On board the paradox was that while claustrophobic with so much leather and claret and

On board, the paradox was that while claustrophobic, with so much leather and claret and smoked salmon and caviar, you didn’t want the journey to New York to be over in two hours 52 minutes You wanted it to go on for ever. That view of the purple sky and the curvature of the earth was unforgettable.American politicians griped at Concorde because they said it was “subsidised”, ignoring that Boeing’s entire commercial programme was underwritten by military contracts. The fact was that Boeing never made its SST (supersonic transport) while British Aerospace and Aerospatiale did.Never mind that, technically, Concorde dated from the Mini era: it was crude by contemporary standards with clockwork gauges, mechanical control lines and engines that sucked fuel like an erupting volcano in reverse.But none of this matters when compared with Concorde’s singular achievement: to demonstrate the beauty of technology. With its proboscic snout, its attenuated delta wings, its razor profile and its aristocratic demeanour, Concorde continues to make heads turn after a quarter-of-a century Beautiful? Unquestionably Useful? Probably Unforgettable? Certainly.

The Paris crash may be the end of a dream, but the vision remains intact.The consultant and writer Stephen Bayley’s books include ‘Style and Design’ and ‘Commerce and Culture’.. At Terminal 1, the brand new facility used by Air France and a handful of other international airlines at JFK Airport, all indication of the doomed incoming Concorde flight had been erased There was no mention of it on the hi-tech indicator boards. The main Air France desk at the upper departures level had a sign up – “Closed – fermé” It was deserted. At Terminal 1, the brand new facility used by Air France and a handful of other international airlines at JFK Airport, all indication of the doomed incoming Concorde flight had been erased There was no mention of it on the hi-tech indicator boards. The main Air France desk at the upper departures level had a sign up – “Closed – fermé”. It was deserted.
Evidence that something was terribly wrong was limited to the large number of police and emergency vehicles, parked where limousines would normally be.The main concern of the police and airport officials was keeping the ever-growing crowd of reporters from entering the building.The chartered Concorde flight had been due to arrive here at 2.21pm and pull into Gate No. 1, the normal berth for the Air France Concorde in New York.From JFK, the group of German tourists would have boarded waiting buses for the short journey to Manhattan harbour where they were to have spent two nights aboard a cruise liner, MS Deutschland.

All of them customers of a German package tours company, Peter Deilmann Cruises, they were then scheduled to leave New York on 27 July for an extensive Caribbean cruise.Air France in New York said that it had set up psychological counselling facilities in the upper level of Terminal 1. However, it was expected that these would be on offer mainly to Air France crew members and other airline employees.Because the package tourists were travelling to the United States on holiday, leaving friends and relatives back in Germany, there were no scenes of grieving relatives, as witnessed after recent air tragedies in the New York region, including the 1996 crash of TWA 800 and last year’s crash of an Egypt Air aircraft off the coast of Massachusetts.Meanwhile, a single Air France Concorde remained stationary on the tarmac at JFK Airport yesterday afternoon, its planned departure for Paris apparently delayed indefinitely.. More than 30 years after it first took to the air, people still stand and stare at its stark outline. In an era in which standardisation is the mantra of the all-powerful accountant, Concorde is something special.

More than 30 years after it first took to the air, people still stand and stare at its stark outline. In an era in which standardisation is the mantra of the all-powerful accountant, Concorde is something special.
This is aeronautical style This is a flying beast conceived in another age. A perfect paper dart in flight and a rather supercilious, if elegant, game bird on the ground.Concorde is powered not by the namby-pamby engines used on run-of-the- mill civil aircraft. This baby is powered by technology normally used for military planes. The Olympus engines have after-burners – a system that injects raw fuel into the tail end of the jets to give additional thrust.It is not especially kind to the passengers who are sufficiently privileged to board her Acceleration forces them back into their seats The steep take-off is more Nasa than British Airways.

But everyone wants to fly on it – if only once.Concorde is long and sleek, and there seems little window space for the intrepid pilots to see from The flight crew preside over the familiar, long nose. Passengers who first set eyes on it on the ground are amazed how small it is – almost as if they will be unable to stand up in it.On entering the passenger cabin of 100 seats, travellers are struck by the difference between this ageing technical marvel and the standard Boeing used on trips to Malaga. The jet has been built for speed, not necessarily comfort.The flight attendants recite the familiar litany of safety advice – although such an announcement can seem superfluous on such a super-fast aircraft. There is a deafening roar and a shudder and within seconds the Concorde is airborne.