Concorde and the Americans: International Politics of the Supersonic Transport (Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight Series)

The Concord entered Airline service in 1976and remains today a technological triumph, flying daily between New York and Europe at twice the speed of sound. But the life of this supersonic transport (SST) has been beset by bitter political contoversies over it's environmental and economic effects, and by strained diplomatic relations between the United States, France and Britain. Outlining the economic obstacles that more than twwenty years of Concorde service have failed to overcome, Owen argues that development of the Concorde rested in twin fallacies of the late 1950s: that supersonuic aairliners would shape the immediate future of commercial air transport and that governments could afford to finance the building of supersonic machines. Providing a compelling analysis of the interplay of politics, economics, and technology in the introduction of a record breaking aircraft, Concorde and the Americans also examines the prospects for a "son of Concorde" that may yet prove both economically and environmentally viable.