TRANSATLANTIC SUPERSONIC

[Music] 9:00 a.m. düsseldorf burnt Ulric marketing director of a German machine - company he's got an important contract to sign in Dallas Texas he'll be there soon after 4:30 9:10 a.m. bahrain abdul Radwin diplomat bound for united nations emergency debate seven and a half thousand miles away in Manhattan this afternoon he'll be in New York at 3 o'clock 9:20 a.m. Everdeen Bob Hoffmeyer American oil rate superintendent back on dry land in Scotland after a months Duty 200 miles out in the North Sea he's got a date with his family in Houston he'll be in Texas by 5 o'clock 11:15 a.m. Paris Marie LeClair her business oka - she's got a lunchtime fashion show in Washington she will be an America at noon 11:30 a.m. London Max Turner television journalist with an urgent assignment in Kansas City he will be in the American Midwest at 4:20 [Applause] five people in a hurry five people for whom time is precious five members of the new generation of air travelers ready to pay a premium fare to cross the world at twice the speed and half the normal jet time they're heading for Heathrow London for today they are going transatlantic supersonic [Music] [Applause] [Music] for Abdel Rad one a supersonic connection British Airways Concorde flight 301 from Bahrain has flown in three and a half thousand miles to London in four and a quarter hours and his journey to America is already half completed for his baggage it's only a short journey to Concorde flight 579 already loading for Washington British Airways transatlantic concorde services have opened a new era in Swift daytime journeys from the Gulf and Europe to cities deep in the heart of America it's now possible to leave Bahrain at 9:45 in the morning and arrive Washington at midday leave Tehran 6 a.m. arrive Washington noon leave Stockholm 9 a.m. arrive Chicago had a quarter to 3 leave London 1 p.m. arrived Salt Lake City at 10 to 6 leave Zurich 9:15 a.m. arrive Kansas City at 20 past for seasonal scheduled changes may affect some of these times but they won't alter the convenience of the same day journey but Concorde speed in the air must be backed by streamlined passenger handling on the ground so at Heathrow it's the job of a special mobile unit to guarantee that passengers on incoming subsonic flights are transported quickly to Concorde Mobile transfer officer Tony Miller has a list of all Concorde passengers to be met off domestic and overseas flights arriving at Heathrow this morning his first rendezvous is with the Aberdeen Trident Bob Hoffmeyer hadn't expected this personal service nor had burned already from düsseldorf as he travels to terminal 3 in a special minibus Marie LeClair gets the high speed treatment reserved for minimum time transfers her connection from Paris allows only 60 minutes from Tristar arrival to Concorde departure so she gets a privileged journey across the airport tarmac direct to the Washington Concorde no long walk along terminal corridors for her she's checked in and allocated her seat by radio and her boarding pass issued mobile style 25 minutes after touchdown from Paris Marie LeClair is at the Concord gate meanwhile the transfer baggage is getting preferential treatment from terminal 1 & 2 it's on the way to Conchords home not forgotten des Marie LeClair suitcase which arrived in the container off the Paris Tristar the mobile unit is already collecting it 12:30 at the special Concord reception area a three minute walk from the aircraft max Turner is checking in would you like the smoking or non-smoking when they're seizing my 22 oh I fix it thank you very much bye-bye 12:40 20 minutes to departure flight 5 7 9 s 80 passengers have come together and here in the comfort of their Concord gate lounge they relax there is still time for a pre-flight bourbon an urgent cable black copy a last-minute phone call or to study that Dallas contract good afternoon ladies and gentlemen British Airways announced the departure of Concord supersonic flight e a 579 to Washington first passengers sitting in seat was 22 12:45 boarding is underway the first time a supersonic passenger finds himself in a surprisingly normal aircraft cabin he soon impressed by the comfort of the specially designed seats room for the tallest to stretch his legs there's plenty of storage space for briefcases and jackets and every inducement to relax in the air-conditioned all first-class cabin with its 100 seats a club like atmosphere created by the warm colors of the cabin decor and the two abreast seating [Music] one o'clock departure flight 579 is gently eased back from the jetty [Music] Concorde the most thoroughly tested aircraft in civil aviation history with its long slender fuselage and sculptured delta wing is the shape of high design technology created to operate with equally subsonically and up to twice the speed of sound faster than a rifle bullet nearly as long but around half the ORAC weight of a 747 on the flight deck the three-man crew two pilots and an engineer complete their checks lowering the nose to increase visibility for taxi and takeoff [Music] Conchords for big olympus engines pack more than double the thrust of a 707 [Music] but for the passengers there's nothing dramatic about the takeoff the only difference they may notice is the ground receding rather more rapidly than usual for Conchords climbs fast within minutes of takeoff they're already traveling at 650 miles an hour just below the speed of sound and soon enjoying free lunch aperitif good afternoon ladies and gentlemen this is captain Eames speaking some of you may have noticed we're just crossing the Bristol Channel and coming up to the Welsh coastline our routes on from here takes us briefly across South Wales then out to sea again as soon as we've cleared the coast we shall begin our acceleration to supersonic speed we pass about 40 miles south of Ireland maintaining the acceleration to our supersonic cruise speed of Mach two about thirteen hundred and fifty miles an hour across the Atlantic we should be flying at nearly twice the height of