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  • Supersonic: 10 facts about Concorde on its 50th Anniversary – Tech Digest

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    To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Concorde, the UK’s Royal Mail has released a special set of 12 stamps

    The golden age of aviation returns to the spotlight today as the UK celebrates the 50th anniversary of Concorde’s first commercial supersonic flights…

    Half a century ago, on January 21, 1976, the world (temporarily) grew smaller as British Airways and Air France launched Concorde with simultaneous departures from London and Paris, beginning a 27-year era of travel that remains unmatched.

    To commemorate the milestone, Royal Mail has released a special set of 12 stamps. These designs, featuring the King Charles III silhouette, claim to capture the aircraft’s “innovation, elegance, and engineering excellence.”

    The 50th anniversary celebration also includes co-ordinated “nose-drop” events across the UK, where preserved Concorde aircraft lower their famous drooped nose cones at the exact time (11:40 am) that the first flights took off in 1976.

    Here are 10 legendary facts about the “Queen of the Skies” on her 50th anniversary:

    1. The simultaneous debut: Concorde’s commercial life began with two flights at the same moment. British Airways flight BA300 departed London Heathrow for Bahrain, while an Air France flight took off from Paris for Rio de Janeiro.

    2. Record-breaking speed: Concorde typically cruised at 1,350 mph – more than twice the speed of sound. At this velocity, the aircraft was faster than a rifle bullet, capable of covering a mile in just 2.75 seconds.

    3. The ultimate New York sprint: The record for the fastest transatlantic passenger flight was set on February 7, 1996. A British Airways Concorde (G-BOAD) flew from New York’s JFK to London Heathrow in a staggering 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds.

    4. Youngest in the cockpit: In 1977, at the age of 28, Mike Bannister became the youngest pilot to join the British Airways Concorde fleet. He eventually rose to become Chief Pilot and captained the final commercial flight in 2003. For more info see here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3r1jzldnydo

    5. Stretching in the heat: Due to the intense friction of flying at Mach 2, the aircraft’s fuselage would heat up and expand. During a flight, Concorde actually stretched between 6 and 10 inches in length.

    6. A price tag for the elite: Luxury came at a premium. By the time it was retired in 2003, a standard return ticket from London to New York cost around £6,636 – equivalent to over £12,000 today. Passengers often joked they could arrive in New York before they had even left London due to the time difference.

    7. The only fatal tragedy: Despite being considered the safest plane in the world for years, Concorde’s legacy was forever changed by the crash of Air France Flight 4590 on July 25, 2000. Debris on the runway in Paris caused a tyre to burst, rupturing a fuel tank and leading to a fire that killed 113 people.

    8. The droop nose: The distinctive hydraulically operated nose cone was a necessity of engineering. It would tilt down by 12.5 degrees during take-off and landing so that pilots could actually see the runway, as the aircraft flew at a high angle of attack.

    9. Formation flying: To celebrate its 10th anniversary in service in 1986, British Airways performed a rare feat: flying four Concordes in close formation. This iconic moment is featured on one of the new Royal Mail commemorative stamps.

    10. The Final farewell Concorde’s last commercial flight took place on October 24, 2003, travelling from New York to London. It signalled the end of civilian supersonic travel, leaving a legacy of engineering brilliance that remains a symbol of British and French ambition today.

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    Chris Price

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  • NASA’s Supersonic Jet Finally Takes off for Its First Super Fast, Super Quiet Flight

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    NASA’s X-59 aircraft completed its first flight over the Southern California desert, bringing us closer to traveling at the speed of sound without the explosive, thunder-like clap that comes with it.

    The experimental aircraft, built by aerospace contractor Lockheed Martin, is designed to break the sound barrier, albeit to do it quietly. On Tuesday, X-59 took off from the company’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, for the first in its initial series of test flights. The plane aced its test, verifying the aircraft’s performance during an approximately hour-long flight before landing near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

    Keep it down

    When planes fly faster than the speed of sound, Mach 1, or about 767 miles per hour (1,234 kilometers per hour), they create a loud, explosive noise due to the shock waves created by the extreme speeds. The noise, known as a sonic boom, can startle people living in cities where supersonic jets fly overhead.

    In 1973, the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited supersonic flights of non-military aircraft over land to prevent the audible disturbance. At the time, aerospace technology was not nearly as advanced as it is today. Since then, however, research has shown ways to soften the sounds of supersonic flights. President Donald Trump reversed the ban on commercial supersonic flights in June, instructing the FAA to establish a standard for supersonic aircraft noise certification.

    NASA began working on a quiet supersonic aircraft nearly a decade ago, paying $518 million to Lockheed Martin to develop X-59. The plane’s sharp design is meant to reduce the pressure change that flows over the ground, thereby reducing the impact of sonic booms. X-59’s engine is mounted on top of the aircraft, which reduces the amount of noise from the plane that reaches the ground.

    “People below would hear sonic ‘thumps’ rather than booms, if they hear anything at all,” NASA wrote in a statement. Earlier this year, NASA wrapped up a series of tests on the single modified F414-GE-100 engine powering the entire plane and its subsystems. The engine testing made way for the X-59 to finally take flight.

    Over the coming months, NASA and Lockheed Martin will continue to test the in-flight capabilities of X-59, which will include the plane’s first supersonic flights. During those flights, the plane will attempt to reach its desired speed and altitude, along with a quiet, rather than sonic, boom. From there, NASA will begin to measure X-59’s sound signature and conduct community acceptance testing, according to Lockheed Martin.

    If commercial supersonic flights do make a comeback, it would greatly reduce travel time. Flying at a maximum speed of 1,345 miles per hour (2,179 kilometers per hour), you could fly from London to New York City via a quick, hopefully quiet, three-hour trip.

     

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    Passant Rabie

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  • Unbelievable facts

    Unbelievable facts

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    There were once supersonic passenger planes that could reach speeds of up to 1,354 mph. In…

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