15 seconds. 38 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:49,966 PILOT: Copy, 15 seconds. 39 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,566 NARRATOR: Flying high and fast is everyday business 40 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:56,066 at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center. 41 00:01:57,566 --> 00:01:59,933 Test pilot Nils Larson 42 00:01:59,966 --> 00:02:02,333 routinely flies faster than the speed of sound. 43 00:02:02,366 --> 00:02:04,966 LARSON: People always ask when you're a test pilot, 44 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,233 they say, "What's your favorite airplane?" 45 00:02:07,266 --> 00:02:09,966 And the test-pilot answer is, "Whatever I'm flying today." 46 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:11,866 ♪ 47 00:02:11,900 --> 00:02:13,633 NARRATOR: Fighter planes like these 48 00:02:13,666 --> 00:02:16,733 are on the cutting edge of aviation technology. 49 00:02:16,766 --> 00:02:20,833 They can travel more than twice as fast as a 747. 50 00:02:20,866 --> 00:02:22,433 LARSON: From here you drive to Vegas, 51 00:02:22,466 --> 00:02:24,066 it's like a three-and-a-half, four-hour drive. 52 00:02:25,933 --> 00:02:28,066 When I go to do a Mach-two run, 53 00:02:28,100 --> 00:02:31,833 it takes about 20, 25 minutes. 54 00:02:31,866 --> 00:02:33,966 And then we turn around, and we're back in about ten. 55 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:38,933 NARRATOR: What if there were passenger planes that could fly this fast? 56 00:02:38,966 --> 00:02:42,266 What if you could go from one continent to another 57 00:02:42,300 --> 00:02:44,266 in half the time it takes now? 58 00:02:44,300 --> 00:02:46,600 BLAKE SCHOLL: Think today of the places in the world 59 00:02:46,633 --> 00:02:47,800 that are hard to access. 60 00:02:47,833 --> 00:02:49,633 Think Singapore, 61 00:02:49,666 --> 00:02:51,566 think Sydney, 62 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:53,600 that are, like, eight to 16 hours away. 63 00:02:55,533 --> 00:02:57,666 When those flights become much shorter, 64 00:02:57,700 --> 00:03:00,600 you can just decide to pick up and go 65 00:03:00,633 --> 00:03:01,700 and visit Tokyo 66 00:03:01,733 --> 00:03:04,866 or Sydney or Paris for the weekend. 67 00:03:04,900 --> 00:03:07,000 NARRATOR: There was a time 68 00:03:07,033 --> 00:03:11,166 when flying faster than sound in a passenger jet was possible. 69 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:15,333 PILOT: Three, two, one, zero. 70 00:03:15,366 --> 00:03:17,033 NARRATOR: It was the Concorde-- 71 00:03:17,066 --> 00:03:18,433 a revolutionary plane 72 00:03:18,466 --> 00:03:22,033 that crossed the Atlantic from Europe to the United States 73 00:03:22,066 --> 00:03:25,733 in under four hours. 74 00:03:25,766 --> 00:03:28,433 In the average commercial jet, 75 00:03:28,466 --> 00:03:31,600 it can take almost twice that long. 76 00:03:31,633 --> 00:03:34,800 Concorde was a triumph of technology. 77 00:03:34,833 --> 00:03:37,633 But what people who traveled on it remember most 78 00:03:37,666 --> 00:03:40,666 is its beauty and speed. 79 00:03:40,700 --> 00:03:44,100 JOHN: Flying Concorde was like a fantasy for people. 80 00:03:44,133 --> 00:03:48,100 It was partly the luxury, but mostly it was the speed. 81 00:03:48,133 --> 00:03:51,033 You could go from France or Britain 82 00:03:51,066 --> 00:03:53,166 to America and back in the same day. 83 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:56,600 SALLY ARMSTRONG: You could see the curvature of the earth, 84 00:03:56,633 --> 00:04:00,000 because we were 11 miles high. 85 00:04:00,033 --> 00:04:02,666 We would see the sun going down before we took off, 86 00:04:02,700 --> 00:04:07,100 and then as we flew west, it was like it was rising. 87 00:04:07,133 --> 00:04:11,800 Quite an achievement to go faster than the sun was setting. 88 00:04:11,833 --> 00:04:14,033 ♪ 89 00:04:14,066 --> 00:04:19,266 NARRATOR: Humans have long dreamed of being able to fly. 90 00:04:19,300 --> 00:04:22,266 But when Concorde took off for the first time, 91 00:04:22,300 --> 00:04:27,133 aviation itself was only about 70 years old. 92 00:04:29,033 --> 00:04:33,700 One of its legends is Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager. 93 00:04:33,733 --> 00:04:35,833 In 1947, 94 00:04:35,866 --> 00:04:39,600 he was determined to try to fly faster than the speed of sound. 95 00:04:39,633 --> 00:04:44,600 Like light, sound is a wave that takes time to travel. 96 00:04:44,633 --> 00:04:47,600 Depending on the altitude and air temperature, 97 00:04:47,633 --> 00:04:50,933 Yeager would have to fly about 700 miles an hour 98 00:04:50,966 --> 00:04:52,333 to surpass its speed. 99 00:04:52,366 --> 00:04:55,633 It was daring and dangerous. 100 00:04:55,666 --> 00:04:58,300 JAY DRYER: Prior to that there was even doubts, 101 00:04:58,333 --> 00:05:01,200 can people even fly faster than the speed of sound? 102 00:05:01,233 --> 00:05:03,700 Because as you start to get closer and closer, 103 00:05:03,733 --> 00:05:05,700 the air compresses in front of the aircraft, 104 00:05:05,733 --> 00:05:08,466 and then it creates some instabilities 105 00:05:08,500 --> 00:05:11,100 and things that, that led people to believe, 106 00:05:11,133 --> 00:05:13,100 "Is this going to be something that's too challenging 107 00:05:13,133 --> 00:05:14,366 that we can even survive?" 108 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:16,033 (radio chatter) 109 00:05:16,066 --> 00:05:18,166 NARRATOR: Yeager took to the skies 110 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,166 in a test plane shaped like a bullet, 111 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:22,600 called the Bell X-1. 112 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:22,600 (engine fires) 113 00:05:22,633 --> 00:05:24,000 DRYER: After World War II, 114 00:05:24,033 --> 00:05:27,966 that was just a great era of trying to really open up 115 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:29,733 and explore the boundaries of aerospace. 116 00:05:29,766 --> 00:05:32,066 And so we were testing all types of aircraft 117 00:05:32,100 --> 00:05:34,166 to see how you could go higher and faster. 118 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:35,466 ♪ 119 00:05:35,500 --> 00:05:37,400 It was an experiment that was flown 120 00:05:37,433 --> 00:05:40,200 in a rocket-powered aircraft dropped from a bomber. 121 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,200 NARRATOR: But just a few minutes into Yeager's flight, 122 00:05:44,233 --> 00:05:46,333 there was loud double bang. 123 00:05:46,366 --> 00:05:48,400 (two loud booms in rapid succession) 124 00:05:48,433 --> 00:05:50,533 PETER COEN: My guess is that the local community 125 00:05:50,566 --> 00:05:52,433 probably had heard a few crashes 126 00:05:52,466 --> 00:05:54,033 over the years, 127 00:05:54,066 --> 00:05:56,366 might have suspected that an airplane had crashed. 128 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:58,600 NARRATOR: In fact, 129 00:05:58,633 --> 00:06:02,833 this was the first time a plane created a sonic boom, 130 00:06:02,866 --> 00:06:05,466 as Yeager became the first pilot ever 131 00:06:05,500 --> 00:06:08,000 to pass the speed of sound. 132 00:06:08,033 --> 00:06:10,900 His pioneering feat came to be known 133 00:06:10,933 --> 00:06:12,966 as breaking the sound barrier 134 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:17,166 and it started decades of research about sonic booms. 135 00:06:19,333 --> 00:06:22,233 When a plane flies faster than the speed of sound, 136 00:06:22,266 --> 00:06:25,500 it compresses the air in front of its nose, 137 00:06:25,533 --> 00:06:27,900 which is then suddenly released again 138 00:06:27,933 --> 00:06:29,500 behind the tail. 139 00:06:29,533 --> 00:06:31,966 This quick compression and release 140 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:33,600 causes a shockwave. 141 00:06:33,633 --> 00:06:36,066 And when that shockwave reaches the ground, 142 00:06:36,100 --> 00:06:38,400 it creates the noise of a sonic boom. 143 00:06:38,433 --> 00:06:39,766 (two loud booms in rapid succession) 144 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:41,400 COEN: If you think about a thunderstorm, 145 00:06:41,433 --> 00:06:43,166 when the storm is right on top of you, 146 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:44,633 and you get that lightning flash 147 00:06:44,666 --> 00:06:46,033 and the immediate crack of thunder 148 00:06:46,066 --> 00:06:48,500 that, you know, causes you to jump out of your chair, 149 00:06:48,533 --> 00:06:49,933 that's a sonic boom. 150 00:06:49,966 --> 00:06:53,066 (jets roaring) 151 00:06:53,100 --> 00:06:54,933 NARRATOR: In the 1950s 152 00:06:54,966 --> 00:06:58,900 only military aircraft could fly faster than sound. 153 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:04,033 But civilian air travel was a growing industry. 154 00:07:04,066 --> 00:07:05,933 A passenger plane this fast 155 00:07:05,966 --> 00:07:08,766 seemed like it could be a fantastic asset 156 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:10,666 for airlines that would fly it 157 00:07:10,700 --> 00:07:13,266 and the countries that would produce it. 158 00:07:13,300 --> 00:07:18,300 The governments of Britain and France decided to fund work 159 00:07:18,333 --> 00:07:22,033 on two competing supersonic airliners. 160 00:07:22,066 --> 00:07:24,466 ♪ 161 00:07:24,500 --> 00:07:28,000 A French firm designed one called the Super-Caravelle. 162 00:07:28,033 --> 00:07:32,800 And a British company planned the Bristol Type 223. 163 00:07:32,833 --> 00:07:34,133 But very quickly, 164 00:07:34,166 --> 00:07:37,100 the technical challenges proved so enormous 165 00:07:37,133 --> 00:07:40,700 that development costs soared. 