The Concorde vs. Other Passenger Jets

The Concorde flies faster and higher than most commercial jets. For example, a Boeing 747 aircraft cruises at about 560 mph (901 kph, or Mach 0.84) at an altitude of 35,000 ft (10,675 m). In contrast, the Concorde cruises at 1,350 mph (2,172 kph, or Mach 2) at an altitude of 60,000 ft (18,300 m). Because the Concorde travels faster than the speed of sound and almost twice as high as other commercial jets, it has several features that set it apart from other aircraft:

• Streamlined design
  • Needle-like fuselage
  • Swept-back delta wing
  • Moveable nose
  • Vertical tail design
• Engine design
  • Engines built into the wing
  • Afterburners
• Main and auxiliary fuel tanks
• High-reflectivity paint

Structural diagram of a Concorde
Move your mouse over the color options to see where each component is located on the Concorde.

Let's look at these features in detail.