https://simpleflying.com/concorde-faste ... 5%20knots).Throwback: When Concorde Completed The Fastest Transatlantic Crossing
While the supersonic jet had already slashed flight times between New York and London, February 7th, 1996 marked a milestone. Concorde successfully made the journey from JFK to Heathrow in just 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds. The plane covered 6,035 km (3,259 NM) at an average speed of 2,010km/hr (1,085 knots).
However, the flight didn't just get lucky, but rather, the record was a product of meticulous planning by the flight deck, according to an account in the Guinness Book of World Records. Captain Leslie Scott, First Officer Tim Orchard, and Engineering Officer Rick Eades all planned out the ideal time to beat the record.
February was chosen as the right month for the attempt, since it offered optimum upper air temperature and wind velocity. The crew would also take advantage of the prevailing jet streams to further increase their speed. Once airborne, it would have to reach Mach 2 quickly, and remain at this speed for as long as possible.
However, the record-breaking flight took much more than just planning on paper. The pilots had to informally speak with ATC in both London and New York to ensure there were no delays during take-off or landing. Safety had to remain paramount, and the mission could have been abandoned at any moment.
Only a handful of people knew about the attempt at beating the record. Among those who didn't know were the passengers and cabin crew onboard. The pilots wanted to complete the feat before announcing it to the world.
When the day of departure came, the crew's calculations were accurate. The flight took off from New York and quickly reached Mach 2 on its way to Heathrow. After a high-speed cruise, the flight faced a landing approach issue. The planned landing runway had all flights approaching from the east, but the Concorde was coming from the west. This had the potential to derail the flight's record attempt.
Air traffic control at Heathrow was hesitant about letting the flight approach from the west, unless it was truly a record-breaking flight. The pilots convinced them it would be if they were to land on time. Minutes later, G-BOAD successfully touched down at London Heathrow as the fastest transatlantic flight in the world.
It is not recorded if any other canny Captains later attempted this wheeze to avoid holding or repositioning for a different or preferred approach at Heathrow.
The stories of some of the fastest subsonic flights are also interesting.
It is noteworthy that some sources note that the Vickers Super VC-10 G-ASGC still officially holds the record for the fastest subsonic crossing of the Atlantic when G-ASGC flew from New York’s JFK to Prestwick, Scotland in 5 hours 1 minute in March 1979. The time was taken from take-off to touch down.The fastest aircraft transatlantic flight (New York JFK to London Heathrow) by a subsonic airliner was achieved British Airways flight BA112 on 9 February 2020. The 747-400 covered a distance of 5,554 km (3,451 mi) in just 4 hours 56 minutes, taking off at 23:21 on 8 February and touching down at 04:17 the following day (all times UTC).
This record setting flight was made possible by Storm Ciara, an extratropical cyclone that formed over the North Atlantic on 4 February 2020. This powerful storm had a low-pressure centre that dropped as far as 944 millibars, accelerating the already fast-moving jet stream winds that circle Earth near the poles.
The British Airways aircraft was never travelling faster than its typical cruising speed of around 933 km/h (579 mph) relative to the air around it, but that air mass was moving at speeds of up to 418 km/h (260 mph). While subsonic in relation to its surroundings, the plane was travelling at a speed of 1,327 km/h (825 mph) relative to the ground below.
This flight beat the previous record of 5 hours 13 minutes, set by a Norwegian Air Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on 15 Jan 2018 with the assistance of a tailwind that reached speeds of up to 176 knots (326 kilometres per hour; 203 miles per hour).
The fastest ever official aircraft crossing of the Atlantic (as opposed to spacecraft) was the Lockheed SR-71A in 1974 flown by United States Air Force Major James V. Sullivan and Major Noel F. Widdifield between New York and London in1 hr 54 min 56.4 sec, the fastest flight across the Atlantic.
The average speed over the 5,570.80 km (3,461.53 mi) route was 2,908.02 km/h (1,806.96 mph). The pilots only slowed to refuel once from a specially-modified KC-135 refuelling tanker aircraft midflight. Amazingly, despite continued improvements in aeronautics and technology, the Blackbird's record still stands.
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/ne ... tic-392966