166 00:07:40,733 --> 00:07:45,066 Officials in Paris and London had to face a hard reality-- 167 00:07:45,100 --> 00:07:47,766 there was only one way 168 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:51,900 to save the dream of civilian supersonic flight. 169 00:07:51,933 --> 00:07:53,833 JOHN: Neither country could afford to do it by themselves. 170 00:07:53,866 --> 00:07:55,733 They had two very similar designs. 171 00:07:55,766 --> 00:07:58,733 But they didn't have the money or the resources 172 00:07:58,766 --> 00:08:01,433 to do it separately, so they came together. 173 00:08:01,466 --> 00:08:03,600 ♪ 174 00:08:03,633 --> 00:08:06,933 NARRATOR: In 1962 British and French officials 175 00:08:06,966 --> 00:08:09,000 signed an unprecedented agreement 176 00:08:09,033 --> 00:08:11,633 merging their projects into the Concorde-- 177 00:08:11,666 --> 00:08:15,566 a supersonic plane that could carry around 100 passengers 178 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:19,133 at more than 1,300 miles an hour. 179 00:08:19,166 --> 00:08:22,500 The projected date for its first commercial service 180 00:08:22,533 --> 00:08:24,633 was eight years away, in 1970. 181 00:08:26,233 --> 00:08:29,533 IAIN GRAY: It was something that galvanized the industry. 182 00:08:29,566 --> 00:08:31,433 There were a lot of political issues 183 00:08:31,466 --> 00:08:35,533 about making the program happen, bringing it to reality. 184 00:08:35,566 --> 00:08:37,733 But from an engineering point of view, 185 00:08:37,766 --> 00:08:39,600 you know, this, this was a dream. 186 00:08:39,633 --> 00:08:41,833 ♪ 187 00:08:41,866 --> 00:08:45,366 NARRATOR: Engineers spent years developing the plane's new shape-- 188 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,600 an elongated fuselage, a pointed nose, 189 00:08:48,633 --> 00:08:51,933 and distinctive wings. 190 00:08:51,966 --> 00:08:54,666 GRAY: Subsonic and supersonic are very different 191 00:08:54,700 --> 00:08:57,266 from an aerodynamic performance point of view. 192 00:08:57,300 --> 00:09:00,533 The shape of the aeroplane is very, very different. 193 00:09:00,566 --> 00:09:03,300 ♪ 194 00:09:03,333 --> 00:09:07,533 NARRATOR: Getting any plane off the ground involves four forces. 195 00:09:07,566 --> 00:09:10,433 The engines provide its horizontal forward motion, 196 00:09:10,466 --> 00:09:12,666 or thrust. 197 00:09:12,700 --> 00:09:14,400 But when the plane is flying, 198 00:09:14,433 --> 00:09:17,500 the thrust is opposed by air resistance-- 199 00:09:17,533 --> 00:09:20,200 this is called drag. 200 00:09:20,233 --> 00:09:23,133 The plane is also pulled down by its weight, 201 00:09:23,166 --> 00:09:25,433 the force of gravity. 202 00:09:25,466 --> 00:09:28,200 So a fourth force helps keep it in the air-- 203 00:09:28,233 --> 00:09:29,800 this is lift. 204 00:09:29,833 --> 00:09:33,933 And lift is a direct result of the shape of the wings. 205 00:09:33,966 --> 00:09:37,900 ♪ 206 00:09:37,933 --> 00:09:40,366 Straight wings offer good stability, 207 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:44,633 but don't allow optimal flying at supersonic speed. 208 00:09:44,666 --> 00:09:48,133 A triangular shape, like the wings on fighter jets, 209 00:09:48,166 --> 00:09:52,000 reduces drag and is better for fast flying. 210 00:09:52,033 --> 00:09:56,066 But neither wing shape could fly 100 people and tons of fuel 211 00:09:56,100 --> 00:09:58,900 at more than 1,300 miles an hour. 212 00:09:58,933 --> 00:10:01,900 So Concorde needed something new. 213 00:10:03,766 --> 00:10:07,100 The French and British engineers analyzed air flows 214 00:10:07,133 --> 00:10:09,866 and refined the shape over and over again, 215 00:10:09,900 --> 00:10:14,833 until they finally perfected Concorde's unique delta wing. 216 00:10:14,866 --> 00:10:17,800 BOB VAN DER LINDEN: The techniques were familiar with designers at the time; 217 00:10:17,833 --> 00:10:20,066 they just never applied them to an airliner before, 218 00:10:20,100 --> 00:10:21,200 because no airliner was intended 219 00:10:21,233 --> 00:10:24,333 to fly faster than supersonic speeds. 220 00:10:24,366 --> 00:10:26,733 The Concorde itself has a modified delta. 221 00:10:26,766 --> 00:10:30,433 There's this beautiful curve to it. 222 00:10:30,466 --> 00:10:32,833 A delta wing is probably the best compromise 223 00:10:32,866 --> 00:10:37,366 for high-speed cruising ability for... at supersonics 224 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:38,800 and low-speed handling. 225 00:10:38,833 --> 00:10:42,200 ♪ 226 00:10:42,233 --> 00:10:45,566 NARRATOR: Supersonic travel was an exciting new possibility 227 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:49,000 at the 1963 Paris Air Show. 228 00:10:49,033 --> 00:10:50,900 One of the biggest attractions 229 00:10:50,933 --> 00:10:53,833 was the first model of the Concorde. 230 00:10:53,866 --> 00:10:58,466 And its daring new shape was not the only news. 231 00:10:58,500 --> 00:11:01,000 American Juan Trippe, 232 00:11:01,033 --> 00:11:04,966 president of the most powerful airline of the time, Pan Am, 233 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,500 had placed an order for six Concordes. 234 00:11:10,466 --> 00:11:13,266 In Washington, President Kennedy was furious 235 00:11:13,300 --> 00:11:15,233 when he learned about the order-- 236 00:11:15,266 --> 00:11:16,900 because he had already decided 237 00:11:16,933 --> 00:11:19,200 that the American aviation industry 238 00:11:19,233 --> 00:11:21,100 was not going to be left behind. 239 00:11:21,133 --> 00:11:22,366 KENNEDY (on phone): Hello. 240 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:23,600 DOUGLAS DILLON (on phone): Yes, Mr. President. 241 00:11:23,633 --> 00:11:24,966 KENNEDY: Did you see what Juan Trippe did? 242 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:26,266 DILLON: No, I did not. 243 00:11:26,300 --> 00:11:27,700 KENNEDY: He put out an announcement this afternoon 244 00:11:27,733 --> 00:11:29,100 that he is going to buy six planes 245 00:11:29,133 --> 00:11:31,233 from the British and the French. 246 00:11:31,266 --> 00:11:33,666 How could he do that when he knew we were about to go ahead? 247 00:11:35,966 --> 00:11:37,733 Well, now, will you give him this message from me 248 00:11:37,766 --> 00:11:40,666 and make it very clear that I think he ought to retract that? 249 00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:42,000 That he ought to wait now 250 00:11:42,033 --> 00:11:43,233 and see what the United States is going to do, 251 00:11:43,266 --> 00:11:44,533 or otherwise it is going to be very clear 252 00:11:44,566 --> 00:11:47,000 that Pan Am is contributing in a significant way 253 00:11:47,033 --> 00:11:50,166 to the United States being in a secondary position in the air 254 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,666 and also to our balance-of-payment problem. 255 00:11:52,700 --> 00:11:54,900 We'll give him all the trouble he wants, 256 00:11:54,933 --> 00:11:56,433 because there isn't going to be anything 257 00:11:56,466 --> 00:11:58,533 that's going to make me more excited than doing that. 258 00:11:58,566 --> 00:11:59,733 All right-- thank you. 259 00:11:59,766 --> 00:12:01,933 HALABY: Yes, sir. 260 00:11:59,766 --> 00:12:01,933 (phone hangs up) 261 00:12:01,966 --> 00:12:06,100 ("Hail to the Chief" playing, crowd applauding) 262 00:12:07,433 --> 00:12:08,833 NARRATOR: The very next day, 263 00:12:08,866 --> 00:12:11,466 at graduation ceremonies at the Air Force Academy, 264 00:12:11,500 --> 00:12:16,400 Kennedy threw the United States into the race. 265 00:12:16,433 --> 00:12:18,233 (song continues, applause) 266 00:12:18,266 --> 00:12:22,833 KENNEDY: I am announcing today that the United States will commit itself 267 00:12:22,866 --> 00:12:27,066 to an important new program in civilian aviation. 268 00:12:27,100 --> 00:12:29,733 It is my judgment that this government 269 00:12:29,766 --> 00:12:32,733 should immediately commence a new program, 270 00:12:32,766 --> 00:12:36,200 in partnership with private industry, 271 00:12:36,233 --> 00:12:39,733 to develop at the earliest practical date 272 00:12:39,766 --> 00:12:45,166 the prototype of a commercially successful supersonic transport 273 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:49,133 superior to that being built in any other country of the world. 274 00:12:49,166 --> 00:12:52,433 (applause) 275 00:12:54,333 --> 00:12:56,200 NARRATOR: On the other side of the Iron Curtain, 276 00:12:56,233 --> 00:12:58,966 the Soviet Union was also jumping 277 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,700 into the supersonic plane race. 278 00:13:01,733 --> 00:13:04,833 ♪ 279 00:13:07,033 --> 00:13:08,500 Two years earlier, 280 00:13:08,533 --> 00:13:12,566 Premier Nikita Khrushchev watched a demonstration 281 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:15,833 of Russia's first supersonic military bomber, 282 00:13:15,866 --> 00:13:18,900 the TU-22. 283 00:13:18,933 --> 00:13:22,766 Standing behind Khrushchev was the plane's designer, 284 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:24,433 Andrei Tupolev. 285 00:13:24,466 --> 00:13:27,533 He became one of the leaders of the Soviet effort 286 00:13:27,566 --> 00:13:29,866 to build a supersonic passenger plane, 287 00:13:29,900 --> 00:13:33,166 and the KGB was put into action 288 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:36,300 gathering information on Concorde. 289 00:13:36,333 --> 00:13:39,033 (man speaking Russian) 290 00:13:39,066 --> 00:13:41,933 (translated): When we heard the news of the creation 291 00:13:41,966 --> 00:13:46,866 of such a fascinating airplane as Concorde, 292 00:13:46,900 --> 00:13:50,900 Andrei Tupolev was tasked with investigating this subject. 293 00:13:54,300 --> 00:13:57,533 All in all, our goal was to design a similar plane 294 00:13:57,566 --> 00:14:00,933 and perhaps do it even faster, if possible. 