Survival of the Craziest

According to Aerospace, the Concorde is the most successful supersonic commercial airliner of all time, with supercruise capability. Only 14 were in service. One of it’s many unique features was the “droop nose”, which allowed for different positioning of the nose for different operations (take off, landing, cruising). At speeds of up to 2170 kilometres per hour, it’s closest competitor was the strikingly similar Soviet Tupolv Tu-144, which never managed to gained the same amount of popularity. The Concorde was officially put out of service on 24 October, 2003.

What happened? A Concorde crash in July 2000 at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport, which killed 113 people, began the process that led to all Concordes — both French and British — being taken out of service in 2003.

The Concorde plane, was born of British and French collaboration, embarked on its maiden commercial flight in 1976.