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Concorde.
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The fastest airliner on Earth.
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Concorde really had
The Voice of Jove,
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it was a great sky God.
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It was in a league of its own,
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achieving something that
seemed impossible.
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It is an icon of speed...
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We flew at twice the speed of sound.
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Faster than a bullet from a gun.
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...and beauty.
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It looked like a piece of
science fiction,
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arriving in the real world.
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But beyond the looks,
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Concorde was born from
a brutal three-way dogfight,
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as Europe, Russia, and America
battled it out for
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the future of aviation.
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Concorde was a Cold War warrior.
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Espionage,
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billion-dollar budgets,
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and radical new designs.
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To go bigger, to go faster,
and go farther.
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Nothing was off limits in the race
to win flying's biggest prize.
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If you could design
a supersonic jet,
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you would dominate the skies.
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And so, the race was on.
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In Brooklands,
on the outskirts of London,
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is one of the greatest airliners
in the world.
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She first flew in 1969.
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We'd only just got colour
television, for goodness' sake.
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This is Concorde Delta Golf -
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the first production Concorde
built in Britain.
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What the designers and the
engineers did way back in the '60s
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was one of the greatest technical
achievements man has ever made.
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You always have to watch your head,
stepping into Concorde.
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And back here, the cabin, of course,
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with 100 people riding in
Concorde's service.
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We carried the rich and famous.
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Michael Jackson, Sir Paul McCartney,
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Mick Jagger used to get on and
sit quietly at the back
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reading his book.
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Over two decades have passed since
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Concorde flew the great
and the good.
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But it is not forgotten.
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I miss the atmosphere,
I miss the customers.
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I miss looking after them.
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I miss the speed and
the excitement.
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We shot through the sound barrier,
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and for the very first time,
I looked out and I saw
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the curvature of the earth.
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When we looked up, and the sky
was black above us.
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We were on the edge of space.
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We fly faster than
the Earth is rotating.
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We'd see the sun rise again,
in the West.
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Concorde showed us what was
possible in the future.
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It's still the most futuristic
aircraft that's ever
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been built for passengers.
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And we won't see it's like for
some time in the future, if ever.
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Concorde was the stuff dreams
are made of,
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providing an experience
like no other.
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But it was a dream born out
of the ashes of war.
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There's a fresh look to fun today.
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Stylists have added new zest
to recreation.
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When the dust settles
after World war I,
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enthusiasm for a new
technological future explodes -
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even if some of the ideas
are a bit...wacky.
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There's an enormous amount of
enthusiasm for technology
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in the 1950s.
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All of the young geniuses
who had created the weapons of war,
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were now let loose on the
civilian sector.
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And one wartime technology
is the crown jewel in
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their shiny new tool box.
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Jet engine changed aviation forever.
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It allowed to have planes flying
further, faster, higher.
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The race is on to transform
this military tech
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into a commercial jet airliner.
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The country that pulls it off will
be showcasing their superiority
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in the new high-tech world order.
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But it's not one of
the two new superpowers,
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Russia or America, that triumphs.
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It's a war-torn European country.
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The British won the race to build
the first jet transport plane,
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The De Havilland Comet.
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Before the Comet came out,
people travelled by ship.
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Within a couple of months,
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that all changed.
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People flew on jets.
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The Comet is fast -
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50% faster than any
propeller-powered airliner.
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Travel time was reduced
exponentially.
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The Comet slashes transatlantic
flight times from 15 hours
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to just seven.
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A new era has arrived...
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...led by Britain.
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The jet age.
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The jet just suggests speed,
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performance, power,
excitement, thrill.
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It was the idea that you
could move quickly
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and glamorously around the world.
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How's that for smooth travelling?
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Britain is riding high on
the back of the fastest civilian
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aircraft in the world.
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Except there's one problem.
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The Comet had structural defects.
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And there were several
fatal accidents.
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The Comet was just withdrawn.
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It came back later in 1958.
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By that time, the Americans had got
there with their big 707.
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Britain and the United States
may have been wartime allies,
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but in peacetime,
they are commercial rivals.
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Welcome aboard.
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Welcome aboard the spacious cabin.
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Attractively decorated,
air-conditioned, but draft-free.
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The 707 was the jet age objectified,
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it really was the machine that
created that image of this new,
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exciting high-flying lifestyle.
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Britain's brief moment in
the sun is over.
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The United States was dominating
all commercial aviation.
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Great Britain realised
they would have a hard time
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breaking the monopoly the
United States held.
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Britain's only hope of clawing
their way back to the top
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is to do something radical.
