unilad homepage
unilad homepage
    • News
      • UK News
      • US News
      • World News
      • Crime
      • Health
      • Money
      • Sport
      • Travel
    • Music
    • Technology
    • Film and TV
      • News
      • DC Comics
      • Disney
      • Marvel
      • Netflix
    • Celebrity
    • Politics
    • Advertise
    • Terms
    • Privacy & Cookies
    • LADbible Group
    • LADbible
    • SPORTbible
    • GAMINGbible
    • Tyla
    • UNILAD Tech
    • FOODbible
    • License Our Content
    • About Us & Contact
    • Jobs
    • Latest
    • Archive
    • Topics A-Z
    • Authors
    Facebook
    Instagram
    X
    Threads
    TikTok
    YouTube
    Submit Your Content
    Rare footage shows crazy speed of Concorde flying London to New York in less than three hours
    Home>News>Travel
    Published 13:56 23 Feb 2024 GMT

    Rare footage shows crazy speed of Concorde flying London to New York in less than three hours

    The video was captured by a passenger on the iconic aircraft in 2003, and shows a journey from London to New York in its entirety

    Kit Roberts

    Kit Roberts

    google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
    Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@historyinmemes/YouTube/concorde2003

    Topics: News, UK News, US News, Travel, Technology

    Kit Roberts
    Kit Roberts

    Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.

    Advert

    Advert

    Advert

    Footage captured by a passenger shows a glimpse of what it would have been like to travel from London to New York on Concorde.

    The iconic plane was one of two operational supersonic passenger jets, with the other being the Soviet Tupolev Tu-144, and was capable of flying from London to New York in less than three hours.

    Dennis Toeppen captured the entire flight from London to New York including boarding the Concorde and the view of the cabin during the flight.

    Advert

    One notable thing is that it was rather loud, but given the speed of the plane, I guess that's to be expected.

    But what about the Concorde's signature, its speed?

    Well, the video shows that this was displayed prominently for passengers to see as they sped across the Atlantic.

    A series of screens showed passengers the aircraft's altitude, the temperature outside, and two dials for the speed.

    But why two for speed?

    That's because one was for the speed in miles per hour, while the other was the speed in mach, or relative to the speed of sound.

    An Air France Concorde taking off, with its distinctive adjustable nose.
    REMY DE LA MAUVINIERE/AFP via Getty Images

    This meant that passengers could know exactly when the aircraft was about to break the sound barrier, producing the signature sonic boom.

    The loud sonic boom also meant that the aircraft had to wait until it wasn't over a populated area to make the jump to supersonic speed.

    Concorde's excessively high running costs and low number of passengers meant that it was marketed as an expensive luxury travel option.

    A round trip between London could cost you as much as $12,000, a pretty steep price.

    The huge amount of fuel per passenger made this necessary, otherwise the plane simply would not be financially viable for airlines.

    But let's be clear, that meant some serious luxury. We're talking a frankly insane selection of champagne on board including Dom Perignon 1992, Pol Roger, and Taittinger.

    And, of course, nearly all the red wines available were expensive Grand Crus. Not a bad cellar for a plane.

    As for food, depending on when you were flying you could expect steaks, lobster salads, caviar, and foie gras.

    One historic British Airways menu even included cigars. How times change!

    Toeppen's video was shot just a few months before Concorde was retired for good.

    A combination of a catastrophic accident killing everyone on board and the plane's eye-watering running costs eventually led airlines to retire Concorde.

    Choose your content:

    4 hours ago
    5 hours ago
    6 hours ago
    • Getty Stock
      4 hours ago

      What your answer to 'the Red or blue Button' dilemma means, according to science

      The red button or blue button debate has split social media in half, but a game theory expert has broken down what it actually means

      News
    • TLC
      5 hours ago

      The horrific crimes 90 Day Fiancé Geoffrey Paschel went to prison for explained

      Geoffrey Paschel appeared on our TV screens not long before being imprisoned for 18 years over a brutal attack on his ex

      News
    • Getty Stock
      6 hours ago

      The simple way swingers spot each other on a ‘spicy’ cruise explained

      There's a simple way to tell if passengers are up for 'play'...

      News
    • Getty Stock Image
      6 hours ago

      The six stages of a relationship explained and what to expect

      Knowing if your relationship is on the right track isn't easy, but there are six stages that all couples can expect to go through

      News
    • Three 'orb' UFOs flying in formation caught in shocking US military footage
    • New footage shows Charlie Kirk shooting suspect stalking campus hours before assassination as authorities issue update
    • Bodycam footage shows moment dad confessed to fatally shooting his daughter after they allegedly argued over Trump
    • NASA debuts supersonic jet that can fly from NYC to London in three and a half hours