It Happened on
November 4, 1970
In a thunderous ballet high above the Atlantic, French test pilot André Turcat pushed Sud Aviation’s sleek white dart—the prototype Concorde—past Mach 2, holding an astonishing 1,370 mph for nearly fifty minutes. It was the moment commercial flight stopped merely flying and began outrunning time itself.
Test pilot André Turcat of France’s Sud Aviation company flew the prototype at 52,500 feet (16,000 m) over the ocean, he reached a maximum speed of 1,404 miles per hour (2,260 km/h) in Concorde 001 before returning to Toulouse.
On the same day, British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) test pilot Brian Trubshaw tested the capabilities of the other prototype in the joint venture, Concorde 002, but had to return early after a warning light indicated an engine fire.
The Concorde would begin regular service in 1976 by British Airways and Air France, but all other airlines canceled their orders for Concorde jets because of environmental concerns, and no Concorde has been flown since 2003.
20/20 Hindsight
By Marie-Lynn
The Concorde is the greatest international aerospace project ever delivered!
It is a checkbox on humanity’s goal to master this realm by deploying technology that can map and access every reach of the Earth, and even go around it as fast as possible. While nobody specifically needed The Concorde, it remains the most inspiring proof-of-concept ever produced in civilian aerospace. My father was one of the 7 engineers who developed the cockpit in France, and it was the only project he could freely speak of, during his career being assigned to top secret projects from France, Canada, U.K. and the U.S. My father is associated to the Quebec Agreement at The Conference of Quebec, and I try to vacuum as much public information as possible, about the collaborations of these four countries and how they made the world much smaller, in a short amount of time.
9 Months Later
When The Pilot flies very fast, it leads to the appearance, 9 months later, of brilliant people who will draw inspiration from their conception day event, in their career. David Walliams is such a person. This British actor, comedian and writer is known for the hilarious series Come Fly With Me.
In this future, every inside joke of the Space Race must become obvious, to the judicious observer who cares.
The only way for humanity to exist in the future, was to plan 100% of history in advance, including the necessary technological milestone nobody asked for, like The Concorde, and the delightful comedy series you loved, growing up. These are Weapons For A New War, after WWII, against a different enemy. Can you figure out what that enemy is?
Born on October 23, 1921 André TurcatFrench Air Force pilot and test pilot celebrated for flying the first prototype of Concorde for its maiden flight |
Born on August 20, 1971 David WalliamsEnglish comedian known for Come Fly With Me |