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So, they partner with
wartime ally France
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for an astonishing new project,
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based on a very simple idea.
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If fast is good,
faster is clearly better.
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From piston engines,
you get jet engines -
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and so, from jet engines,
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it seemed like the natural evolution
would be supersonic.
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But no-one has ever tried
to make an airliner that flies
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faster than the speed of sound.
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The aim was for Britain and for
France to beat the United States
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in the key race of tomorrow.
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Speed put Britain on the top of
the aviation world once before.
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Now, it's gambling everything on
repeating the same trick.
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Airliner of the future.
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This is a model of a supersonic jet
which Britain and France hope
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will dominate transatlantic travel.
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The project becomes known
as Concorde.
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Concorde was going to be the first
airliner that could fly at Mach 2,
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twice the speed of sound.
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00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:48,175
Mach 2 - over 1,300 miles per hour,
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nearly three times the speed
of a conventional jet.
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And it would be able to keep up that
speed flying across the Atlantic.
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Concorde sensationally promises
to fly the Atlantic
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in just 3.5 hours -
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just over half the time
of America's 707.
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Europe is going to steal back
its lead with speed.
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If the future of civil aviation
was supersonic,
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Britain had to be in it.
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So, a gamble, but a necessary one.
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The problem is, Concorde is walking
into a ruthless high-stakes race.
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This is the view from 60,000 feet,
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at more than twice the speed
of today's jet airliners.
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It's what we'd see up there,
flying in a supersonic transport.
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We will be soon, you know.
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The question is,
will it be an American SST?
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Will it be made in the USA?
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President Kennedy felt that
it was absolutely essential for
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the United States to maintain its
technological lead throughout
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the world, in everything from space
to medicine, to aeronautics.
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If you could design a jet
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that could fly supersonic
and carry hundreds of people,
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and turn a viable profit
for the airliners,
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you would dominate the skies.
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This was really about
national prestige.
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But it was also about
American jobs.
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Kennedy throws down
the supersonic gauntlet.
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It is my judgment that this
government should immediately
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commence a new program me
to develop the prototype of
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a commercially-successful
supersonic transport,
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superior to that being built
in any other country of the world.
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And so, the race was on.
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But none of the politicians
really understand
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just how difficult it will be.
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When you develop
the supersonic transport,
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nothing is normal about this.
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You are discovering that,
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in fact, you know very little.
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The shape of
the Concorde was developed
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in a way that's very different
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to modern aircraft.
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All the drawings for Concorde
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were done on drawing boards.
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It was all done on 2D drawings,
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with no calculators.
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These are unconventional engineers
obsessed with aeroplanes.
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The British engineers liked
to go out at lunchtime
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and throw paper aeroplanes around.
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Every year, at Christmas-time,
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we used to have a
paper aeroplane competition,
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to see who could fly the farthest.
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A good one will just soar for
a very long way beautifully.
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Concorde was going to be
in that state.
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It would fly like a dart
across the sky.
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The challenge for
the Concorde designers is that
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they don't have much to go on.
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If we look at the kind of jets that
were achieving supersonic flight,
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they weren't designed
to carry hundreds of people.
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So far, only tiny experimental
and military aircraft
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have managed to fly supersonically.
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Creating a large supersonic
airliner is much, much harder.
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00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,615
The biggest problem with supersonic
transport is it has to be able
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to take off at a very low speed,
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and it has to be to fly at
a very high speed -
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and those are not compatible.
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Squaring that circle
seems impossible.
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All comes down to the wing design.
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Above the speed of sound,
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an old-fashioned wing shape is
too hard to push through the air.
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You need something completely new.
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If you start heading up
towards supersonic speed,
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that design is just totally
impractical.
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For supersonic flight,
the ideal shape of the wing would be
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to make it as streamlined
as possible.
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00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,495
You have to shape your wing
to become much more like a dart.
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It's called a delta wing.
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It's great for supersonic flight,
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00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:06,855
but comes with one very
big problem for an airliner.
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When it comes to land,
it has too slow down
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to normal airliner speed.
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A delta wing wouldn't create
the lift needed at a lower speed.
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If Concorde can't fly slowly enough
to use a conventional airport runway
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without falling out of the sky,
it's useless.
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But the designers notice
something curious when they tilt
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the delta wing to an extreme angle.
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00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:45,735
It was found that would create
these great spirals
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of air called vortices.
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00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:52,455
Vortices are like tiny whirlwinds.
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And they are usually very bad news,
because they create drag -
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exactly what the delta wing
is trying to avoid.
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00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,615
But these vortices do
something surprising.
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Given the right conditions,
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they can actually create extra Lift.
