130 Concords To Meet Costs

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31004, 9 March 1966, Page 13

130 Concords To Meet Costs

(Special Crspdt. NZPA) LONDON, March 8. The “break - even point” for the Concord supersonic airliner has been assessed at the sale of 130 planes. From then every plane will be sold at a profit. All costs, including research and development, will have been retrieved and the only outgoing expenditure will be for metal and labour. Fifty Concords have already been ordered. Each will cost £6 million and will take two years to build from the time of the first cutting of the metal until the plane is rolled out

of the hangar for its first test flight. The British Aircraft Corporation and Sud Aviation’s combined production will ensure that three aircr-ft a month are rolled out from 1972 onwards. Twelve Concords will be produced in 1971 The prototype will make its maiden flight in France on February 28, 1968. The first Concord flight in England will be in the following August. A certificate of airworthiness for the Concord is expected to be granted at the beginning of 1967. Special precautions are being taken with American authorities to see that there are no hold-ups with its issue because of red tape or pos[sibly a hidden desire to lessen i the British-French lead over I the American rival which i should be ready for certificaItion three years later. I The “Daily Telegraph” says ! that many experts are pre-

dieting that the sonic boom nuisance will prohibit supersonic flights over land.

Britain and France will conduct a new series of tests during the next two years.