Looking back at Concorde and forward to Overture

Concorde, the world’s first supersonic airliner, was more than an aircraft. Today, Concorde stands as a symbol of tomorrow delivered in the here and now. Its enduring legacy is what it represents — our ability to do anything when creativity, ingenuity, and determination come together.

Let’s take a look back in time at the build of Concorde and this supersonic era of progress and innovation.

*Building the first pre-production aircraft Concordes, c. 1960s.*

We consider Concorde to be a technological marvel of its time.

*Design engineering and drafting studio, c. 1960s.*

Engineers and designers built Concorde with pencils, their own hands, and the sheer determination to make dreams a reality.

*The basic wing shape of Concorde is marked out by hand.*

There were no digital simulators, computer-aided design software, or 3D modeling technology.

*A team of designers examine a Concorde cabin using wooden forms to measure human ergonomics, April 1964.*

The aircraft was conceived in an era where progress was the answer to everything, and when the sky was no longer a limit.

*A model lineup of the various designs suggested for the shape of Concorde, 1964.*

*Each machine part subjected to rigorous inspection.*

This invitation to dream and push the boundaries of our imagination was palpable in the early 1960s. The same year the first Concorde took its maiden flight, man took first steps on the moon.

*Building Concorde 01 the first pre-production aircraft, c. 1960s.*

As President Kennedy declared in his famous Moon Speech at Rice Stadium:

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

Asked why we climb the highest mountain, or why cross the Atlantic, Kennedy answers that humanity, “in the quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred.”

*Artist’s rendering of a never-realized Concorde in TWA livery, c. 1960s.*

*Compagnie Internationale pour L’Informatique Concorde data flight processors advertisement, 1968.*

The idea that supersonic flight has been out of reach seems counterintuitive to our human story of innovation and progress. Rarely do we as a species choose to step backwards, and even more rarely do we stand in one place for long.

Today, we live in exciting times. Boom is redefining what it means to fly by building Overture, what will be history’s fastest commercial airliner. It’s thrilling to see the possibility of supersonic progress become a reality again. We are witnessing engineers, designers, innovators and artists come together once more to create something so beautiful, powerful, and iconic again.

*Press photograph with preproduction Concorde and cabin crew representing every airline holding orders to operate Concorde, 1968.*

Sparking a passion for the possible and a vision for a better future should be our north star in any era. Concorde continues to stand as a symbol of tomorrow delivered in the here and now, but our time with ‘tomorrow’ was cut short. Thanks to Boom, Overture is the resumption of that promise.

ShareTwitter LinkedIn

Let’s take a look back in time at the build of Concorde and this supersonic era of progress and innovation.

Read More

Baker Hughes Secures 1.21 Gigawatt Generator Order to Power Boom Supersonic’s AI Data Center Solution

Boom Year in Review 2025

Aviation’s Firsts: From Kitty Hawk to Mojave and Biplanes to Supersonic