How to break the sound barrier, or at least pretend to

Though it’s been almost 20 years since the glamorous landed for good, dreams of letting ordinary people break the sound barrier again have never fizzled completely. Several companies want to bring it back, most notably , a Denver-based startup that last month from United Airlines for a new faster-than-sound airliner . 

Boom Supersonic says  in 2025 for a first flight the next year. Passenger service could then begin in 2029. But before you get too excited (I’m partially talking to myself here), there are a lot of caveats. 

For one thing, United, or any other airline, would have to make supersonic flights affordable to more people than the privileged class that could drop four figures for a one-way Concorde flight without flinching. Just as important, if Boom wants to fly the Overture on anything other than overwater routes, it’ll have to persuade a long list of countries (including the United States) on sonic booms over land. 

That’s where come in. As CNET’s Claire Reilly explains in , the experimental aircraft the two are building, they hope to make sonic booms so quiet on the ground that you’d barely notice them. By tweaking the X-59’s shape and making it as slender as possible, the resulting boom should be a no louder than a car door slamming. (In contrast, the Concorde’s thunderous sonic boom was louder than a fireworks display.)

It’s a long goal, and an important one. In the meantime, though, you have plenty of opportunity to experience what it’s like to be up close to a Concorde and even sit inside one. Of course, you’ll never leave the ground, and champagne may not be served, but one of the most gorgeous airplanes ever to fly is still a sight to behold.

Where to see a Concorde today

From 1965 to 1979 only 20 Concordes were built, of which 18 still exist. What of the other two? One Air France aircraft (Concorde 203), the same plane that was featured in , was destroyed in a crash outside Paris in 2000 that killed 113 people. The other (Concorde 211) was scrapped in 1994, with many of its parts auctioned off in 2003.

Two aircraft are on display at (Concorde 208) and Paris Charles De Gaulle (Concorde 215) airports, but they aren’t open to the public. You might see them as your subsonic flight taxis to the runway, so keep your camera ready. You can visit the remaining 16 planes at museums in the UK, France, Germany, the US and Barbados. And for most of them, you can see the cockpit and walk through the cabin to feel just how narrow it was (I’ve noted where you can’t get on board). I’ve seen 10 of them so far, and I have a life goal of visiting them all. 

Here they are in the order they were built. Just about all the museums listed here have reopened from COVID-19 lockdowns at least in a limited form, but check locally to be sure. Some may require that you book ahead of time.

Prototypes and development aircraft

The first six Concordes were preproduction aircraft that never carried passengers. Instead, they were used to test the airplane’s design and https://tranhmaihuong.com/tranh-go-cuu-hac-du-xuan-duc-dep/ obtain certification from aviation safety agencies. Three were built in France, and the other three were built in the UK. If you visit, keep in mind they won’t have a full cabin design that passengers would’ve experienced. 

Musée de l’air et de l’espace — Le Bourget, France

The first prototype to fly and the first to go supersonic, Concorde 001 announced the Anglo-French plane to the world and flew for 812 hours. In 1973, it was fitted with scientific equipment and portholes on the top of its fuselage over Africa. From an altitude of 56,000 feet, far higher than most planes fly, it observed the eclipse for 74 minutes. Retired in 1973, it’s still painted with a logo for the mission. Located outside Paris at , which also hosts the , the Musée de l’air et de l’espace (Air and Space Museum) is an easy day trip by train from Paris Gare du Nord. 

Fleet Air Arm Museum — Yeovilton, England

The first British Concorde flew 438 times before being retired in 1976. The is 120 miles west of London in Somerset, England. Though you can get there by train, it’s a long taxi ride from the station, so it’s best if you bring your own car. I have yet to visit, but . 

Imperial War Museum — Duxford, England

The next two Concordes had design refinements, like a different wing shape, a higher fuel capacity and modified engines. Concorde 101 flew 269 times and was retired in 1977. It now lives at the spectacular outside of Cambridge (take a taxi from town). It’s for the vast collection of civilian and military aircraft from as far back as a century. The American Air Museum tells the story of US bomber crews during World War II. 