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00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:17,375
It gives them a radical idea.
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00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:21,735
Let's enlarge it and direct it over
the surface of the wing,
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so that it can create lift.
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00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:30,695
It goes against everything that
would've been thought about
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when you're designing a wing.
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00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:38,735
Incredibly, this radical idea works.
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00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:43,815
When Concorde took off,
it went, "Scchwum!"
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00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:45,855
It shot off like a jet fighter.
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00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,895
It's being pulled up by
the mathematics,
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the shape, the design of its wing.
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00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:53,055
This was utterly revolutionary.
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00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:08,975
The Americans would not be
left out of this race.
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00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,695
President John F Kennedy initiated
a design competition among
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00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:17,015
America's most prolific and
distinguished airplane designers.
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00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,535
The Boeing model, called the 2707,
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goes forward as the winner
of this competition.
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The 2707 was so ambitious.
251
00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,215
It was going to be like
the Six Million Dollar Man -
252
00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:42,975
stronger, faster all that stuff,
better than Concorde.
253
00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:49,575
The Boeing aeroplane is twice
the size of the Concorde.
254
00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,415
Where Concorde carried
100-120 passengers,
255
00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:55,775
the Boeing aeroplane
would carry 280.
256
00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:58,335
It was 300 feet long.
257
00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:01,455
The aeroplane would barely fit
on a football field,
258
00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:03,495
and it would fly faster.
259
00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,095
Where Concorde flew Mach 2,
260
00:17:06,120 --> 00:17:09,415
the Boeing SST would fly
at Mach 2.7.
261
00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:12,575
If they can pull this off,
262
00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:16,135
the 2707 could cross the
entire Atlantic
263
00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,535
in barely two-and-a-half hours.
264
00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:25,975
But Boeing can't avoid the same
wing-design problem as Concorde.
265
00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:30,335
How do you make a supersonic plane
fly slowly enough to take off
266
00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:31,935
and land at a conventional airport?
267
00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:37,255
They must solve this problem
to avoid falling behind Concorde.
268
00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:43,215
Their solution is even
more radical -
269
00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:45,975
make a wing that can change shape.
270
00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:51,095
Boeing introduced what was called
the variable geometry wing.
271
00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:53,495
It could be pushed forward
almost straight out,
272
00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:57,215
and this would be optimal for
landing and take-off,
273
00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:00,295
and then, the wings would sweep
back and meet the tail
274
00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:01,615
for supersonic flight.
275
00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:07,615
The swing wing had never been used
for something that large.
276
00:18:09,360 --> 00:18:13,655
No-one could accuse the 2707
design of lacking ambition.
277
00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:20,495
Flying at 65,000 feet and
flying at Mach 2.7
278
00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:23,535
was something that really
hadn't been done.
279
00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:25,855
This is the American way -
280
00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:28,935
to go bigger, to go faster,
and go farther.
281
00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:35,135
The supersonic battle is looking
like a two-horse race -
282
00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:38,735
which is odd, because in every
other post-war race for
283
00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:42,295
the technical high ground,
there's been another player -
284
00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,855
America's rival for
the world superpower crown,
285
00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:47,215
communist Russia.
286
00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:48,735
THEY CHANT
287
00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:53,295
You saw this string
of fantastic Soviet victories
288
00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:54,735
in science and technology.
289
00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:02,815
They firstly put a satellite
in orbit, Sputnik.
290
00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,095
They sent a dog into space first.
291
00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:08,255
They sent a man into space first.
292
00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:10,855
They sent a woman into space.
293
00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:17,855
And every time, Americans were
caught flat-footed.
294
00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:26,455
The Soviets seemed to be quite
ahead of things,
295
00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:28,375
in terms of aerospace.
296
00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:32,335
Technology becomes
the marker of superiority.
297
00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,535
The leader of the world,
in the 20th century,
298
00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:40,135
had to prove it was the leader
in science and technology.
299
00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:42,895
But, while Americans
and Europeans are racing
300
00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:44,695
to win the supersonic prize,
301
00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:47,175
the Soviets are nowhere to be seen.
302
00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,655
What are they up to?
303
00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:01,455
Finding out what the Soviets
are doing is difficult.
304
00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:05,055
After the Second World War,
the Cold War started.
305
00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:09,815
It was this intense rivalry
between East and West.
306
00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:13,855
The Cold War pits the new
superpowers of capitalist America
307
00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:17,015
and communist Russia against
each other.
308
00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:20,175
The fading European powers are
caught somewhere in the middle.
309
00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:25,015
Both sides want to win -
by any means necessary.
