Supersonic Planes

SUPERSONIC PLANES
Flying faster than the speed of sound has always been the sole proviso of the military, but in the late-Sixties, Russia, France, the UK and the US were all working on the idea of supersonic commercial
travel. Faster planes meant shorter travel times, increased demand and higher prices.

THE FIRST
1. Bell X-1 As well as being the first aircraft to break the speed of sound, the X-1 was the first in a long line of experimental, pioneering aircraft
THE FASTEST
2. SR-71 Blackbird A futuristic, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, the SR-71 was capable of up to Mach 3.35, or 2,275 miles per hour

THE FAILURE
3. Tupolev-144 (NATO code name – Charger) The TU-144 flew two months before Concorde in December 1968 but was ultimately scrapped due to lack of demand

 An aircraft that could fly across the Atlantic in less than three hours seemed as impossible as it was desirable
 Concorde was the result of France and the UK combining their efforts to produce a supersonic airliner and, even now, it’s impossible not to be impressed by its pioneering stature.