Consider what would happen if Philippine Airlines operated the Concorde. Consider flying between Manila and Sydney at Mach 2.5 and cruising at an altitude of 55,000 feet. Isn’t it fun? Actually, Aerospatiale and British Aerospace (BAC) pitched the Concorde to PAL in 1971.
The Concorde was in Manila on June 10, 1972, as part of a demonstration tour that took it to 12 countries and 14 airports. The sleek aircraft flew in from Singapore and spent the night in Manila.
The 1973 oil crisis took its toll, and Philippine Airlines chose the more economical and larger DC-10 over the four Concordes being proposed to the airline. The former can fly for a longer period of time than the latter, but the latter consumes a lot of fuel. The DC-10 can fly nonstop from Manila to the United States and Europe, whereas the Concorde can only fly nonstop to Sydney.
The Concorde is also prohibited from flying supersonic over land due to the sonic boom it produces after breaking the sound barrier. It can only reach supersonic speeds once it is above water.
A Filipino pilot flew the Concorde from Paris to Manila
A Filipino PAL pilot flew the Concorde from Paris to Manila during the demonstration flight! Capt. Jose “Pepot” Gonzales was a former Philippine Air Force pilot who later became a PAL pilot for 26 years. Pepot Gonzales went on to become the first Asian and the only Filipino to fly at supersonic speeds in the historic Concorde!
Capt. Gonzales, a PAL pilot at the time, made history. He accepted a special assignment to fly the Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde from Paris to Manila for the demonstration flight and static display. The Concorde was on a world tour at the time and was being offered to Asian carriers. Pepot Gonzales then became the first Asian and the only Filipino pilot to fly a Concorde!
From the Concorde to the Airbus A300B4
After the government took control of PAL, then-Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos floated the idea of purchasing the Concorde. BAC desired the sale of two aircraft, but Marcos desired landing rights at London Heathrow International Airport. The deal was scrapped due to the British refusal to grant landing rights, so Marcos instead placed massive orders for Boeing aircraft, including 747s.
After learning from the Concorde experience, the British eventually agreed to grant PAL landing rights after some prodding from France after the Airbus A300 was offered to the airline. Aerospatiale – BAC, the Concorde’s manufacturer, later became part of the Airbus consortium of European aircraft manufacturers.
Philippine Airlines flew 14 Airbus A300B4, the company’s first commercial aircraft.
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