310
00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:30,295
In those years,
espionage was everywhere.
311
00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,335
It seems inconceivable that the
Russian's wouldn't want
312
00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:37,975
the supersonic prize, too.
313
00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:44,095
The problem was proving it.
314
00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:48,455
It was considerably easier for
the Soviet Union to spy on the West,
315
00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:50,415
with its open, free society,
316
00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:54,895
than it was Western powers
to spy on the closed regimes
317
00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:56,135
behind the Iron Curtain.
318
00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:05,095
The first suspicion that
Russia might be playing
319
00:21:05,120 --> 00:21:08,815
the supersonic game comes from
Belgian intelligence agents.
320
00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:14,055
Since 1961, Jean-Paul Soupert,
321
00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:16,975
a former chemist from Switzerland,
322
00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,855
was under suspicion of the
Belgian government.
323
00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:27,295
Soupert had a very lavish lifestyle.
324
00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:31,975
He spent a lot of monies in
very luxurious hotels
325
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:33,775
and restaurants.
326
00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:39,055
All of this was quite strange for
a person who was retired
327
00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:41,695
and shouldn't have a lot of money.
328
00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:48,055
Soupert was also travelling
regularly to countries in Europe -
329
00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:50,695
some of them communist.
330
00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:53,375
Something was really suspicious.
331
00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,055
The Belgians trail Soupert to
the notoriously strict
332
00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:02,535
Friedrichstrasse checkpoint,
into Soviet East Berlin...
333
00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:07,255
...where he is waved straight
through like an old friend.
334
00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:13,295
The Belgians are convinced -
335
00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:15,535
Soupert is a Soviet spy.
336
00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:24,455
He was arrested in 1964
and starts to speak.
337
00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:29,415
The story Soupert
tells his interrogators
338
00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:32,935
reveals the lengths he went to
for his Russian spy masters.
339
00:22:36,120 --> 00:22:41,495
Soupert's goal was to gather
information on industrial projects.
340
00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:47,095
The most difficult part was
to bring them to Soviet Union.
341
00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:56,095
A technique was to put microfilms
in toothpaste tubes.
342
00:22:56,120 --> 00:23:00,455
These were left in the toilets of
first-class cabin of the trains
343
00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:02,055
between Belgium and Warsaw.
344
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:06,655
And then, a sign was left in
the toilet to make known
345
00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:08,535
that the microfilms was there.
346
00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:13,255
And what is hidden in the tubes of
toothpaste sends shock waves
347
00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:14,895
through Britain and France.
348
00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:21,855
Soupert stole many documents
on Concorde,
349
00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:25,655
and many of them were
about electronics.
350
00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:28,975
It was a very important topic
to Soviet Union,
351
00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:33,735
because it was the field where
the Soviets were most behind.
352
00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,495
How extensive is the infiltration
of the supersonic project?
353
00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:43,695
It was only the tip of the iceberg.
354
00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:51,575
Less than a year later,
the head of Soviet airline Aeroflot,
355
00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,535
in France, is arrested outside
a Parisian restaurant.
356
00:24:24,360 --> 00:24:26,855
The Intelligence Services
have now neutralised
357
00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,775
two major Soviet spy rings.
358
00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,695
But it's left them with a mystery.
359
00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:34,775
After Soupert and Pavlov's arrest,
360
00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:38,735
we know that Soviets are gathering
information on Concorde.
361
00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:41,615
But why?
362
00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:49,655
During Le Bourget airshow, in Paris,
363
00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:52,535
we understand why Soviets
are gathering
364
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:54,775
so many information about Concorde.
365
00:24:56,880 --> 00:25:00,375
They're working on
their own Concorde -
366
00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:02,615
Tupolev 144.
367
00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:07,095
And in fact, the Soviet Union
has been working on
368
00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:09,935
a supersonic transport
since approximately 1962.
369
00:25:11,360 --> 00:25:15,255
Russia has been in the supersonic
race since the very beginning.
370
00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:18,575
The Soviets entered the race,
371
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:19,895
but entered quietly,
372
00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:21,335
and in stealth mode.
373
00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:28,855
The Soviet specifications
were for a larger
374
00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:30,335
and faster aircraft,
375
00:25:30,360 --> 00:25:35,215
because they wanted to show that
they were not just equally capable,
376
00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:39,015
they wanted to show that they
were actually superior.
377
00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:44,455
The Soviet Union decides that
it would be the Tupolev Bureau -
378
00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:48,575
led by Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev,
379
00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:51,735
a legendary figure in
Soviet aviation -
380
00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:57,215
which would design and build
the Soviet supersonic airplane.