Musée Delta — Athis-Mons, France

The second French-built Concorde was the first to cross the Atlantic and the first to visit the United States when it flew to Dallas in 1973. For several years it also was painted in British Airways colors on one side and Air France colors on the other. It was retired in 1976 and was moved to the next to Paris Orly Airport 12 years later (saving it from the scrap heap). I haven’t been there yet.

Aeroscopia — Toulouse, France

By this point, the development aircraft had assumed the final Concorde design and wing shape. Concorde 201 was the first to land in New York, on Oct. 19, 1977. Retired in 1985, it can be seen today at , a huge aeronautical museum next to the main Airbus f in 2006. Sitting outside in the English weather, it looks a bit more worn than some of its siblings, but the guided tour is fun and you can even experience a (car people, the museum also has plenty to see for you). See it on a day trip from London Waterloo by train.

Production aircraft

Like the developmental aircraft, the 14 production Concordes were half built in the UK and half in France. Though scheduled passenger service began in 1976, regular flights to New York from Paris and London (the aircraft’s intended markets) didn’t begin until November 1977. All the passenger-carrying planes were identified by the last two letters of their registry (like “Alpha Alpha”). Most were retired in 2003.

Runway Visitor Park — Altrincham, England

The first Concorde delivered to British Airways, it was the flagship of the airline’s fleet (its registry, G-BOAC recalls BA’s predecessor airline, the ). It’s now housed in a glass hangar at the at Manchester Airport. You can choose from a few different tours, one of which includes a glass of champagne. There’s also a cool viewing platform right next to the airport runway. Get there via a short taxi ride from the airport’s train station.

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia

The second Air France Concorde (the first was destroyed in the Paris crash) operated the first commercial flight for the airline when it flew from on Jan. 21, 1976. Today you can see it at the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum’s at Washington Dulles International Airport. You can’t get inside this one, but don’t let that stop you from seeing this amazing museum. Dulles is a fitting final home, as it saw occasional Concorde flights from 1976 to 1994.

National Museum of Flight — East Lothian, Scotland

Alpha Alpha inaugurated BA’s service to Bahrain, also on Jan. 21, 1976. Retired in 2000, it’s now housed at the at East Fortune Airfield in Scotland. The museum’s not far from Edinburgh, so you can get there by car or public transport. It’s still on my list to visit. 

Technik Museum Sinsheim — Sinsheim, Germany

Foxtrot Bravo is one of the Concordes leased by Braniff International Airways for subsonic flights between Dallas and Washington Dulles from 1978 to 1980. It’s now displayed in spectacular fashion at the Sinsheim in Germany. Also there is a , Concorde’s less successful Russian rival. I still have .

Barbados Concorde Experience — Barbados

In 1999 Alpha Echo flew over Edinburgh with the to mark the opening of the Scottish Parliament. Barbados might seem like an unlikely retirement home for a Concorde, but the Caribbean island had weekly BA Concorde service from 1987 to 2003. The . If I miss one Concorde, this may be it.

Musée de l’air et de l’espace (de nouveau)

The other Concorde at Le Bourget was briefly painted in in 1996 and performed the last Air France commercial flight, on May 31, 2003. It also holds the record for the fastest Concorde flights around the world in both directions: 32 hours, 49 minutes and 3 seconds westbound in October 1992, and 31 hours, 27 minutes and 49 seconds eastbound in August 1995. 

Museum of Flight — Seattle

Alpha Golf was the last BA Concorde , when it flew from New York to London on Oct. 24, 2003. A few days later it flew to Seattle via New York (having received permission to fly supersonically over northern .

Aerospace Bristol — Bristol, England

The last Concorde built, also was the last to fly when it was ferried to Bristol Filton Airport on Nov. 26, 2003. For years it sat outside at Filton (and open to the public), near the factory where all British Concordes were assembled. Then in 2017 it into , . It’s a cool place, which you can reach by public transit or car. It can be a long trip from London, but Bristol is a delightful city to explore (also see the and the ).

How many Concordes have you seen? Let me know in the comments.