In a recent announcement, everyone’s favourite toy company LEGO has mentioned that it is bringing out a new Concorde Set for all the aerophiles out there. The company announced this set on its social media platforms with the caption “Prepare for take-off…”
The LEGO Concorde Set is a new 2,083-piece set that pays tribute to the iconic supersonic airliner. The set number 10318 is scheduled to be released on September 4, 2023, according to 9to5 Toys.
9to5 mentions: “As set number 10318, the upcoming creation delivers what can really only be described as the UCS treatment over to a non-Star Wars vehicle.”
“While we don’t have the exact dimensions to share as of yet from these preliminary photos, this should stack up as one of the longest kits of the year thanks to 2,038 included bricks. Arriving on September 4, the new LEGO Concorde Plane is set to clock in with a $199.99 price tag,” it adds.
Prepare for take-off… pic.twitter.com/wPyBhkjXXd
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) August 8, 2023
What Is Concorde?
Concorde was a supersonic passenger airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation.
It was the first commercial aircraft to travel faster than the speed of sound, with a cruising speed of Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,179 km/h). Concorde flew from 1976 to 2003 and was retired due to high operating costs and a decline in passenger demand.
Britannica mentions: “The Concorde was a supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane. Built in the 1960s as part of a joint venture between the United Kingdom and France, the Concorde was the first commercial aircraft of its kind.”
“The Concorde had a maximum cruising speed of 2,179 km (1,354 miles) per hour, or Mach 2.04 (more than twice the speed of sound), allowing the aircraft to reduce the flight time between London and New York to about three hours,” it adds.
Concorde was way ahead of its time. It was powered by Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 turbojet engines, which were the most powerful engines flying commercially at the time.
Heritage Concorde mentions: “Turbojets were found to be the best choice of engines for Concorde. The quieter high bypass turbofan engines such as those which are now used on the Boeing 747s could also not be used.”
“The engine chosen was the twin spool Rolls-Royce Olympus 593, a version of this Olympus engine had originally been developed for the Vulcan bomber, and then developed into an afterburning supersonic engine for the BAC TSR-2 strike bomber and then in association with the French company Snecma Moteurs , this had been adapted for Concorde, with the final version fitted to the production aircraft known as the 593 mk610,” it adds.
Source: Heritage Concorde
Concorde also had a number of other advanced features such as a droop nose for landing visibility and a titanium airframe.
Concorde was a popular aircraft with passengers, who appreciated its speed and luxury. It was also a controversial aircraft, due to its noise and environmental impact. Concorde was banned from flying over many populated areas, and it also received criticism for its high fuel consumption.
According to the Museum of Flight “In a regular flight, Concorde consumes 6,771 gallons of fuel. The cost of fuel quickly exceeded the profit made from the flight and rendered Concorde unprofitable to operate. Though the cost of the aircraft and fuel proved to be problematic, there were also other underlying issues that contributed to its downfall.”
Another major issue that took Concorde off the market was the year 2000 crash. On July 25, 2000, a Concorde crashed in Paris, killing 113 people. This crash led to a decline in passenger demand for Concorde, and the aircraft was retired in 2003.
“But one incident eclipses all these issues. Concorde was involved in a serious accident on July 25, 2000. On Air France Flight 4590, some debris blew a tire and punctured one of the fuel tanks. The fire and engine failure caused Concorde to crash into a nearby hotel, killing 113 people in total,” mentions the Museum of Flight
In conclusion, despite its short lifespan, Concorde is an icon of aviation. It was the first commercial aircraft that travelled faster than the speed of sound, and it has set a number of speed records. Concorde also represented the pinnacle of technological achievement in the 1960s and 1970s and LEGO’s new model serves as a tribute to this plane.
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