From the Archives 1972: Whoosh! Concorde’s first Sydney landing

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

From the Archives 1972: Whoosh! Concorde’s first Sydney landing

With an ear-splitting roar and trailing a cloud of black smoke, the supersonic Concorde flew into Sydney for the first time on June 17, 1972.

By Jack Percival

First published in The Sun-Herald, June 18, 1972

By Jack Percival “Sun-Herald” Aeronautical Correspondent

A scream of jets then a stream of black smoke. . . and the Concorde’s in Sydney

With an ear-splitting noise and throwing out a dense cloud of smoke caused by the reverse thrust of its engines, the supersonic Concorde jet-liner landed in Sydney yesterday.

As it approached Kingsford Smith Airport it trailed a long stream of black smoke over the western suburbs.

Smoke and water stream from the Concorde on the moment of impact at Sydney Airport. “Sun” man Purcell used a Nikon camera with a 300mm lens and two-times converter for this spectacular snap. June 17, 1972

Smoke and water stream from the Concorde on the moment of impact at Sydney Airport. “Sun” man Purcell used a Nikon camera with a 300mm lens and two-times converter for this spectacular snap. June 17, 1972Credit:Alan Purcell

A crowd of 20,000 at the airport and around its perimeter watched the end of the historic flight from Britain.

Hundreds of banner-carrying protesters crowded the entrance to the international terminal, chanting and shouting slogans.

A stream of angry citizens telephoned “The Sun-Herald” office to complain about the aircraft’s noise.

The airliner’s descent to the main runway was comparatively silent. Near the end of the runway the reverse thrust used to slow the plane made the noise and threw out the smoke.

Advertisement

Sydney has yet to assess the plane’s take-off noise level. This cannot be gauged until Tuesday when two demonstration flights are scheduled.

On Tuesday noise experts will measure its decibel output with equipment recently imported.

Recording devices will be installed in a boat in Botany Bay off General Holmes Drive.

The supersonic airliner flew a dog-leg course from Darwin to Sydney in 2hr 51min.

“The Concorde flown here is a prototype or experimental model”. Concorde touches down for the first time in Sydney.

“The Concorde flown here is a prototype or experimental model”. Concorde touches down for the first time in Sydney.Credit:Alan Purcell

It flew supersonic over remote parts of the Northern Territory and South Australia for 56 minutes. For 36 minutes it flew at about 1,400 miles an hour.

Technicians stationed beneath and on each side of its supersonic corridor recorded the intensity of its boom, and station personnel sent reports to the Flying Doctor Service by pedal radio.

Brian Trubshaw, the British Aircraft Corporation’s chief test pilot, told me that the supersonic section was flown at 53,000 feet. When the plane was slowed the altitude was reduced, to 33,000 feet.

Special reports were received from “Sun-Herald” observers stationed along the supersonic corridor. Some said, they heard nothing. Others said livestock and fauna were not disturbed.

‘GUN SALUTE’

One said that the sonic boom sounded like a salute by a battery of 25-pound-ers. “It only lasted a fraction of a second, then it was gone,” he said.

Another said the boom sounded like the discharge of a .303 rifle.

After a perfect landing at Sydney Airport the magnificently streamlined aircraft was taxied to a position in the international terminal’s parking area.

When passengers and crew disembarked, the plane was fenced off by barriers and placed on exhibition.

Engineers and technicians who arrived in a specially chartered VC10 immediately began their inspections of the airframe and engines.

“Whoosh! It’s the Concorde”, page 1 of  The Sun-Herald, June 18, 1972.

“Whoosh! It’s the Concorde”, page 1 of  The Sun-Herald, June 18, 1972.Credit:Alan Purcell, The Sun-Herald

The VIP passengers included Earl and Countess Jellicoe, Sir George Edwards and Sir Geoffrey Tuttle.

Earl Jellicoe is Britain’s Lord Privy Seal and the Heath Government’s Leader in the House of Lords.

Sir George Edwards is chairman and managing director of the British Aircraft Corporation, joint builders of the Anglo-French Concorde.

Sir Geoffrey Tuttle is vice-chairman and a director of the commercial division of BAC. Lady Jellicoe stepped off the airliner and drove to town for a hairdo. Her husband said that during the flight from Britain to Japan and Sydney she read, wrote postcards to her children, and slept.

The pilot, Brian Trubshaw, and his co-pilot, “Johnnie” Walker, wore bright orange test pilots’ overalls. The British High Commissioner in Australia, Sir Maurice James, Mr Cotton Minister for Civil Aviation, and the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Sir Donald Anderson, were among the welcoming party.

GLISTENING

Concorde’s silver, red and blue livery glistened in the bright sunshine. Its British registration letters are G-AXDA.

Accompanied by a crew member, I inspected the passenger compartment and flight deck.

The Concorde flown here is a prototype or experimental model. It is fitted with only 16 passenger seats.

The rest of the cabin space is filled with 12 tons of electronic and recording gear, including instruments which sample conditions in the upper air.

One telescopic instrument gives a 180-degree view of the whole of the bottom structure of the aircraft while it is in flight.

The test instruments and gear in the cabin are valued at about $10 million.

The seats are arranged two abreast as they will be in the production, or passenger carrying, models.

The passage between the seals on each side is narrow compared with the aisles in 707, DC8 and Jumbo jet configurations.

Loading

It is powered with four Olympus 593-3B engines each developing 34,7301b of thrust for take-off. The combined power of the four engines equals that of 10,000 Mini Minor cars.

An improved engine has been developed and is equipped with silencers which are used during the fly-over phase to reduce noise levels.

The improved engines are being fitted to the production models now being assembled in Britain and France.

Earl Jellicoe said Concorde was a normal aircraft and not at all “kinky.” It was normal to fly in and could use any standard international runway.

Sir George Edwards said that as the airliner would halve the flying time between Australia and Britain, so Qantas was therefore an important sales objective. A sale to Qantas would be regarded as an important strategic contract.

Most Viewed in National

Loading