295 00:14:00,966 --> 00:14:03,366 ♪ 296 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:05,300 NARRATOR: It was now a three-way race-- 297 00:14:05,333 --> 00:14:08,933 and the engineers on each team 298 00:14:08,966 --> 00:14:11,266 faced unprecedented technological challenges 299 00:14:11,300 --> 00:14:14,966 at a time when computerization was in its infancy. 300 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:16,400 GRAY: It is remarkable, 301 00:14:16,433 --> 00:14:19,366 the development and design of this airplane 302 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:23,833 was long before the advent of high-performance supercomputing. 303 00:14:23,866 --> 00:14:28,300 There were many hundreds, thousands of engineers 304 00:14:28,333 --> 00:14:29,966 working across the supply chain, 305 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:34,100 trying to optimize and get the right design solutions, 306 00:14:34,133 --> 00:14:35,300 the right aerodynamics. 307 00:14:35,333 --> 00:14:38,300 People joined the industry, 308 00:14:38,333 --> 00:14:42,400 because they wanted to be part of this remarkable project. 309 00:14:42,433 --> 00:14:44,866 NARRATOR: Concorde was the first time 310 00:14:44,900 --> 00:14:48,433 that British and French aerospace designers-- 311 00:14:48,466 --> 00:14:50,500 former competitors-- built a plane together. 312 00:14:50,533 --> 00:14:55,333 And that meant overcoming some very basic differences. 313 00:14:55,366 --> 00:14:57,233 (man speaking French) 314 00:14:57,266 --> 00:14:59,733 DOMINIQUE BERGER (translated): The British measured the plane's weight in pounds. 315 00:14:59,766 --> 00:15:02,000 We measured in kilos. 316 00:15:02,033 --> 00:15:03,466 I remember a session when we said, 317 00:15:03,500 --> 00:15:06,500 "It's a pity, because the take-off mass of 90 tons, 318 00:15:06,533 --> 00:15:09,600 it's not far from 180,000 pounds," 319 00:15:09,633 --> 00:15:12,133 to which an Englishman replied, 320 00:15:12,166 --> 00:15:14,700 "But in pounds, it's more precise." 321 00:15:14,733 --> 00:15:16,066 ♪ 322 00:15:16,100 --> 00:15:18,066 (man speaking French) 323 00:15:18,100 --> 00:15:20,100 (translated): The British would build their prototype, 324 00:15:20,133 --> 00:15:22,066 and the French, their prototype. 325 00:15:22,100 --> 00:15:24,400 Everybody talked to each other, exchanged views. 326 00:15:24,433 --> 00:15:25,533 But there still were two assembly lines, 327 00:15:25,566 --> 00:15:28,800 one in France and one in Great Britain. 328 00:15:28,833 --> 00:15:31,066 NARRATOR: Each team was responsible 329 00:15:31,100 --> 00:15:33,000 for building specific parts of the plane, 330 00:15:33,033 --> 00:15:35,700 and each had a full-scale prototype 331 00:15:35,733 --> 00:15:38,333 and assembly line. 332 00:15:38,366 --> 00:15:40,900 And without the internet to quickly share information, 333 00:15:40,933 --> 00:15:45,366 the project required not only high-precision craftsmanship, 334 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:48,100 but high-stakes logistics. 335 00:15:48,133 --> 00:15:51,666 All through its development, 336 00:15:51,700 --> 00:15:54,333 sections of Concorde were shipped back and forth 337 00:15:54,366 --> 00:15:56,500 between Britain and France. 338 00:15:57,666 --> 00:15:59,066 (Berger speaking French) 339 00:15:59,100 --> 00:16:02,366 (translated): The British would send to Toulouse 340 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:03,733 a full-scale model 341 00:16:03,766 --> 00:16:06,533 of the end section of their part, 342 00:16:06,566 --> 00:16:10,600 and Toulouse would check whether its section would fit that part. 343 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:14,266 Conversely, 344 00:16:14,300 --> 00:16:15,866 the French would send their end sections 345 00:16:15,900 --> 00:16:18,033 to the British to check. 346 00:16:18,066 --> 00:16:20,833 You had to interface parts with precision 347 00:16:20,866 --> 00:16:23,266 down to a hundredth of a millimeter. 348 00:16:25,100 --> 00:16:27,933 GRAY: It was a remarkable bit of technology achievement, 349 00:16:27,966 --> 00:16:32,533 with the brains and the intellect and the enthusiasm 350 00:16:32,566 --> 00:16:34,066 of young engineers at the time. 351 00:16:34,100 --> 00:16:36,100 It just shows what can be done 352 00:16:36,133 --> 00:16:38,466 when people want to achieve something. 353 00:16:38,500 --> 00:16:43,966 NARRATOR: But the double production lines came at an enormous cost. 354 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,700 The two governments spent an estimated three billion dollars 355 00:16:47,733 --> 00:16:49,366 developing Concorde-- 356 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:52,666 more than ten times the original estimate, 357 00:16:52,700 --> 00:16:58,133 and the equivalent of almost $20 billion today. 358 00:16:58,166 --> 00:17:00,600 (airplane droning overhead) 359 00:17:00,633 --> 00:17:02,166 The high development costs 360 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:05,333 didn't curb the enthusiasm of pilots, 361 00:17:05,366 --> 00:17:08,433 who were eager to learn a new way to fly. 362 00:17:08,466 --> 00:17:12,466 BANNISTER: Starting to reduce speed, we're all the way back to 220. 363 00:17:12,500 --> 00:17:13,800 (turning knob) 364 00:17:13,833 --> 00:17:16,599 NARRATOR: Before Concorde was ready for passengers, 365 00:17:16,633 --> 00:17:20,666 they had intensive training in simulators like this one. 366 00:17:20,700 --> 00:17:23,366 BANNISTER: As you can see, this airplane is more complex, 367 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:25,733 there are far more instruments, far more systems. 368 00:17:25,766 --> 00:17:27,266 It's like four airplanes in one: 369 00:17:27,300 --> 00:17:29,500 it's a high airplane, a low airplane, 370 00:17:29,533 --> 00:17:31,900 a fast airplane and a slow airplane. 371 00:17:31,933 --> 00:17:34,833 So, consequently, we have so many more systems to manage, 372 00:17:34,866 --> 00:17:37,500 and the crew are doing twice as much work in half the time. 373 00:17:37,533 --> 00:17:38,866 There's a lot to learn, 374 00:17:38,900 --> 00:17:42,800 and it takes a pilot who's very experienced, 375 00:17:42,833 --> 00:17:46,033 maybe been with British Airways for 25 years, 376 00:17:46,066 --> 00:17:48,233 six months to learn to fly Concorde 377 00:17:48,266 --> 00:17:49,500 as opposed to just two months 378 00:17:49,533 --> 00:17:52,000 to learn to fly a conventional airplane 379 00:17:52,033 --> 00:17:54,133 like an A380 or a 747. 380 00:17:54,166 --> 00:17:55,866 ♪ 381 00:17:55,900 --> 00:17:58,766 NARRATOR: One of the most important new features to master 382 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,033 was Concorde's unique nose. 383 00:18:01,066 --> 00:18:03,300 In addition to the distinctive shape, 384 00:18:03,333 --> 00:18:07,500 the nose actually moved into different positions. 385 00:18:09,566 --> 00:18:12,966 In the air at supersonic speed, the nose was up, 386 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:14,566 and a visor reinforced 387 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:18,033 the plane's streamlined aerodynamics. 388 00:18:19,033 --> 00:18:21,600 But it had to land at a very steep angle, 389 00:18:21,633 --> 00:18:24,400 and this created a problem. 390 00:18:24,433 --> 00:18:27,166 The long nose blocked the pilot's sight line 391 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:29,366 to the runway. 392 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:32,800 You're coming into land at quite a high angle of attack, 393 00:18:32,833 --> 00:18:35,200 and sitting in the pilot's seat 394 00:18:35,233 --> 00:18:36,966 with the nose up, 395 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:42,833 you simply would not be able to see the runway at all. 396 00:18:42,866 --> 00:18:44,400 ♪ 397 00:18:44,433 --> 00:18:46,766 The ingenious solution was a mechanism 398 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:48,533 that tipped the nose down 399 00:18:48,566 --> 00:18:50,933 so the pilot had a clear view. 400 00:18:54,733 --> 00:18:56,900 Start turning towards London, 401 00:18:56,933 --> 00:18:58,666 down comes the nose. 402 00:19:02,300 --> 00:19:04,200 100 feet above, just in out, 403 00:19:04,233 --> 00:19:06,433 looking at the runway all the time. 404 00:19:06,466 --> 00:19:08,800 Take the auto-throttles out. 405 00:19:08,833 --> 00:19:12,000 50, 40, 30, 20, 406 00:19:12,033 --> 00:19:13,200 15... 407 00:19:13,233 --> 00:19:14,900 and now start to bring Concorde to a halt 408 00:19:14,933 --> 00:19:19,266 using brakes that are underneath my feet. 409 00:19:19,300 --> 00:19:21,900 And she's such a delight to fly. 410 00:19:21,933 --> 00:19:23,500 The six months that you take to learn 411 00:19:23,533 --> 00:19:26,866 is worth every single moment of it. 412 00:19:26,900 --> 00:19:30,700 ♪ 413 00:19:34,566 --> 00:19:37,766 NEWSREEL NARRATOR: Toulouse: the giant hangar at Sud Aviation's headquarters 414 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:39,733 was the focal point of the world. 415 00:19:39,766 --> 00:19:42,000 For inside was the most exciting new thing 416 00:19:42,033 --> 00:19:45,700 in the world of aviation: Concorde number 001. 417 00:19:47,500 --> 00:19:50,733 (marching band playing) 418 00:19:50,766 --> 00:19:55,966 NARRATOR: In 1967, after five years of intense effort, 419 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:59,500 the very first Concorde prototype was unveiled 420 00:19:59,533 --> 00:20:01,266 to an eager audience. 421 00:20:01,300 --> 00:20:02,566 (applause) 422 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:06,333 Despite the fanfare, it was not yet ready to fly 423 00:20:06,366 --> 00:20:09,666 and the three-way race for a supersonic transport plane, 424 00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:12,600 or SST, was heating up. 425 00:20:12,633 --> 00:20:14,666 VAN DER LINDEN: There was a technological race 426 00:20:14,700 --> 00:20:17,366 between the West and the former Soviet Union. 