Concorde Aerospatiale/Bac (Reg #F-WTBA) 1:500 Diecast Model Plane by Herpa

Concorde was a passenger airplane that flew faster than the speed of sound. It was made by the French company Aérospatiale and the British company British Aircraft Corporation. Concorde carried passengers from 1976 to 2003. Twenty aircraft were built.

Concorde flew across the Atlantic Ocean in a little less than 3.5 hours. Other airplanes take about eight hours.

When Concorde was being developed, orders from airlines to buy the plane were high. At the time, passenger planes that flew faster than the speed of sound were considered to be a big technological leap.

Some people did not like the sonic booms caused by Concorde flying faster than the speed of sound. They also complained of the noise Concorde made when taking off and landing. It was twice as loud as conventional passenger jets. Concorde was not allowed to fly over certain countries because of this. There were also concerns that having many Concordes in the air at once could damage the ozone layer. The price of fuel increased many times in the 1970s, but the Concorde also consumed much more fuel than a conventional passenger jet.