Scale: 1:120
Length: 20.2"
Wingspan: 8.4"

The Concorde supersonic airliner, built jointly by France and Great Britain, was the only supersonic plane to operate successfully in commercial service and has earned a prominent place in aeronautical history. The first experimental Concorde took to the air in 1969. Three years later there was serious doubt as to whether any airlines wanted to order the plane because it was extremely costly to operate as it burned vast quantities fuel to achieve its high speed - but carried only100 passengers/flight, which forced ticket prices to exorbitant heights. By then the Boeing 747 had come into service and, while no faster than earlier jets, its unprecedented size offered new comfort for travelers; and at competitive prices because the giant aircraft could carry up to 400 passengers. Pan Am - the world's largest international carrier - embraced the 747 with enthusiasm and, in 1973, rejected the Concorde. TWA, another major international airline, also rejected Concorde citing "dismal economics." With the oil crises of 1974 and 1979 - which greatly increased the cost of jet fuel - the effects for Concorde were catastrophic. While a 1982 round-trip Concorde ticket between New York and Paris had cost just under $4000, by the year 2000 the price was $8148. A total 20 Concordes were built between 1966 and 1979. The first 2 Concordes were prototype models, one built in France and the other in England. Another 2 pre-production prototypes were built to further refine the design and then there was the production run - which was only 16 aircraft total in both countries. In the end only British Airways and Air France purchased Concordes (5 and 4 aircraft respectively) and 5 surplus models were further placed with the airlines in 1980 at a nominal cost at the end of the Concorde program as part of a multi-million pound support costs deal. In the end, British Airways had a fleet of 7 aircraft while Air France had 5.