427 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:19,000 There was competition 428 00:20:19,033 --> 00:20:20,966 between Europe and the United States as well. 429 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,700 And Great Britain and France got the leg up on the United States, 430 00:20:24,733 --> 00:20:27,433 and many in the United States wanted to build an SST 431 00:20:27,466 --> 00:20:28,500 just to compete. 432 00:20:28,533 --> 00:20:33,666 ♪ 433 00:20:35,033 --> 00:20:38,866 NARRATOR: The American entry into the race came from Boeing-- 434 00:20:38,900 --> 00:20:43,133 a supersonic passenger plane called the 2707. 435 00:20:43,166 --> 00:20:45,866 ♪ 436 00:20:45,900 --> 00:20:47,366 Like Concorde, 437 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:50,366 the project was financed by government money. 438 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:53,566 But the design was even more ambitious-- 439 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:54,700 over a hundred feet longer, 440 00:20:54,733 --> 00:20:58,166 carrying more than twice as many passengers, 441 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:03,066 and flying about 500 miles an hour faster. 442 00:21:03,100 --> 00:21:06,833 ♪ 443 00:21:06,866 --> 00:21:09,466 But it would ultimately be the Soviet Union 444 00:21:09,500 --> 00:21:12,600 that became Concorde's biggest competitor. 445 00:21:14,866 --> 00:21:16,733 Today, a museum east of Moscow 446 00:21:16,766 --> 00:21:21,100 features the plane that gave Concorde a run for its money--- 447 00:21:21,133 --> 00:21:23,733 the Tupolev 144. 448 00:21:24,766 --> 00:21:26,700 (man speaking Russian) 449 00:21:26,733 --> 00:21:27,866 YURI VALKIN MARKOVICH (translated): 450 00:21:27,900 --> 00:21:32,066 Here is a legendary flying machine. 451 00:21:32,100 --> 00:21:36,833 The name of that legend is Tupolev 144. 452 00:21:36,866 --> 00:21:41,500 It's the first supersonic airliner in the world. 453 00:21:41,533 --> 00:21:44,033 ♪ 454 00:21:44,066 --> 00:21:48,833 The first flight of a supersonic airliner in the world 455 00:21:48,866 --> 00:21:50,966 took place in the U.S.S.R. 456 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,033 We were the ones to win the first stage 457 00:21:53,066 --> 00:21:55,133 of the supersonic race. 458 00:21:55,166 --> 00:21:57,166 ♪ 459 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:00,133 NARRATOR: In the throes of the Cold War, 460 00:22:00,166 --> 00:22:02,700 the TU-144 was not only 461 00:22:02,733 --> 00:22:05,266 a technological challenge for the Soviets, 462 00:22:05,300 --> 00:22:07,200 but a political one as well. 463 00:22:07,233 --> 00:22:10,300 The Kremlin issued a mandate: 464 00:22:10,333 --> 00:22:13,566 "Get the TU-144 off the ground 465 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:18,233 by the end of 1968-- before Concorde." 466 00:22:23,166 --> 00:22:26,300 At the last possible moment to reach that goal, 467 00:22:26,333 --> 00:22:32,133 the TU-144 took off on December 31, 1968. 468 00:22:34,533 --> 00:22:38,866 (engine roaring) 469 00:22:38,900 --> 00:22:41,066 ♪ 470 00:22:41,100 --> 00:22:45,733 37 minutes later, it landed at an airfield near Moscow, 471 00:22:45,766 --> 00:22:48,900 and its pilots were given a hero's welcome. 472 00:22:48,933 --> 00:22:51,666 The plane had not broken the sound barrier. 473 00:22:51,700 --> 00:22:54,766 But in the three-way supersonic flight race, 474 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:58,366 the Soviets could claim the first victory. 475 00:22:59,700 --> 00:23:01,833 (Markovich speaking Russian) 476 00:23:01,866 --> 00:23:05,333 MARKOVICH (translated): It's an enormous success for our country, 477 00:23:05,366 --> 00:23:08,666 comparable in scope to launching a space rocket 478 00:23:08,700 --> 00:23:11,433 or to Yuri Gagarin's space flight. 479 00:23:11,466 --> 00:23:13,666 ♪ 480 00:23:13,700 --> 00:23:18,133 NARRATOR: When Western journalists saw the first photos of the TU-144, 481 00:23:18,166 --> 00:23:20,466 they were stuck by its remarkable resemblance 482 00:23:20,500 --> 00:23:21,966 to Concorde. 483 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:23,866 The similarities were so obvious 484 00:23:23,900 --> 00:23:26,533 that the Russian plane was instantly nicknamed 485 00:23:26,566 --> 00:23:28,400 "Concordski." 486 00:23:28,433 --> 00:23:29,966 HUTCHINSON: I have no doubt 487 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:31,666 that there was industrial espionage 488 00:23:31,700 --> 00:23:33,466 on the part of the Russians; 489 00:23:33,500 --> 00:23:36,600 and probably there was industrial espionage 490 00:23:36,633 --> 00:23:39,500 on the part of the French and the British as well. 491 00:23:39,533 --> 00:23:41,866 (speaking Russian) 492 00:23:41,900 --> 00:23:43,166 (translated): Let's just say 493 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,066 that the intelligence services had specific goals 494 00:23:46,100 --> 00:23:49,300 that made development somewhat easier. 495 00:23:49,333 --> 00:23:53,466 The West and our country met with similar technical problems. 496 00:23:53,500 --> 00:23:54,800 So we did try to obtain 497 00:23:54,833 --> 00:23:57,233 some information on the Concorde. 498 00:23:57,266 --> 00:24:00,533 That is to say, when certain issues arose, 499 00:24:00,566 --> 00:24:03,100 they were passed on to the intelligence services. 500 00:24:03,133 --> 00:24:06,133 Then these services completed the tasks. 501 00:24:06,166 --> 00:24:09,933 ♪ 502 00:24:09,966 --> 00:24:14,866 NARRATOR: The KGB had a dedicated network of spies around Concorde. 503 00:24:14,900 --> 00:24:18,233 Russian agents even managed to smuggle microfilm 504 00:24:18,266 --> 00:24:20,533 containing blueprints and other documents 505 00:24:20,566 --> 00:24:24,466 out of France in toothpaste tubes. 506 00:24:24,500 --> 00:24:26,666 French security forces eventually caught up 507 00:24:26,700 --> 00:24:28,266 with the Kremlin's spies, 508 00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:31,533 some of whom were tried and expelled from France. 509 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:35,433 (Rigmant speaking Russian) 510 00:24:35,466 --> 00:24:36,900 RIGMANT (translated): If I remember well, 511 00:24:36,933 --> 00:24:40,200 some of our diplomats were thrown out of France 512 00:24:40,233 --> 00:24:42,733 at the time. 513 00:24:42,766 --> 00:24:46,466 It's just work, not espionage. (chuckles) 514 00:24:46,500 --> 00:24:49,500 Like any other work! 515 00:24:49,533 --> 00:24:51,366 ♪ 516 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:54,366 NARRATOR: Whatever the Russians wanted to call their efforts, 517 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:55,733 it soon became clear 518 00:24:55,766 --> 00:25:01,100 that the TU-144 was not just a simple copy of Concorde. 519 00:25:01,133 --> 00:25:06,866 Its wings were a modification of the delta shape. 520 00:25:06,900 --> 00:25:08,633 It had different landing gear, 521 00:25:08,666 --> 00:25:12,933 and its fuselage was longer and wider. 522 00:25:12,966 --> 00:25:15,900 It had the same number of engines-- four-- 523 00:25:15,933 --> 00:25:17,400 and a tipping nose. 524 00:25:17,433 --> 00:25:20,033 But there was one distinctive feature: 525 00:25:20,066 --> 00:25:22,933 whisker-like front winglets. 526 00:25:22,966 --> 00:25:25,233 HUTCHINSON: The Concordski had these little winglets 527 00:25:25,266 --> 00:25:28,566 that came out for take-off and landing. 528 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:32,400 Those winglets modified the air flow over the wing 529 00:25:32,433 --> 00:25:34,700 in such a way that you could come in 530 00:25:34,733 --> 00:25:36,666 at a lower angle of attack, 531 00:25:36,700 --> 00:25:39,700 which meant less engine power required 532 00:25:39,733 --> 00:25:41,800 and therefore less noise. 533 00:25:41,833 --> 00:25:43,933 So it was a very, very good feature, 534 00:25:43,966 --> 00:25:46,166 that of the Concordski design, 535 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:47,633 and I think as I say, 536 00:25:47,666 --> 00:25:51,733 if there'd been a second- generation Concorde built, 537 00:25:51,766 --> 00:25:54,700 they would have incorporated winglets into it. 538 00:25:54,733 --> 00:25:59,066 ♪ 539 00:25:59,100 --> 00:26:02,133 NARRATOR: Ten months after the Concordski's debut, 540 00:26:02,166 --> 00:26:05,133 Concorde was ready for the ultimate challenge-- 541 00:26:05,166 --> 00:26:08,066 flying supersonic for the first time. 542 00:26:08,100 --> 00:26:11,500 ♪ 543 00:26:13,566 --> 00:26:16,233 In the cockpit was André Turcat, 544 00:26:16,266 --> 00:26:18,766 the first European to break the sound barrier, 545 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:20,733 and test pilot Jean Pinet. 546 00:26:20,766 --> 00:26:22,300 (radio chatter) 547 00:26:26,133 --> 00:26:27,433 Neither of them knew 548 00:26:27,466 --> 00:26:32,333 how a plane this big would react at supersonic speed. 549 00:26:32,366 --> 00:26:34,200 (Pinet speaking French) 550 00:26:34,233 --> 00:26:37,866 PINET (translated): The hour-long flight was about the gradual increase of speed 551 00:26:37,900 --> 00:26:41,966 from Mach 0.9 to Mach 1.05. 552 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,466 So at each step, 553 00:26:44,500 --> 00:26:47,800 I would test whether everything was working well, 554 00:26:47,833 --> 00:26:49,166 and it was going so well 555 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:51,533 that at one point I asked Turcat, 556 00:26:51,566 --> 00:26:53,133 "Okay, can we keep going?" 557 00:26:53,166 --> 00:26:55,300 And he said, "Certainly not! 558 00:26:55,333 --> 00:26:58,266 "The flight plan ordered Mach 1.05, 559 00:26:58,300 --> 00:26:59,866 we stop right there." 