Concord Plane

Concord Plane

Technological features

Many features common in the early 21st century airliners were first used in Concorde.

For speed optimization:

double-delta (ogive) shaped wings

afterburning Roll-Royce/Snecma Olympus turbojets with supercruise capability

thrust-by-wire engines, ancestor of today's FADEC controlled engines

droop-nose section for good landing visibility

For weight saving and enhanced performance:

Mach 2.04 'sweet spot' for optimum fuel consumption (supersonic drag minimum, while jet engines are more efficient at high speed)

mostly aluminium construction for low weight and relatively conventional build full-regime autopilot and autothrottle allowing "hands off" control of the aircraft from climb out to landing

fully electrically-controlled, analog fly-by-wire flight controls systems

multifunction flight control surfaces

high-pressure hydraulic system of 28 MPa (4,000 lbf/in) for lighter hydraulic systems components

fully electrically controlled analog brake-by-wire system

pitch trim by shifting fuel around the fuselage for center-of-gravity control

parts milled from single alloy billet reducing the part number count.

Experience in making Concorde later became the basis of the Airbus consortium and many of these features are now standard equipment in Airbus airliners. Snecma Moteurs, for example, got its first entry into civil engines here. Experience with Concorde opened the way for it to establish CFM International, with GE producing the successful CFM International 56 series engines. The primary partners, BAC, later to become BAE Systems, and Aerospatiale, later to become EADS, are the joint owners of Concorde's type certificate. Responsibility for the Type Certificate transferred to Airbus with formation of Airbus SAS.