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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Concorde
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The only supersonic airliner flying in the early 21st century. The first test flight was on 2 March 1969 and the first scheduled service on 21 January 1976. With a capacity of 128 passengers, Concorde cruises at up to Mach 2 (2333kph/1450mph). It was designed and manufactured jointly by the British Aircraft Corporation in Britain and by Aerospatiale in France, as the result of an agreement between the two governments signed in 1962. Its noise level caused early opposition (particularly in New York) and it has remained a noisy beast, but a very beautiful one. Supersonic passenger flights began in the Soviet Union in 1975 with the Tupolev Tu-144 (so similar in appearance to the Concorde that it became known as the Concordski), but the plane was withdrawn from service in 1983.
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