560 00:26:59,900 --> 00:27:05,400 ♪ 561 00:27:05,433 --> 00:27:06,933 When we landed, 562 00:27:06,966 --> 00:27:10,866 I was surprised to see so many journalists, 563 00:27:10,900 --> 00:27:16,200 and the mechanics who hung a sign on the nose of the plane: 564 00:27:16,233 --> 00:27:18,133 "They made it!" 565 00:27:18,166 --> 00:27:23,566 ♪ 566 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:25,666 GRAY: Concorde was our man-on-the-moon project 567 00:27:25,700 --> 00:27:27,333 here in Europe. 568 00:27:28,966 --> 00:27:30,800 Getting Concorde, that first flight, 569 00:27:30,833 --> 00:27:32,133 that was our space race. 570 00:27:32,166 --> 00:27:33,266 We did it. 571 00:27:33,300 --> 00:27:36,366 We built Concorde, we flew it successfully, 572 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:38,166 and it's an icon. 573 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:43,366 ♪ 574 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:44,766 NARRATOR: In the U.S. 575 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,766 President Nixon was in the White House. 576 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:50,266 In 1971, 577 00:27:50,300 --> 00:27:53,233 with the cost of the Vietnam War escalating, 578 00:27:53,266 --> 00:27:57,466 Congress decided the Boeing SST was too expensive 579 00:27:57,500 --> 00:27:59,100 and canceled it. 580 00:27:59,133 --> 00:28:01,666 VAN DER LINDEN: The country wasn't completely behind the idea 581 00:28:01,700 --> 00:28:03,033 of building an SST, 582 00:28:03,066 --> 00:28:05,300 certainly not with taxpayer dollars. 583 00:28:05,333 --> 00:28:08,333 So the aircraft was defeated in Congress. 584 00:28:08,366 --> 00:28:10,900 By a very narrow vote, but it was defeated. 585 00:28:10,933 --> 00:28:14,066 And so the U.S. SST program failed. 586 00:28:14,100 --> 00:28:16,166 (crowd murmuring) 587 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:17,933 NARRATOR: In an ironic twist, 588 00:28:17,966 --> 00:28:21,800 at the end of that same year, at a meeting in the Azores, 589 00:28:21,833 --> 00:28:24,800 Nixon met French President Georges Pompidou, 590 00:28:24,833 --> 00:28:27,766 who flew in on the first Concorde prototype. 591 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:31,233 NIXON: When I arrived at the airport, 592 00:28:31,266 --> 00:28:35,300 on the Spirit of '76, a Boeing 707, 593 00:28:35,333 --> 00:28:38,733 I saw parked in front of me a Concorde, 594 00:28:38,766 --> 00:28:41,266 which had carried the president of France. 595 00:28:41,300 --> 00:28:46,666 And our ambassador to France, Mr. Watson, 596 00:28:46,700 --> 00:28:49,566 pointed out that he had come from France 597 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:51,233 at a speed three times as fast 598 00:28:51,266 --> 00:28:53,033 as we had come from the United States. 599 00:28:55,300 --> 00:28:57,733 (Pinet speaking French) 600 00:28:57,766 --> 00:28:59,800 PINET (translated): At the end of the conference, 601 00:28:59,833 --> 00:29:02,900 each president was walking back to his own plane, 602 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:08,466 and then I suddenly see Nixon stop, 603 00:29:08,500 --> 00:29:10,633 so his delegation stops too. 604 00:29:10,666 --> 00:29:15,566 He turns around and comes toward the Concorde. 605 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,400 President Nixon walks up the stepladder 606 00:29:18,433 --> 00:29:20,866 and greets us. 607 00:29:20,900 --> 00:29:23,300 We explained the Concorde to him. 608 00:29:23,333 --> 00:29:26,500 He stayed in the cabin for a few minutes, 609 00:29:26,533 --> 00:29:27,900 and then he said, 610 00:29:27,933 --> 00:29:31,366 "Well, in the end, it's you who were right," 611 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:32,666 and he left. 612 00:29:32,700 --> 00:29:34,800 NARRATOR: Even though Concorde 613 00:29:34,833 --> 00:29:38,600 was not yet certified for commercial flight, 614 00:29:38,633 --> 00:29:40,100 Queen Elizabeth and President Pompidou 615 00:29:40,133 --> 00:29:45,500 were already posing onboard to promote the new plane. 616 00:29:45,533 --> 00:29:47,066 But there were significant concerns 617 00:29:47,100 --> 00:29:48,200 about its profitability. 618 00:29:48,233 --> 00:29:51,366 Fuel prices were rising sharply, 619 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:54,300 and the potential for Concorde to ever make money 620 00:29:54,333 --> 00:29:56,400 was questionable. 621 00:29:56,433 --> 00:29:59,966 Still, by 1972 622 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:03,166 the excitement about supersonic passenger travel 623 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:05,800 led 16 airlines around the world 624 00:30:05,833 --> 00:30:08,966 to place sales options on Concorde. 625 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:11,266 VAN DER LINDEN: In the airline business, when there's a new airplane, 626 00:30:11,300 --> 00:30:14,733 especially one that promises, you know, great new performance, 627 00:30:14,766 --> 00:30:16,433 many airlines are interested to get onboard 628 00:30:16,466 --> 00:30:18,900 and they place options on the aircraft. 629 00:30:18,933 --> 00:30:21,333 Not orders, they're options. 630 00:30:21,366 --> 00:30:23,666 And quite a few aircraft placed options, including Pan Am. 631 00:30:23,700 --> 00:30:27,300 But when Pan Am and every other airline 632 00:30:27,333 --> 00:30:30,766 actually looked at the numbers after the test flights, 633 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,733 and they realized this aircraft could not make money, 634 00:30:33,766 --> 00:30:35,366 they canceled their options. 635 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:39,266 NARRATOR: In the end, the only sales were 636 00:30:39,300 --> 00:30:42,600 to the French and British government-owned airlines. 637 00:30:42,633 --> 00:30:45,266 They bought 14 Concordes in all-- 638 00:30:45,300 --> 00:30:46,933 seven for Air France 639 00:30:46,966 --> 00:30:51,733 and seven for B.O.A.C., which later became British Air. 640 00:30:53,333 --> 00:30:55,533 ♪ 641 00:30:55,566 --> 00:30:57,466 The 1973 Paris Air Show 642 00:30:57,500 --> 00:31:03,233 was the first time the Russian TU-144 and the Concorde 643 00:31:03,266 --> 00:31:04,400 were presented together 644 00:31:04,433 --> 00:31:07,366 for fly-by demonstrations at subsonic speed. 645 00:31:08,933 --> 00:31:10,633 Concorde went first, 646 00:31:10,666 --> 00:31:13,766 taking off and landing smoothly. 647 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:16,966 Then the Soviet plane roared down the runway. 648 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:22,866 (jet engines rumbling) 649 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:28,933 (explosion) 650 00:31:30,133 --> 00:31:31,433 A few minutes later, 651 00:31:31,466 --> 00:31:33,366 to the shock of everyone watching, 652 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:36,966 it broke up in flight and crashed. 653 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:38,166 Everyone onboard 654 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,700 and eight people on the ground were killed. 655 00:31:41,733 --> 00:31:43,500 (Turcat speaking French) 656 00:31:43,533 --> 00:31:47,433 (translated): We clearly saw pieces come off the plane before it crashed, 657 00:31:47,466 --> 00:31:49,566 hitting the ground in two different places. 658 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:54,000 (translated): It's a big setback for the Soviets. 659 00:31:54,033 --> 00:31:56,100 Yes, and for us. 660 00:31:56,133 --> 00:31:57,366 We share... 661 00:31:57,400 --> 00:31:58,566 Do you think that it 662 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:00,933 will compromise their supersonic program? 663 00:32:00,966 --> 00:32:02,233 I don't think so. 664 00:32:02,266 --> 00:32:04,133 I think they have more guts than that. 665 00:32:04,166 --> 00:32:07,066 Just as we would if such a situation occurred. 666 00:32:07,100 --> 00:32:10,500 ♪ 667 00:32:12,533 --> 00:32:16,366 NARRATOR: The cause of the crash was never officially determined. 668 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:20,633 The TU-144 was put into service in 1977, 669 00:32:20,666 --> 00:32:23,133 but it was plagued by mechanical problems 670 00:32:23,166 --> 00:32:26,100 and another crash. 671 00:32:26,133 --> 00:32:28,966 It stopped flying passengers after only 55 flights 672 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:33,833 and was retired for good a few years later. 673 00:32:37,266 --> 00:32:44,066 ♪ 674 00:32:44,100 --> 00:32:48,066 But in Paris and London, the long wait was over at last. 675 00:32:48,100 --> 00:32:52,033 After more than 13 years of joint effort, 676 00:32:52,066 --> 00:32:55,933 the dream plane was finally taking off. 677 00:32:55,966 --> 00:32:58,933 On January 21, 1976, 678 00:32:58,966 --> 00:33:01,366 for the first time, 679 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:03,566 passengers arrived at their boarding gates 680 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:06,333 with tickets stamped "Concorde." 681 00:33:06,366 --> 00:33:12,200 ♪ 682 00:33:12,233 --> 00:33:14,333 Just before noon, 683 00:33:14,366 --> 00:33:18,533 a British Airways Concorde left the gate at Heathrow Airport. 684 00:33:18,566 --> 00:33:21,200 Its destination: Bahrain. 685 00:33:21,233 --> 00:33:23,666 At the very same second, 686 00:33:23,700 --> 00:33:26,733 an Air France Concorde to Rio de Janeiro 687 00:33:26,766 --> 00:33:29,000 rolled down the runway in Paris. 688 00:33:29,033 --> 00:33:34,233 The double takeoff was broadcast live. 689 00:33:34,266 --> 00:33:36,633 199 people 690 00:33:36,666 --> 00:33:40,133 were the first commercial passengers in the world 691 00:33:40,166 --> 00:33:43,500 to fly over 1,300 miles an hour. 692 00:33:43,533 --> 00:33:46,666 JOHN: They did something that nobody else in history has ever done. 693 00:33:46,700 --> 00:33:51,166 You had this aeroplane that operated like a fighter plane 694 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:54,500 but carried people in comfort. 