381
00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:03,255
The Soviets have given Tupolev
just one overriding aim.
382
00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:08,415
Beat their competitors
into the air.
383
00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:11,615
Being first was seen as
a major milestone.
384
00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:15,215
Even if you only managed
to beat your opponents with
385
00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:17,815
a very short amount of time,
you would still be first,
386
00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:20,615
and this would be noted
in the history books.
387
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:23,775
By producing the first
supersonic plane,
388
00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:26,815
it's time for the Soviets
to show their superiority.
389
00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:30,935
Luckily for Tupoleyv,
390
00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:34,335
Concorde's schedule is turning out
to be unexpectedly elastic.
391
00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:48,855
The first test flight of Concorde
was meant to be in 1966.
392
00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,095
But by 1966, it hadn't flown.
393
00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:55,895
And the American design
only exists on paper.
394
00:26:57,600 --> 00:26:59,095
It became very apparent that,
395
00:26:59,120 --> 00:27:00,335
for the United States
396
00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:02,135
to beat Concorde into service -
397
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:04,575
well, it wasn't going to happen.
398
00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:08,015
Between the Anglo-French Concorde
and the Soviet Tupoley,
399
00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:11,415
it was neck-and-neck as to which one
would hit that crucial milestone
400
00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:13,015
of having the first test flight.
401
00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:21,735
But cracks are showing in
the Concorde project.
402
00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:24,415
There is an irony that
a project called Concorde -
403
00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:27,095
which comes from the Latin for
"harmony" or "agreement” -
404
00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:31,015
would actually see so much
bickering and acrimony
405
00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:33,335
between Britain and France.
406
00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:36,255
They couldn't actually
even agree on the spelling.
407
00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:42,695
The British government insisted
that the spelling was British.
408
00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:46,375
C-0-N-C-O-R-D, no E.
409
00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:49,415
For the French, of course,
it's C-O-N-C-O-R-D-E.
410
00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:53,735
And they're separated by more
than just politics.
411
00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:02,695
The fiendishly complex structure
the politicians have created
412
00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:06,135
to get the plane designed
and built doesn't help.
413
00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:26,895
And then, there was
the difference in culture.
414
00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:33,295
The two sets of engineering teams
were, initially, you know,
415
00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:36,975
chalk and cheese -
I mean, chalk and from age.
416
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:39,415
We would quite often
have a sandwich for lunch,
417
00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:41,775
sit at our desk, and eat it
and carry on.
418
00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,935
But, when we went to France,
they always had a main course.
419
00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:48,975
There was red wine
and a vat of white wine,
420
00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:50,255
and you just went along,
421
00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:53,495
and you had a carafe of
whichever you fancied.
422
00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:56,975
And at the end, there was a
load of empty carafes.
423
00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:00,455
Sometimes,
if you had a difficult meeting,
424
00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:03,015
they would save the difficult
subjects until after lunch,
425
00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:05,815
in the hope that you may have had
a bit too much wine -
426
00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:08,095
but we didn't, usually.
HE CHUCKLES
427
00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:15,695
Even the most basic engineering
conversations are a challenge.
428
00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:17,095
There was a technical issue,
429
00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:20,335
that the British worked in
imperial measurements -
430
00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:22,655
feet and inches, yards.
431
00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:26,055
They did not work in millimetres,
centimetres, and metres,
432
00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:27,215
like the French.
433
00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:32,855
So, during the development,
the drawings were done in two sets -
434
00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:36,095
imperial set of drawings,
metric set of drawings.
435
00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:38,055
That's pretty strange.
436
00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:40,695
But, like many relationships,
437
00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:43,535
money becomes the biggest issue.
438
00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:47,175
By the late 1960s, the costs of
Concorde begin to spiral.
439
00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:49,735
There was a lot of friction
between British and the French
440
00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:51,695
over the budget.
441
00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:02,615
The original budget
for Concorde was £135 million.
442
00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:06,575
By 1967, it had risen to
half a billion pounds.
443
00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:09,415
It had more than tripled
in just a few years.
444
00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:14,455
And Concorde's financial pain
is not unique.
445
00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:18,815
The Americans have already
spent $300 million
446
00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:20,735
without making anything.
447
00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:25,095
And exactly how much
the Soviets' TU144 has cost
448
00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:27,015
is a closely-guarded secret.
449
00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:28,855
But it's a lot.
450
00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:32,455
Developing a supersonic airliner
costs a fortune.
451
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:38,055
New British Prime Minister
Harold Wilson tries to kill
452
00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:39,735
the rising costs.
