For a generation that never heard the sonic boom as Concorde broke the sound barrier overhead, the iconic white arrow-shaped aircraft dubbed “The Rocket” by British Airways is just a story our parents told.
Before we travel to the museum in Filton, Gloucestershire, that houses it, let’s take a trip back in time.
Aérospatiale/BAC’s Concorde – a joint Anglo-French effort – was first put into operation in 1976 and was retired in 2003, although its characteristic sonic boom was no longer heard above populated areas by the 1990s in the wake of complaints from those whose windows had been shattered. Concern from various governments meant the Concorde’s flights were later limited to mostly over water rather than land.
Way back when, though, Concorde was the future: a symbol of an aspirational age, a supersonic jet that smacked of luxury, flying the rich and famous across the Atlantic on a diet of free champagne and lobster. It halved your flying time over the pond.