695 00:33:54,533 --> 00:33:55,966 You weren't wearing an oxygen mask. 696 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:58,966 You were sipping champagne and enjoying fine food. 697 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:02,600 (speaking French) 698 00:34:02,633 --> 00:34:04,466 (man speaking French in voiceover) 699 00:34:04,500 --> 00:34:06,366 ALAIN VERSCHUEÈRE (translated): Passengers loved that party feeling, 700 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:09,433 when you toasted with champagne glasses on a magic plane, 701 00:34:09,466 --> 00:34:11,199 and ideally it was when 702 00:34:11,233 --> 00:34:15,100 the Machmeter indicated the breaking of the sound barrier, 703 00:34:15,133 --> 00:34:16,933 and then at Mach 2.2. 704 00:34:16,966 --> 00:34:18,233 Those were the moments 705 00:34:18,266 --> 00:34:20,199 when passengers liked to be photographed 706 00:34:20,233 --> 00:34:22,533 in front of the Machmeter. 707 00:34:23,699 --> 00:34:26,100 While passengers were enjoying the ride, 708 00:34:26,133 --> 00:34:30,400 many amazing innovations were at work in flying Concorde. 709 00:34:30,433 --> 00:34:33,233 ♪ 710 00:34:33,266 --> 00:34:36,433 When it went from subsonic to supersonic speed, 711 00:34:36,466 --> 00:34:39,433 the shockwave pushed its center of lift backwards, 712 00:34:39,466 --> 00:34:41,100 increasing drag. 713 00:34:41,133 --> 00:34:45,100 In order to keep the cabin horizontal and stable, 714 00:34:45,133 --> 00:34:48,933 engineers came up with an ingenious system. 715 00:34:48,966 --> 00:34:50,966 HUTCHINSON: So what did the designers 716 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:52,466 come up with as a solution? 717 00:34:52,500 --> 00:34:55,300 They said, "Okay, if the shockwave 718 00:34:55,333 --> 00:34:59,033 "is pushing the center of lift back down the wing, 719 00:34:59,066 --> 00:35:00,600 "why don't we change the position 720 00:35:00,633 --> 00:35:02,366 of the center of gravity as well?" 721 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:06,633 NARRATOR: The only weight that could be moved around in flight 722 00:35:06,666 --> 00:35:10,500 to change Concorde's center of gravity was the fuel-- 723 00:35:10,533 --> 00:35:15,433 more than 31,000 gallons in 13 separate tanks. 724 00:35:17,066 --> 00:35:19,533 VAN DER LINDEN: One of the most technologically significant features 725 00:35:19,566 --> 00:35:21,133 of the Concorde you can't see 726 00:35:21,166 --> 00:35:23,066 was the ability to transfer fuel 727 00:35:23,100 --> 00:35:25,133 from fuel tanks at the front and fuel tanks in the back 728 00:35:25,166 --> 00:35:27,200 as the aircraft transitioned 729 00:35:27,233 --> 00:35:29,833 to supersonic speed and back to subsonic speed. 730 00:35:29,866 --> 00:35:32,400 They had very high-speed pumps 731 00:35:32,433 --> 00:35:34,500 that were able to transfer the fuel fore and aft, 732 00:35:34,533 --> 00:35:35,933 depending on what was required. 733 00:35:35,966 --> 00:35:38,100 And that helped balance the aircraft out 734 00:35:38,133 --> 00:35:39,600 and change the center of gravity. 735 00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:45,500 NARRATOR: Supersonic speed also meant that the exterior of the plane, 736 00:35:45,533 --> 00:35:47,000 made of aluminum, 737 00:35:47,033 --> 00:35:51,733 got so hot that it actually stretched during flight. 738 00:35:51,766 --> 00:35:52,866 VAN DER LINDEN: The Concorde was designed 739 00:35:52,900 --> 00:35:56,133 to expand almost nine inches in flight. 740 00:35:56,166 --> 00:35:58,566 The floor itself sits on rollers, 741 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:01,900 and the aircraft expands and contracts underneath it, 742 00:36:01,933 --> 00:36:04,633 but you never notice it when you're in flight. 743 00:36:04,666 --> 00:36:06,433 The only thing you notice after about three hours, 744 00:36:06,466 --> 00:36:08,266 it's getting kind of warm in the airplane, 745 00:36:08,300 --> 00:36:11,633 and the window, which is no larger than your hand, 746 00:36:11,666 --> 00:36:14,066 is actually hot to the touch. 747 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:18,700 NARRATOR: But while Concorde was a technological success, 748 00:36:18,733 --> 00:36:20,500 concerns continued to grow 749 00:36:20,533 --> 00:36:23,366 about whether it would ever be a financial one. 750 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:28,633 Its biggest potential market, New York, was off limits. 751 00:36:29,733 --> 00:36:31,700 Because of the sonic boom 752 00:36:31,733 --> 00:36:33,900 and the noise from takeoff and landing, 753 00:36:33,933 --> 00:36:36,133 the Port Authority would not allow it 754 00:36:36,166 --> 00:36:39,100 to fly into the city. 755 00:36:39,133 --> 00:36:40,766 (cars honking) 756 00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:41,966 VAN DER LINDEN: In the United States, 757 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:45,200 there was a great deal of pushback in New York, 758 00:36:45,233 --> 00:36:47,600 because of environmental reasons, 759 00:36:47,633 --> 00:36:50,100 particularly sound. 760 00:36:50,133 --> 00:36:55,233 The Concorde on takeoff is extremely loud. 761 00:36:55,266 --> 00:36:57,733 I mean, it's got four bomber engines on it 762 00:36:57,766 --> 00:36:59,300 with afterburners. 763 00:36:59,333 --> 00:37:01,400 And when those engines are lit, 764 00:37:01,433 --> 00:37:04,033 it's very, very loud. 765 00:37:04,066 --> 00:37:06,800 It shakes the windows. 766 00:37:06,833 --> 00:37:12,433 (jet engines roaring) 767 00:37:16,533 --> 00:37:18,233 You're flying a very loud airplane 768 00:37:18,266 --> 00:37:21,000 over one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. 769 00:37:21,033 --> 00:37:25,500 So there's going to be a lot of unhappy people on the ground. 770 00:37:25,533 --> 00:37:27,466 NARRATOR: Without New York routes, 771 00:37:27,500 --> 00:37:31,566 there was no guarantee that Concorde could survive. 772 00:37:35,266 --> 00:37:38,333 The noise from supersonic flight was a bigger problem 773 00:37:38,366 --> 00:37:40,066 than just landing in New York. 774 00:37:40,100 --> 00:37:44,866 In fact, any supersonic flight over land by civilian planes 775 00:37:44,900 --> 00:37:47,733 was banned in 1973 776 00:37:47,766 --> 00:37:50,533 and is still against U.S. law. 777 00:37:50,566 --> 00:37:53,766 That's because the sonic boom is heard on the ground 778 00:37:53,800 --> 00:37:58,066 under the entire flight path of a supersonic plane. 779 00:37:58,100 --> 00:37:59,733 COEN: We call it the carpet, 780 00:37:59,766 --> 00:38:01,866 it's essentially right directly under the flight path 781 00:38:01,900 --> 00:38:03,100 of the airplane, 782 00:38:03,133 --> 00:38:05,200 up to 25 miles on either side, 783 00:38:05,233 --> 00:38:08,033 is exposed to the sonic boom sound. 784 00:38:08,066 --> 00:38:10,000 If you do fly over land supersonic, 785 00:38:10,033 --> 00:38:13,700 there is a lot of people that could be disturbed by the sound. 786 00:38:13,733 --> 00:38:17,666 NARRATOR: But there are almost five times as many people 787 00:38:17,700 --> 00:38:21,800 flying on U.S. airlines today as there were in the '70s-- 788 00:38:21,833 --> 00:38:24,433 so any breakthrough that could speed up travel 789 00:38:24,466 --> 00:38:26,900 would be a huge advantage. 790 00:38:26,933 --> 00:38:29,666 NASA PILOT (on radio): NASA ground, cover zero seven control. 791 00:38:29,700 --> 00:38:30,933 NASA GROUND: NASA Ground, copy, 12,000, 792 00:38:30,966 --> 00:38:32,666 and we are ready for you on the ground. 793 00:38:32,700 --> 00:38:34,566 NARRATOR: For decades, scientists at NASA 794 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:37,066 have been trying to answer a key question: 795 00:38:37,100 --> 00:38:42,133 could they design a quieter supersonic plane? 796 00:38:42,166 --> 00:38:44,133 The solution might lie 797 00:38:44,166 --> 00:38:45,933 in changing the shape of the shockwaves 798 00:38:45,966 --> 00:38:49,033 that produce sonic booms in the air. 799 00:38:50,566 --> 00:38:53,566 COEN: We call the sonic boom the N-wave, 800 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:56,166 and that's because if you plot it on paper, 801 00:38:56,200 --> 00:39:00,200 you have a large spike, a gradual decrease in pressure, 802 00:39:00,233 --> 00:39:02,733 and then another large spike. 803 00:39:02,766 --> 00:39:03,866 So you hear the bang-bang. 804 00:39:03,900 --> 00:39:04,966 (two loud booms in quick succession) 805 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:06,066 What we're trying to do is 806 00:39:06,100 --> 00:39:07,433 we're trying to change those spikes 807 00:39:07,466 --> 00:39:11,166 into a more gradual pressure rise. 808 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:12,400 So instead of an N, 809 00:39:12,433 --> 00:39:14,733 you've got more like an S lying on its side. 810 00:39:14,766 --> 00:39:17,200 And you don't get a bang anymore. 811 00:39:17,233 --> 00:39:19,566 ♪ 812 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:22,600 NARRATOR: Test pilots like Nils Larson already know 813 00:39:22,633 --> 00:39:24,833 that certain flight maneuvers make a lot less noise. 814 00:39:24,866 --> 00:39:28,033 And he helps the researchers make recordings 815 00:39:28,066 --> 00:39:30,333 with a daring dive. 816 00:39:30,366 --> 00:39:34,500 LARSON: We start up at about 49,500 feet, roughly. 817 00:39:34,533 --> 00:39:37,066 (engine roaring) 818 00:39:37,100 --> 00:39:38,766 And then they give us a point based on winds 819 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:40,033 and where they have the microphones 820 00:39:40,066 --> 00:39:41,300 and that kind of stuff. 