453
00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:41,255
Harold Wilson comes into power
454
00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:45,335
and one of the first things he does
is to try to cancel Concorde.
455
00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:48,335
The problem is French President
de Gaulle is an incredible
456
00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:50,055
enthusiast for the project,
457
00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:54,415
sees Concorde as the key way
in which France and Europe
458
00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:57,295
can defeat the US in civil aviation.
459
00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:02,495
Wilson finds himself backed
into a legal corner.
460
00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:08,695
The Concorde Agreement said that,
if either party pulled out,
461
00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:11,055
the other one basically,
in simple terms,
462
00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:13,495
could sue the others through
the international courts.
463
00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:15,375
The withdrawing partner
464
00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,655
had to pay all of the costs
465
00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:18,975
of the entire project.
466
00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:21,815
It was like a suicide pact,
and they couldn't get out of it.
467
00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:27,255
Even so, Concorde is in better
shape than its US rival.
468
00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:42,215
Boeing was looking at
this idea of a swing wing.
469
00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:44,495
They were very confident
that it would work.
470
00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:50,575
But their confidence
turns out to be misplaced.
471
00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:53,415
You can always design anything
you want into an aeroplane,
472
00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:55,895
but the problem you have is
that it gets heavier
473
00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:58,615
and heavier, and at some point,
474
00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:00,575
your aeroplane just
can't go anywhere,
475
00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:02,255
the engines aren't powerful enough,
476
00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:04,615
you don't have enough
fuel to fly it -
477
00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:06,975
and this is what happened
for Boeing.
478
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:10,335
That whole mechanism
became too heavy.
479
00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:14,895
On an airliner that's supposed to
operate on a more continuous basis,
480
00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,455
I don't think that is really
a feasible solution.
481
00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:20,335
Despite years of design work,
482
00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:24,735
Boeing haven't built a single part
for a functional aircraft.
483
00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:27,855
Now, they've hit a brick wall.
484
00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:30,615
Boeing had to redesign
the aeroplane.
485
00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:38,295
Get rid of that extra weight,
of that swing wing,
486
00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:42,015
and make a much more simple design
of a double delta.
487
00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:46,535
It's basically like a big Concorde.
488
00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:51,575
Five years on from President
Kennedy's great announcement,
489
00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:55,615
the American SST needs a
ground-up redesign.
490
00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:59,935
The Americans are struggling
with a very ambitious project.
491
00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:04,175
But the French and the British,
492
00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:06,495
they have more success.
493
00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:15,655
In fact, they're ready
to roll out the first prototype -
494
00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:17,455
Concorde 001.
495
00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:22,335
It was a glorious moment.
496
00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:26,615
The excitement of seeing
something in the flesh -
497
00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:29,055
or in this case,
in the aluminium alloy -
498
00:33:29,080 --> 00:33:32,295
was enough to keep the politicians
499
00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:34,615
on both sides quiet for a while.
500
00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:38,615
I mean, this was a truly
impressive achievement.
501
00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,895
The prototype is presented
to the public, with a promise
502
00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:43,855
that it will fly in 1968.
503
00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:51,295
But despite the fanfare,
behind the scenes,
504
00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:55,295
there is still a
huge amount of work to do.
505
00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:57,615
There are so many
technological problems,
506
00:33:57,640 --> 00:33:59,535
the engines aren't ready.
507
00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:01,095
Unknown to the public,
508
00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:05,015
a flight in 1968 is never
going to happen.
509
00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:09,735
Concorde won't be in the air
until 1969 at the earliest.
510
00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:14,135
And it's almost as though
the Russians know this.
511
00:34:14,160 --> 00:34:16,575
The Russians had started a
huge propaganda effort,
512
00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:18,895
announcing that the TU144
513
00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:21,335
will be the world's first
supersonic transport.
514
00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:26,855
The marching orders from Moscow,
in no uncertain terms, were,
515
00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:29,095
"You will fly in 1968."
516
00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:32,975
What makes them so certain
they'll be first?
517
00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:37,775
There is one obvious possibility.
518
00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:41,135
Despite destroying the
Soupert and Pavlov networks,
519
00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:44,095
Russian spying on Concorde
has never stopped.
520
00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:50,415
The full extent of Concorde
espionage will not become known
521
00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:53,015
until after the
Soviet Union's collapse,
522
00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:54,335
and the end of the Cold War.
523
00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:11,095
In 1991, a Russian called
Vasili Mitrokhin
524
00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:14,535
turns up at the British Embassy
in Riga, Latvia.
525
00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:22,095
He claims to be a valuable defector,
526
00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:25,575
and he says the proof lies in
his battered suitcase.
