Ear‐to‐ground

The first Concorde prototype went supersonic for the first time during its 45th flight on October 1, 1969. It sustained a speed of Mach 1·05 for 9 min. in level flight at 36,000 ft. flying in the Toulouse area. The flight lasted 1 hr. 38 min. and was the sixth in the present phase of testing in which the transonic and supersonic flight envelope is to be explored up to the maximum Mach number obtainable with the Olympus 593 2A engines now installed, expected to be of the order of Mach 1·2 to 1·3. The second prototype 002. based at R.A.F. Fairford, is now undergoing modifications for Mach 2·0 flight including the installation of the Olympus 593 3B of 32,900 lb. thrust. It is scheduled to begin the next phase of flight tests at the end of the year.