Concorde: The Rise and Fall of the Supersonic Airliner [Paperback] [Jul 07, 2016] Glancey, Jonathan

In Concorde , Jonathan Glancey tells the story of this magnificent and hugely popular aircraft anew, taking the reader from the moment Captain Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier in 1947 through to the last commercial flight of the supersonic airliner in 2003. It is a tale of national rivalries, technological leaps, daring prototypes, tightrope politics, and a dream of a Dan Dare future never quite realized. Jonathan Glancey traces the development of Concorde not just through existing material and archives, but through interviews with those who lived with the supersonic project from its inception. The result is a compelling mix of overt technological optimism, a belief that Britain and France were major players in the world of civil as well as military aviation, and faith in an ever faster, ever more sophisticated future. This is a celebration, as well as a thoroughly researched history, of a truly brilliant machine that became a sky god of its era. A celebration, as well as a thoroughly researched history, of a truly brilliant machine that became a sky god of its era Jonathan Glancey tells the story of this magnificent and hugely popular aircraft anew, taking the reader from the moment Captain Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier in 1947 through to the last commercial flight of the supersonic airliner in 2003. It is a tale of national rivalries, technological leaps, daring prototypes, tightrope politics, and a dream of a Dan Dare future never quite realized. Jonathan Glancey traces the development of Concorde not just through existing material and archives, but through interviews with those who lived with the supersonic project from its inception. The result is a compelling mix of overt technological optimism, a belief that Britain and France were major players in the world of civil as well as military aviation, and faith in an ever faster, ever more sophisticated future. "Concorde tells the story of this magnificent and hugely popular aircraft anew, taking the reader from the moment Captain Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier in 1947 through to the last commercial flight of the supersonic airliner in 2003. It is a tale of national rivalries, technological leaps, daring prototypes, tightrope politics, and a dream of a Dan Dare future never quite realized. This is a celebration, as well as a thoroughly researched history, of a truly brilliant machine that became a sky god of its era." --Back cover of book Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Introduction -- 1. Hatching a Speedbird -- 2. The Sound Barrier -- 3. Chasing the Dream -- 4. The Rivals -- 5. Cleared for Take-Off -- 6. The Service Record -- 7. Unpremeditated Art -- 8. Phoenix Rising -- 9. Superfast Futures -- 10. An End to Adventure -- Epilogue -- Acknowledgements -- Select Bibliography -- Index A new and boldly original history of the iconic aircraft, by the bestselling author of Spitfire: The Biography and Harrier. Hardback ISBN: 978-1-78239-107-4 , E-book ISBN: 978-1-78239-108-1 , Paperback ISBN: 978-1-78239-109-8