527
00:35:27,720 --> 00:35:30,055
The suitcase had
his personal belongings -
528
00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:33,175
some clothes, some sausages,
other personal items.
529
00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:37,615
But underneath
the clothes and the food
530
00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:41,175
were top-secret KGB material.
531
00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:47,455
Mitrokhin claims he was
an archivist for the notorious
532
00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:48,935
Soviet secret police...
533
00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:52,015
...the KGB.
534
00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:59,135
And he says he has tens of thousands
more pages of Soviet secrets,
535
00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:02,615
hidden around his cottage,
just outside Moscow.
536
00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:14,015
Mitrokhin started to write down
what he could remember from
537
00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:17,055
the archive during his day's work.
538
00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:20,095
He would smuggle handwritten notes,
539
00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:23,255
hidden underneath his shoes,
hidden in his clothes.
540
00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:28,095
He would roll them up and put
them in milk churns
541
00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:29,935
in his countryside retreat.
542
00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:33,495
He would bury them in the garden.
543
00:36:42,240 --> 00:36:45,575
MI6 dispatch agents
to Mitrokhin's cottage,
544
00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:46,975
just outside Moscow.
545
00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:51,935
Their job is to find out
if Mitrokhin's tale is true.
546
00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,335
It is.
547
00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:05,615
The Mitrokhin Archive was
absolutely explosive.
548
00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:13,295
This is the inner workings
of the KGB.
549
00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:18,655
And this wasn't just something
from a distant past,
550
00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:23,015
but involved agents in operations
that were still live,
551
00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:24,655
as the Soviet Union was collapsing.
552
00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:30,335
The Soviet secrets are now held at
Churchill College Cambridge.
553
00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:32,655
Access is restricted.
554
00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:36,575
The original material cannot be
shown on television.
555
00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:39,535
Calder Walton has spent
more time studying it
556
00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:42,575
than almost anyone else.
557
00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:46,455
One of the greatest revelations
is the scope and scale
558
00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:50,255
of Soviet science
and technology espionage.
559
00:37:53,240 --> 00:37:56,775
You had a specific
Soviet Government body
560
00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:59,055
that was responsible for
561
00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:01,855
collecting industrial espionage.
562
00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:06,535
So, members of Soviet industry
could go to this government body,
563
00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:09,935
and they could request information
on Western systems.
564
00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:12,895
One specific target...
565
00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:16,575
...was Concorde.
566
00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:22,575
And the undiscovered KGB
spy networks probably keep
567
00:38:22,600 --> 00:38:24,895
their Soviet masters well-informed
568
00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:27,255
about the true scale of
Concorde delays.
569
00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:31,335
The Russians had the dates
for Concorde.
570
00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:32,935
That was a good bit of espionage.
571
00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:34,895
That Concorde was going to fly then,
572
00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:37,175
and they just made sure
they did it first.
573
00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:44,775
Knowing Concorde will not fly
before 1969
574
00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:48,775
would explain why the Soviet
Central Committee rolls the dice
575
00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:53,975
and orders the TU144 into the
air by the end of 1968.
576
00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:58,295
Because they believe they can win.
577
00:39:07,720 --> 00:39:12,015
The 31st of December, 1968,
578
00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:14,775
in the Tupolev assembly line,
579
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:17,335
there is a lot of
stress and anxiety,
580
00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:20,375
because it's the very last day
581
00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:26,735
to meet the request of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party.
582
00:39:27,800 --> 00:39:31,135
Tupolev, Dad and son,
are on the tarmac.
583
00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:37,255
The hangar doors open to reveal
the future of air travel -
584
00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:39,215
the TU144 prototype.
585
00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:47,175
No supersonic airliner has
ever flown before.
586
00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:53,895
The Soviets have one day left
to keep their promise.
587
00:39:56,760 --> 00:39:59,215
All of a sudden, this plane
588
00:39:59,240 --> 00:40:01,815
gloriously rises with this,
589
00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:03,855
you know, famous nose,
590
00:40:03,880 --> 00:40:07,295
and it's so elegant and so unusual.
591
00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:12,855
This high-tech dagger flying out
of the test airfield up
592
00:40:12,880 --> 00:40:14,295
to the edge of space and back.
593
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:21,735
It's a great day for
the technicians, the designer.
594
00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:33,135
And when the Tupolev finally
lands on the runway,
595
00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:37,735
there is a lot of joy in
the faces of everyone,
596
00:40:37,760 --> 00:40:39,255
because they did it.
597
00:40:46,240 --> 00:40:48,775
The Concorde did not fly,
598
00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:53,135
and the Boeing 2707
is just on paper.
