Concorde Prototypes In Production (1967)

Rupa Haria

The Concorde customer mockup at Filton will be used for interior design and later to test evacuation procedures.

The Concorde mockup is fully workable. It is used for systems installation tests and cockpit instrumentation work.

First twin-engine nacelle for the 001 prototype Concorde supersonic transport was manufactured at British Aircraft Corp.'s plant in Filton and shipped to Sud Aviation's factory in Toulouse.

The electrohydraulic actuator for the variable ramp in the Concorde engine inlet undergoes final check at the Air-Equipment plant, Asnières, France, prior to shipment to the British Aircraft Corp. in Filton. One actuator will be housed in each nacelle.

Workmen at Air-Equipment create the actuator for the Concorde droop nose fairing. This actuator was also shipped to BAC at Filton for installation in the second prototype being built there.

Workmen complete a fuselage section at Toulouse for the No.1 prototype.

Financial Challenges

Credit: Aviation Week Archive

The financing of the Concorde program, heavily backed by government subsidies, was also costly in the long run with neither recouping their development costs. The Concorde program was estimated to have surpassed £1.3 billion in costs. Despite early predictions of 150 aircraft being produced for operators, only 14 were built for commercial service.

Olympus 593 at the Patchway test facility.

No 1. prototype is being manufactured at Toulouse.

The customer's mockup of the Concorde crew compartment at Filton.

The No. 2 prototype takes shape at Filton.

The Development Of Supersonic Passenger Aircraft

Credit: Aviation Week Archive

Following the design and development of further aircraft inside military and space circles, the concept of supersonic aircraft crossed over into passenger travel. Russia, keen to edge ahead in the supersonic passenger travel race, developed its own supersonic passenger aircraft in the form of the Tupolev Tu-144. Russia’s supersonic aircraft effort had its first flight in 1968 but didn’t operate passenger flights until 1975. Concorde, an Anglo-French collaboration, was developed and undertook its first flight in 1969 before entering service in 1976, servicing routes from London and Paris to the U.S. and the Caribbean.

This double-page ad appeared in the same issue.

British and French aerospace industry officials were somewhat optimistic in 1967 when they projected a market for 350 Concordes by 1980. They did, however caution that the sales potential could be cut by as much as 40% if the sonic boom prohibited supersonic transport from flying over land.

The May 29, 1967 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology carried a series of photos from the Sud Aviation plant in Toulouse and the British Aircraft Corp. plant in Filton.

At the time the photos were taken, the structure of the first French-built Concorde prototype 001 was 90% complete, and scheduled to make its first flight on February 28, 1968. 

The second prototype at Filton, 002, was also on schedule and expected to fly six months after the French prototype.

Here are the photos and captions as originally published in Aviation Week & Space Technology.

Download and read the original report.

Rupa Haria

Rupa leads the Aviation Week Network's digital content strategy, content marketing and audience engagement.

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