821 00:39:41,333 --> 00:39:45,233 And so you point the nose at the ground, 53 degrees. 822 00:39:45,266 --> 00:39:48,900 It feels just like you're going straight down. 823 00:39:48,933 --> 00:39:52,200 It can get pretty exciting pretty quickly. 824 00:39:52,233 --> 00:39:56,633 And that produces a shaped boom. 825 00:39:56,666 --> 00:40:00,533 And it sounds a little bit more like distant rolling thunder 826 00:40:00,566 --> 00:40:02,500 instead of the typical N-wave 827 00:40:02,533 --> 00:40:05,533 that kind of gives you that crack-crack sound. 828 00:40:07,033 --> 00:40:10,833 NARRATOR: A passenger plane would never be able to fly like this. 829 00:40:10,866 --> 00:40:14,266 But Peter Coen and David Richwine lead a team 830 00:40:14,300 --> 00:40:17,400 that's designed a model of an experimental plane 831 00:40:17,433 --> 00:40:20,833 they hope will produce this kind of softer boom. 832 00:40:20,866 --> 00:40:25,000 It starts with a nose that's even longer than Concorde's, 833 00:40:25,033 --> 00:40:28,166 to help dissipate the shockwave in front of the plane. 834 00:40:29,533 --> 00:40:32,200 COEN: So normally what would happen with a conventional nose 835 00:40:32,233 --> 00:40:34,500 is you'd have a fairly strong shockwave 836 00:40:34,533 --> 00:40:36,766 on the nose of the airplane. 837 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:38,300 So, by giving it this long, slender shape, 838 00:40:38,333 --> 00:40:39,866 we're replacing that shockwave 839 00:40:39,900 --> 00:40:41,300 with a more gradual compression, 840 00:40:41,333 --> 00:40:45,666 which essentially makes for less noise 841 00:40:45,700 --> 00:40:48,600 up when the whole signature actually reaches the ground. 842 00:40:48,633 --> 00:40:53,366 NARRATOR: Another new feature is putting the engine on top of the wings, 843 00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:55,266 instead of underneath them. 844 00:40:55,300 --> 00:40:57,266 This will send part of the shockwave 845 00:40:57,300 --> 00:41:00,266 at the back of the plane up, into the atmosphere, 846 00:41:00,300 --> 00:41:03,566 instead of down to the ground. 847 00:41:03,600 --> 00:41:05,900 RICHWINE: So you're not going to hear that startling boom. 848 00:41:05,933 --> 00:41:08,933 You're going to hear more like a, a thump 849 00:41:08,966 --> 00:41:10,733 that you might hear, like, in an apartment next door 850 00:41:10,766 --> 00:41:12,066 if someone was closing their door 851 00:41:12,100 --> 00:41:13,266 or something like that. 852 00:41:13,300 --> 00:41:16,066 (jet engine rumbling) 853 00:41:16,100 --> 00:41:17,533 (faint boom) 854 00:41:17,566 --> 00:41:19,333 NARRATOR: The recordings from Larson's test flights 855 00:41:19,366 --> 00:41:23,633 and computer models of the sound a new design might make 856 00:41:23,666 --> 00:41:28,500 are used to test how people on the ground react. 857 00:41:28,533 --> 00:41:32,266 ALEXANDRA LOUBEAU: We bring in people from the general public. 858 00:41:32,300 --> 00:41:33,966 They basically rated their annoyance on a scale 859 00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:36,600 of "Not at all annoying" to "Extremely annoying." 860 00:41:36,633 --> 00:41:38,966 And then in yet other studies, 861 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:41,500 we added a vibration component, 862 00:41:41,533 --> 00:41:43,066 so they were sitting 863 00:41:43,100 --> 00:41:44,200 on chairs that were shaking. 864 00:41:44,233 --> 00:41:45,600 And so you don't necessarily hear that, 865 00:41:45,633 --> 00:41:47,366 but you feel the vibration, 866 00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:50,566 and so that changed the overall experience. 867 00:41:51,633 --> 00:41:53,200 NARRATOR: When they find sound levels 868 00:41:53,233 --> 00:41:55,300 that people think are acceptable, 869 00:41:55,333 --> 00:41:56,633 they'll try to replicate them 870 00:41:56,666 --> 00:41:59,233 with a full-scale, operational plane 871 00:41:59,266 --> 00:42:00,800 based on the model. 872 00:42:00,833 --> 00:42:04,700 It will fly over communities across the country 873 00:42:04,733 --> 00:42:07,566 to see how the sound plays out in different altitudes, 874 00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:11,900 different seasons, and different weather. 875 00:42:11,933 --> 00:42:14,666 No one is sure of the outcome, 876 00:42:14,700 --> 00:42:17,866 but the data will be presented to the F.A.A. 877 00:42:17,900 --> 00:42:21,900 If regulations about supersonic flight over land change, 878 00:42:21,933 --> 00:42:23,466 that could open up the market 879 00:42:23,500 --> 00:42:27,166 for a new generation of passenger planes 880 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:32,166 almost as fast as Concorde, but much quieter. 881 00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:34,133 So really we would like to take the boom out of the boom. 882 00:42:34,166 --> 00:42:36,366 If I think into the future, 883 00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:38,133 I would really like to be able to imagine 884 00:42:38,166 --> 00:42:42,300 that I could get on a sleek, new, quiet supersonic airliner 885 00:42:42,333 --> 00:42:45,766 and get to where I'm going in half the time. 886 00:42:49,933 --> 00:42:52,300 NARRATOR: Ultimately, it was a court decision 887 00:42:52,333 --> 00:42:55,600 that allowed Concorde to land in New York. 888 00:42:55,633 --> 00:42:58,366 But the pilots changed their approach, 889 00:42:58,400 --> 00:43:00,500 slowing down to subsonic speed 890 00:43:00,533 --> 00:43:02,766 while they were still over the Atlantic, 891 00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:06,166 so that people on the ground would not hear the sonic boom 892 00:43:06,200 --> 00:43:08,200 on landing. 893 00:43:08,233 --> 00:43:10,466 (speaking French) 894 00:43:10,500 --> 00:43:13,300 (translated): So British and French engineers and pilots 895 00:43:13,333 --> 00:43:17,166 had to come up with incredibly complicated flight maneuvers, 896 00:43:17,200 --> 00:43:20,200 ingenious maneuvers, 897 00:43:20,233 --> 00:43:22,766 to prevent Concorde from making too much noise 898 00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:24,533 over residential areas. 899 00:43:26,800 --> 00:43:29,500 As a result, New York takeoffs and landings 900 00:43:29,533 --> 00:43:32,000 were no picnic for the pilot. 901 00:43:32,033 --> 00:43:34,666 It was tough. (chuckles) 902 00:43:34,700 --> 00:43:39,200 ♪ 903 00:43:39,233 --> 00:43:41,433 NARRATOR: Despite the tricky landing procedures, 904 00:43:41,466 --> 00:43:45,533 in November 1977, two Concordes-- 905 00:43:45,566 --> 00:43:47,400 one French and one British-- 906 00:43:47,433 --> 00:43:51,166 finally arrived in New York. 907 00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:53,133 And the opening of the first supersonic routes 908 00:43:53,166 --> 00:43:54,633 between Europe and New York 909 00:43:54,666 --> 00:43:59,033 kicked off what came to be called "Concorde-mania." 910 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:02,600 (Verschuère speaking French) 911 00:44:02,633 --> 00:44:04,666 VERSCHUEÈRE (translated): All the fashion models took the Concorde, 912 00:44:04,700 --> 00:44:06,266 show business people, actors, 913 00:44:06,300 --> 00:44:10,266 and politicians, of course. 914 00:44:10,300 --> 00:44:12,333 When there were U.N. general assemblies in New York, 915 00:44:12,366 --> 00:44:15,833 in the front cabin, you'd have five or six prime ministers, 916 00:44:15,866 --> 00:44:16,900 two presidents. 917 00:44:16,933 --> 00:44:18,866 It was the world's rich and powerful 918 00:44:18,900 --> 00:44:20,966 who traveled on Concorde. 919 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:22,800 ♪ 920 00:44:22,833 --> 00:44:26,666 NARRATOR: Flying on Concorde was also the ultimate assignment 921 00:44:26,700 --> 00:44:29,066 for the cabin crews. 922 00:44:29,100 --> 00:44:30,700 ARMSTRONG: It was such a privilege, 923 00:44:30,733 --> 00:44:34,366 because you were flying the flagship of the airline. 924 00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:36,433 And, you know, we were so nervous, 925 00:44:36,466 --> 00:44:37,733 even though we had 926 00:44:37,766 --> 00:44:39,733 years of experience flying. 927 00:44:39,766 --> 00:44:43,400 It was, it was a whole different game. 928 00:44:45,133 --> 00:44:47,100 (Verschuère speaking French) 929 00:44:47,133 --> 00:44:49,700 (translated): Michael Jackson was a frequent Concorde flyer, 930 00:44:49,733 --> 00:44:52,900 and his little indulgence was to get a Big Mac. 931 00:44:52,933 --> 00:44:56,433 Not a big deal, but not so easy to make on a plane. 932 00:44:56,466 --> 00:44:59,166 So we'd get the Big Mac at the airport 933 00:44:59,200 --> 00:45:01,633 and reheat it onboard to please him. 934 00:45:01,666 --> 00:45:03,500 ♪ 935 00:45:03,533 --> 00:45:07,200 NARRATOR: But the speed and glamor came with a very high price tag. 936 00:45:08,766 --> 00:45:13,400 In 1978 a round-trip ticket from New York to London or Paris 937 00:45:13,433 --> 00:45:15,733 cost about $1,500, 938 00:45:15,766 --> 00:45:19,533 which would be almost $6,000 today. 939 00:45:19,566 --> 00:45:22,433 Over its time in service, 940 00:45:22,466 --> 00:45:23,966 the round-trip price went up 941 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:27,500 to the equivalent of more than $14,000. 942 00:45:30,300 --> 00:45:34,400 As oil prices skyrocketed through the '70s and early '80s, 943 00:45:34,433 --> 00:45:38,533 Concorde's huge fuel consumption also became a problem. 944 00:45:38,566 --> 00:45:42,666 It burned at least twice as much fuel per passenger as a 747, 945 00:45:42,700 --> 00:45:44,466 and that meant that longer 946 00:45:44,500 --> 00:45:47,300 transcontinental flights were impossible. 947 00:45:47,333 --> 00:45:51,800 And pollution from the plane's high-altitude exhaust emissions 948 00:45:51,833 --> 00:45:55,533 was becoming a serious environmental concern. 