the subsonic traffic and just two hours out of London we shall pass south of Newfoundland then down past Nantucket Island we're at close to 60,000 feet our highest point we shall begin our deceleration and descent across Long Island subsonic Lee across the New Jersey coast about 40 miles south of New York across Maryland and into Washington three thousand seven hundred and seventy eight miles from London the flight time three hours 37 minutes 20 minutes out of London comes the moment some passengers have been awaiting with anticipation the transition from the subsonic to supersonic flight it's what Concorde is all about the acceleration through Mach 1 the speed of sound is accomplished so smoothly but for the cabin Marc meter and an announcement from the captain most passengers would be unaware of the transition they're more likely to be made aware of the event by people like Bob Hoffmeyer collecting a prize for the family album for some Concord has become a supersonic office others through complimentary headsets sample one of the five stereo channels of audio entertainment [Music] [Applause] as Concord begins its gentle cruise up to 57 thousand feet there's virtually no sensation of speed or height above the sky begins to assume a deep indigo blue far below the cloud tops create the illusion that the aircraft is stationary suspended in space its cruising up here where winds are light that makes it possible for Concord to operate punctually to arrive when the timetable says it will from island to the coast of Newfoundland is something like 2,000 miles Concorde flies it in just an hour and a half the time it takes to enjoy a leisurely meal with the choice of three main courses and a selection of vintage wines this is captain Eames again I thought you'd like to know that we're now cruising at MEC - that's twice the speed of sound one thousand three hundred and fifty miles an hour which is 23 miles a minute in fact as we head west we're travelling faster than the Sun beneath the cloud away to the north the coast of Nova Scotia in eastern Canada is sliding by salmon caviar duck food salad and Kirsch camembert and now a glass of port the rural village outside Dusseldorf he left a few short hours ago seems a world away for bantering time for Abdel Rodman has been beaten almost beyond belief he left Bahrain at 9:45 a.m. now as he sets his watch back to American time it is incredibly only 10:35 the same morning from nearly 60,000 feet about Nantucket Island of the Massachusetts coast Concord begins the four hundred mile descent into Washington and rapidly but imperceptibly to the passengers decelerates back to subsonic flight ten minutes to 12 Dulles Washington's International Airport Janko speedbird five $79 tyre the clipped land runway one right the winds are variable three three zero degrees zero four zero degrees at five flight five seven nine touches down to complete a three thousand seven hundred and eighty mile journey in just over three and a half hours less than half the time of the subsonic flight and the eastbound ride is just as quick [Music] the parking ramp at Dulles is half a mile from the terminal building [Music] air-conditioned mobile lounges are waiting to ferry the passengers across [Music] as they leave Concord for most passengers there's a sense of unreality the flight was so quick and relaxing they didn't have time to get bored [Music] and they all agree on one thing they've crossed five time zones yet they've arrived refreshed with no feeling of disorientation and they're still half an American day ahead of the suitcases are also getting supersonic treatment they will be in the baggage hall ahead the first passenger [Music] [Music] British Airways Concorde supersonic flight PA 579 from London has landed obstacles may be met in approximately 15 minutes at the International from Washington's supersonic gateway to the United States same afternoon domestic flights provide connections to nearly 40 cities throughout the eastern seaboard the Midwest and the deep south and for most of these American cities there are connections for same-day Concorde flight to London that's right how would you like it absolutely beautiful great let's see they've checked your baggage through the Kansas City the few of the American onward flights go from Dulles like max Turner's to Kansas City he's booked on United he left his London office at 11:30 he'll be filming his interview in Missouri at 5 o'clock thank you have a pleasant trip thank you very much quiet but most connecting flights go from Washington's domestic National Airport 26 miles from Dulles Concorde passengers make the journey in the luxury of air-conditioned limousines compliments of British Airways the limousines have normal subsonic connecting times Marie LeClair left Paris at noon her fashion show in downtown Washington starts at 1:00 o'clock with the help of the car that's been centimeter she'll be there [Music] for burnt ulrich abdul Radwin and bob Hoffmeyer the 45-minute journey to the National Airport runs through rolling wooded Virginian countryside [Music] the freeway runs alongside the Potomac River on the outskirts of Washington before sweeping in the city's National Airport abdel Ruud one left Bahrain just before 10:00 this morning it's only 1:30 it is flown a third of the way around the world New York and the United Nations are now just an hour's flight away burnt Ulrich had breakfast in Dusseldorf lunch over the Atlantic Braniff we'll get him to his Dallas conference this afternoon Bob Huff Myers never landed back on American soil from the North Sea so fast before Delta will have him in Texas before sundown [Music] Bahrain Washington for British Airways the supersonic era has just begun as the Concorde Network grows services cutting subsonic times in half a plan from London to New York three and a half hours Melbourne thirteen and a half hours Tokyo eight hours supersonic passenger flight is now a reality shrinking the air routes of the world already the Atlantic is less than four hours wide [Music] [Applause] [Music]