Concorde satisfies quest for supersonic adventure

By Pat Andrews

Rarely seen this far inland, the distinctive profile of the Concorde graced the runways of Detroit Metropolitan Airport three times in as many days recently as it fulfilled its role in a dream vacation plan engineered by the Nomads travel club. Photo by Larry Caruso

Champagne wishes and caviar tastes ... I've had those for most of my life.

Late last month they materialized, and I haven't quite come down to earth yet.

Under normal circumstances, a commercial round-trip ride on the Air France Concorde costs out at around $9,346 to $12,000 with the usual three-day advance purchase, an amount that would have been certain to send my credit-card company into cardiac arrest.

As my plans of winning a big lottery jackpot appear iffy, when an opportunity to fly gratis on this supersonic airliner dropped into my lap, it didn't take long to make a decision.

The 100-passenger plane was making three New York to Detroit trips over the weekend, ferrying 297 members of the Nomads travel club from their hangar/clubhouse at Detroit Metropolitan Airport back to New York and then on to Paris, France.

Of course, there were sacrifices on my part. Getting up at 4 a.m. for starters and jetting off to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York at 6:30.

I traveled with a small contingent of Nomads hierarchy, some Wayne County officials and other media types. And when we arrived at our destination, it was a true experience of elegance, excitement and personalized attention.

Dean Breest, director of media relations for Air France, whisked us off to the new state-of-the-art $434 million International Terminal at JFK, which also houses Japan Air Lines, Korean Air and Lufthansa Airways.

The terminal has high ceilings and glass throughout, and features a 60-foot diameter domed rotunda with spectacular views of Manhattan.

I felt those Fifth Avenue stores beckoning, but there was work to do.

Inside the luxurious Air France lounge, which has a multilingual staff, "Chef" had prepared a few items for our dining pleasure.

"Coffee," I recall saying. "Is there any coffee?" My server looked astonished. "But, madame, we have champagne."

Mind you, this was 9 a.m. Oh well, I thought, these people are probably on Paris time and that's a good eight hours difference. So, I sipped ...

I settled into a European-design leather chair and dismissed any thought of what my co-workers back in Southgate might be doing at that very moment.

Breest briefed us with background about the Concorde, from research in France and Great Britain in 1956 to an agreement between the two governments in 1962 to cover the joint design, development and manufacture of supersonic travel.

French President Charles de Gaulle named the aircraft in 1963 and the first flight of Concorde 001 from Toulouse took place in 1967.

The first visit of Concorde 002 came in 1973 to Dallas/Fort Worth, and later that year, a record time for a Washington, D.C., to Paris route was established in three hours and 33 minutes. Commercial travel did not come until 1976.

The engines are Rolls Royce designs and the aircraft is staffed by a pilot, a co-pilot, a flight engineer, five flight attendants and one purser.

There are 13 Concordes in operation today, still owned by Air France and British Airways.

The interior of the plane is not at all what one might expect. It has an 8-foot-wide cabin, and those over 6 feet 4 inches tall need to duck.

The 100 seats are contoured for comfort and there is ample legroom.

On our trip back to Detroit, the pilot and crew were not permitted to travel at their usual 1,336 mph - twice the speed of sound.

That is reserved for over deserts and open water. We flew to Detroit, I'm told, at about 600 mph.

An apparatus at the front of each cabin allows passengers to check out the cruising speed. The Concorde flies at an altitude of 50,000 to 60,000 feet, about 10,000 to 20,000 feet higher than today's commercial subsonic jets.

It also accounts for less atmospheric turbulence.

As we took off, there was a sensation of going straight up in the air, something like you would imagine of a space capsule. The plane quickly leveled and out came the champagne bottles.

Regular passengers on trans-Atlantic flights won't even have to hang on to their hand-blown glass flutes. This is smoothness as I have never experienced.

Air France employs an internationally recognized wine steward and a staff of talented chefs.

Meals are served on china plates and a sample menu would include truffled scrambled eggs, rose of Norwegian smoked salmon, creamed morel mushrooms, French cheese and sliced fruit, with fresh croissants.

The flight ends with a sampling of caviar and, of course, more French champagne.

The large menus are actually souvenirs. French fashion designer Christian Lacroix designed five allegorical illustrations representing the regions of the world served by Air France - Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

I have been to France - a nonstop flight from Detroit to Charles de Airport - about an eight-hour trip. Despite all of the warnings of things to do and not do to avoid jet lag, I was a walking zombie for at least a full day.

Traveling westward on the Concorde, however, means you arrive before you leave in local time.

For business travelers, the Concorde, complete with passenger lounges at both ends offering showers, fax machines, Internet access and other amenities, is the only way to go.

As the year 2000 approaches and George Lucas-style ideas abound, there is little doubt that a new generation of supersonic travel is around the corner.

Air France and British Airways might be at a crossroads to continue this type of luxury service.

It is one journey I won't quickly forget, and if I ever do win that lottery big prize, well, hello, Paris.

The Concorde, which seats 100, took 297 local Nomad travel club members to Paris in three runs. Photo by Larry Caruso

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