949 00:45:57,400 --> 00:45:59,400 So even as it kept flying, 950 00:45:59,433 --> 00:46:05,100 there was more and more doubt about a supersonic future. 951 00:46:05,133 --> 00:46:08,133 VAN DER LINDEN: It was just not affordable. 952 00:46:08,166 --> 00:46:10,800 And you have to understand, it's an airliner. 953 00:46:10,833 --> 00:46:13,266 It's a tool for airlines to make money. 954 00:46:13,300 --> 00:46:16,700 This is a case of the economics trumping everything else. 955 00:46:16,733 --> 00:46:19,833 If it doesn't pay its way, it won't survive. 956 00:46:19,866 --> 00:46:24,400 ♪ 957 00:46:28,300 --> 00:46:31,633 NARRATOR: On the afternoon of July 25, 2000, 958 00:46:31,666 --> 00:46:34,233 an Air France Concorde to New York 959 00:46:34,266 --> 00:46:36,433 left the gate in Paris. 960 00:46:37,600 --> 00:46:41,566 Onboard were 100 passengers and nine crew. 961 00:46:43,933 --> 00:46:46,633 Just as it was taking off, 962 00:46:46,666 --> 00:46:49,133 an air traffic controller told the pilot 963 00:46:49,166 --> 00:46:53,000 he saw flames at the rear of the aircraft. 964 00:46:53,033 --> 00:46:54,500 HUTCHINSON: My mobile phone rang. 965 00:46:54,533 --> 00:46:58,333 And I picked it up, answered it, I said "Hello?" 966 00:46:58,366 --> 00:47:01,933 And the voice said, "Is that Captain Hutchinson?" 967 00:47:01,966 --> 00:47:03,933 I said, "Yes, it is." 968 00:47:03,966 --> 00:47:05,966 And they said, "It's the BBC here. 969 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:09,700 We want to interview you about the Concorde crash." 970 00:47:09,733 --> 00:47:13,600 (alarms blaring) 971 00:47:13,633 --> 00:47:16,600 NARRATOR: A cascade of events had gone wrong. 972 00:47:18,700 --> 00:47:21,866 The plane was overweight. 973 00:47:21,900 --> 00:47:25,033 There was a sudden change in wind direction 974 00:47:25,066 --> 00:47:27,500 but no change in runway. 975 00:47:27,533 --> 00:47:29,666 And then a small piece of metal 976 00:47:29,700 --> 00:47:34,566 on the tarmac caused a tire to explode. 977 00:47:34,600 --> 00:47:36,400 The debris hit a gas tank. 978 00:47:36,433 --> 00:47:39,633 Fuel escaped, instantly caught fire, 979 00:47:39,666 --> 00:47:43,300 and caused a catastrophic loss of two of the engines. 980 00:47:43,333 --> 00:47:48,433 ♪ 981 00:47:48,466 --> 00:47:51,700 The death toll was 113, 982 00:47:51,733 --> 00:47:53,933 including four people on the ground. 983 00:47:56,066 --> 00:47:58,966 ARMSTRONG: I was at home, and somebody phoned me up. 984 00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:02,233 And I put on the TV. 985 00:48:02,266 --> 00:48:07,466 And it was the same impact as, almost as the Twin Towers, 986 00:48:07,500 --> 00:48:10,566 where you couldn't believe your eyes. 987 00:48:10,600 --> 00:48:14,400 ♪ 988 00:48:14,433 --> 00:48:16,700 (translated): Everybody thought I was onboard. 989 00:48:16,733 --> 00:48:19,900 But I was home, and it was very distressing. 990 00:48:19,933 --> 00:48:22,100 The irony for the Concorde is, 991 00:48:22,133 --> 00:48:23,366 until that loss, 992 00:48:23,400 --> 00:48:26,900 it was statistically the safest airplane in the sky. 993 00:48:26,933 --> 00:48:28,000 After the loss, 994 00:48:28,033 --> 00:48:30,800 it was statistically one of the least safe. 995 00:48:30,833 --> 00:48:32,900 That's only because it flew so seldomly. 996 00:48:32,933 --> 00:48:36,733 ♪ 997 00:48:36,766 --> 00:48:38,233 NARRATOR: After the crash, 998 00:48:38,266 --> 00:48:41,700 all Concordes were temporarily grounded. 999 00:48:41,733 --> 00:48:44,900 But even when flights resumed, 1000 00:48:44,933 --> 00:48:48,466 the supersonic plane's days were numbered. 1001 00:48:48,500 --> 00:48:50,800 Concorde would only be in service 1002 00:48:50,833 --> 00:48:53,700 for two more years. 1003 00:48:55,300 --> 00:48:58,633 ♪ 1004 00:48:58,666 --> 00:49:01,766 The dream of flying faster than sound 1005 00:49:01,800 --> 00:49:04,533 still makes headlines today. 1006 00:49:04,566 --> 00:49:07,300 Boeing is working on a plane the company hopes 1007 00:49:07,333 --> 00:49:11,900 will fly almost three times as fast as Concorde. 1008 00:49:11,933 --> 00:49:15,333 And Airbus has a concept for a plane 1009 00:49:15,366 --> 00:49:18,700 that could go from New York to London in an hour. 1010 00:49:20,633 --> 00:49:22,966 This research will likely take decades 1011 00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:25,633 before it's known if flying that fast-- 1012 00:49:25,666 --> 00:49:28,800 at hypersonic speed-- is really possible. 1013 00:49:32,200 --> 00:49:36,266 But start-up companies like Boom Technology in Denver 1014 00:49:36,300 --> 00:49:38,566 are already working on new planes 1015 00:49:38,600 --> 00:49:40,600 that build on the legacy of Concorde-- 1016 00:49:40,633 --> 00:49:42,800 despite the continued existence 1017 00:49:42,833 --> 00:49:46,633 of regulations against supersonic flight over land. 1018 00:49:46,666 --> 00:49:49,300 SCHOLL: It's not just New York to London; 1019 00:49:49,333 --> 00:49:52,766 it's San Francisco to Tokyo, L.A. to Sydney. 1020 00:49:52,800 --> 00:49:55,033 There are about 500 routes on the planet 1021 00:49:55,066 --> 00:49:56,933 that have enough traffic 1022 00:49:56,966 --> 00:49:59,500 for a supersonic flight to exist with our airplane 1023 00:49:59,533 --> 00:50:01,266 without flying supersonic over land. 1024 00:50:01,300 --> 00:50:02,566 ♪ 1025 00:50:02,600 --> 00:50:04,266 NARRATOR: Using computer simulations, 1026 00:50:04,300 --> 00:50:06,933 newer composite materials, 1027 00:50:06,966 --> 00:50:09,833 and different engine technology, 1028 00:50:09,866 --> 00:50:12,266 today's pioneers want to build supersonic jets 1029 00:50:12,300 --> 00:50:15,300 that will be more environmentally friendly 1030 00:50:15,333 --> 00:50:17,266 and more affordable. 1031 00:50:17,300 --> 00:50:18,666 SCHOLL: The way we've approached it at Boom 1032 00:50:18,700 --> 00:50:20,366 is to say, "Hey, let's start with Concorde. 1033 00:50:20,400 --> 00:50:21,900 "There's a design that we know worked. 1034 00:50:21,933 --> 00:50:23,933 "And what we have to do is improve upon it. 1035 00:50:23,966 --> 00:50:25,566 "Let's do something 1036 00:50:25,600 --> 00:50:27,600 "that's going to make economic sense for airlines, 1037 00:50:27,633 --> 00:50:30,266 that's going to make economic sense for passengers." 1038 00:50:30,300 --> 00:50:31,600 And, as a result, this is going to be sustainable. 1039 00:50:31,633 --> 00:50:33,100 This isn't going to be, you know, 1040 00:50:33,133 --> 00:50:35,466 a couple routes on the planet for some very wealthy people. 1041 00:50:35,500 --> 00:50:37,566 Ultimately, this is something that's going to go mainstream 1042 00:50:37,600 --> 00:50:39,900 and change the way all of us get around the planet. 1043 00:50:39,933 --> 00:50:43,766 ♪ 1044 00:50:49,900 --> 00:50:54,166 NARRATOR: The very last flights of Concorde were in 2003. 1045 00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:58,233 BANNISTER: Watching millions of people around the airport 1046 00:50:58,266 --> 00:51:00,966 waving and cheering-- 1047 00:51:01,000 --> 00:51:02,566 it was a very emotional moment, 1048 00:51:02,600 --> 00:51:05,266 and something I shall remember for the rest of my life. 1049 00:51:05,300 --> 00:51:08,833 (translated): This was the time when I realized 1050 00:51:08,866 --> 00:51:12,533 that I had participated in something exceptional. 1051 00:51:12,566 --> 00:51:15,400 ♪ 1052 00:51:15,433 --> 00:51:19,100 NARRATOR: The remarkable breakthroughs of Concorde 1053 00:51:19,133 --> 00:51:23,833 will always be a milestone in aviation history. 1054 00:51:23,866 --> 00:51:25,600 And if a quieter, 1055 00:51:25,633 --> 00:51:28,133 more cost-effective version of the legendary plane 1056 00:51:28,166 --> 00:51:29,166 can be built, 1057 00:51:29,200 --> 00:51:33,166 another new chapter will begin. 1058 00:51:36,200 --> 00:51:39,566 COEN: The U.S. was the first country to break the sound barrier 1059 00:51:39,600 --> 00:51:44,033 with Chuck Yeager in the '40s. 1060 00:51:44,066 --> 00:51:45,533 I like to think what we're doing 1061 00:51:45,566 --> 00:51:47,600 is going to break the sound barrier for the rest of us, 1062 00:51:47,633 --> 00:51:49,233 so that's pretty cool. 1063 00:51:49,266 --> 00:51:51,233 ♪ 1064 00:51:51,266 --> 00:51:53,033 (Verschuère speaking French) 1065 00:51:53,066 --> 00:51:54,700 VERSCHUEÈRE (translated): Even now, 1066 00:51:54,733 --> 00:51:55,833 on all the flights I worked, 1067 00:51:55,866 --> 00:51:57,766 there is someone on the crew who tells me, 1068 00:51:57,800 --> 00:52:03,100 "My regret is that I never flew on the Concorde." 1069 00:52:03,133 --> 00:52:06,900 ♪ 1070 00:52:12,733 --> 00:52:13,833 NARRATOR: On "NOVA"... 1071 00:52:13,866 --> 00:52:15,266 victims of a gruesome slaughter. 1072 00:52:15,300 --> 00:52:17,233 WOMAN: They've suffered extreme violence. 1073 00:52:17,266 --> 00:52:19,066 The rope is still visible around the neck. 1074 00:52:19,100 --> 00:52:23,400 NARRATOR: A moment of terror frozen for thousands of years. 1075 00:52:23,433 --> 00:52:25,866 MAN: This body goes back to the early Bronze Age. 1076 00:52:25,900 --> 00:52:28,100 NARRATOR: Can modern forensics solve the mystery 1077 00:52:28,133 --> 00:52:31,366 of who they were and how they died? 1078 00:52:31,400 --> 00:52:33,800 MAN 2: It's an image of ritual killing. 1079 00:52:33,833 --> 00:52:35,733 NARRATOR: "Ghosts of Murdered Kings," 1080 00:52:35,766 --> 00:52:37,733 next time on "NOVA." 1081 00:52:42,800 --> 00:52:44,366 Major funding for "NOVA" 1082 00:52:44,400 --> 00:52:46,533 is provided by the following: 1083 00:53:12,966 --> 00:53:15,666 To order this "NOVA" program on DVD, 1084 00:53:15,700 --> 00:53:20,566 visit shopPBS.org or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS. 1085 00:53:20,600 --> 00:53:24,533 This program is also available on Amazon Prime Video. 1086 00:53:25,566 --> 00:53:26,500 ♪