599
00:40:53,160 --> 00:40:56,575
But Tupolev 144 is in the air.
600
00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:59,495
It's a great coup for the
Soviet propaganda.
601
00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:05,735
Concorde has lost the race
into the air.
602
00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:17,575
Concorde loses by barely two months,
603
00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:20,335
but now, it will forever be second.
604
00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:39,815
It was just that thing,
that niggling thing that
605
00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:42,375
the Soviets had got there first.
606
00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:43,895
Concorde was right behind it.
607
00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:45,455
I mean, just a matter of months.
608
00:41:49,240 --> 00:41:51,615
But the Soviets aren't done yet.
609
00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:54,215
After their first successful flight,
610
00:41:54,240 --> 00:41:56,935
they're ready to go for
another record -
611
00:41:56,960 --> 00:41:58,575
to fly supersonic.
612
00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:01,855
Just six months later,
613
00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:04,655
Tupolev 144 breaks
another barrier -
614
00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:06,295
the barrier of sound.
615
00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:16,575
Another first for a civil airplane.
616
00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:18,575
Argh, the Russians again.
617
00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:20,015
The TU144.
618
00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:22,775
First supersonic airliner.
619
00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:27,575
The impression is that Soviets
are winning the supersonic race.
620
00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:30,815
They are the first in
every single field,
621
00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:34,215
but the actual race is far
from being over.
622
00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:49,535
In America, the future of
Boeing's heavily-revised 2707
623
00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:51,615
hangs in the balance.
624
00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:55,415
It has already cost over
$600 million.
625
00:42:57,280 --> 00:43:00,855
Are American taxpayers prepared
to stomach an even bigger bill
626
00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:02,215
to get it airborne?
627
00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:06,895
Money is going out the door,
but isn't coming back in.
628
00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:11,695
But, despite the huge costs,
629
00:43:11,720 --> 00:43:13,975
despite all the delays,
630
00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:16,495
and despite government opposition,
631
00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:22,295
US President Richard Nixon doubles
down on America's Supersonic dream.
632
00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:26,255
The supersonic transport
is going to be built.
633
00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:30,655
The question is whether,
in the years ahead,
634
00:43:30,680 --> 00:43:33,495
the people of the world will be
flying in American supersonic
635
00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:36,015
transports, or in the transports
of other nations.
636
00:43:38,440 --> 00:43:42,975
National pride is now driving the
fast-approaching supersonic world.
637
00:43:44,680 --> 00:43:48,135
In America, it saves the 2707.
638
00:43:49,720 --> 00:43:53,655
In Russia, it gets them into
the air first and fastest.
639
00:43:55,600 --> 00:44:01,215
And in Europe, it produces this
sleek and beautiful machine.
640
00:44:01,240 --> 00:44:04,415
Concorde was ready to go.
641
00:44:04,440 --> 00:44:06,735
The future seems positive.
642
00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:11,455
There are options for
74 aircraft from 16 airlines.
643
00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:16,055
Concorde may have lost
the race into the skies,
644
00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:18,895
but the supersonic battle
isn't over yet.
645
00:44:19,960 --> 00:44:22,255
The multi-billion-dollar prize
646
00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:25,415
comes from getting a commercial
airliner into service.
647
00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:31,455
And all three planes are
in the fight.
648
00:44:31,480 --> 00:44:34,375
A fight for the future of aviation.
649
00:44:35,520 --> 00:44:39,855
In this whole era in the 1960s
was this incredible optimism
650
00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:41,575
about the future.
651
00:44:41,600 --> 00:44:45,975
And the SST became, really,
the symbol of that.
652
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:50,295
The idea is that supersonic
flight will be the future.
653
00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:54,775
This idea in that moment is
stronger than ever.
654
00:44:57,760 --> 00:45:02,175
It seems nothing can stop the
new supersonic world.
655
00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:07,215
1969 really is perhaps almost
the last year of that
656
00:45:07,240 --> 00:45:09,815
great technological optimism.
657
00:45:09,840 --> 00:45:13,015
Things are pushing ahead fast,
and people tend to believe in it.
658
00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:16,735
The next decade, the '70s,
is going to change everything.
659
00:45:18,720 --> 00:45:21,615
There's a great faith in the
supersonic dream that supersonics
660
00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:24,615
would be the future of civil
aviation, throughout the 1960s
661
00:45:24,640 --> 00:45:26,055
and into the 1970s.
662
00:45:28,120 --> 00:45:30,375
That dream fell apart
enormously quickly.
663
00:45:41,800 --> 00:45:46,815
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