Nova: Season 45, Episode 13

45 - 13: Flying Supersonic

A history of the legendary Concorde, the passenger plane that flew from the late 70s till 2003 at twice the speed of sound. Designed and built by French and British engineers, the Concorde was the ultimate in speed and luxury for a select group of global jet-setters, and the birthplace of many breakthroughs in aviation science. But ultimately it was not sustainable because of enormous fuel consumption and high ticket prices. NOVA takes you inside the historic international race to develop the first supersonic airliner. Hear stories from those inside the choreographed effort to design and build Concorde in two countries at once—and the crew members who flew her. Today, scientists at NASA and start-up companies like Boom Technology in Denver are trying to figure out ways to build a new generation of supersonic passenger planes that will be quieter, greener, and cheaper.