Between the Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde making its first flight in March 1969 and its last on 26 November 2003, the needle-nosed, dart-shaped machine generated more enthusiasm, controversy and spectator pleasure than another airliner.

Much was made of Concorde's commercial failure, and the millions of pounds sterling and French francs it cost the two countries' taxpayers. But many later successful designs benefited from its technologies, while the manufacturing consortium brought together the two nations' engineers as never before, and undoubtedly laid the foundations for the success of Airbus.

Arguably it even brought the UK closer to the rest of Europe. When then UK minister of technology Tony Benn acknowledged at the roll-out in December 1967 that the UK-built "Concords" would be spelt with an "e", one of the reasons he gave was that "E" stood for Europe - just as the UK was trying to get French support for its entry into the European Common Market.

20 Concordes were built – ten each in France and the UK – of which 14 saw active service with airlines. Powered by four Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 Mrk610 turbojet engines, with a cruise speed of over Mach 2 (~2,200kmh) and a range of 7,222km (3,900 nm) Concorde entered service in January 1976 with Air France and British Airways, and the latter operated the last commercial services on 24 October 2003. All but one of the 20 aircraft are now preserved in museums or at airports in Europe, the USA and the Caribbean.

Did you know?

Due to the friction caused by the air at speeds of Mach 2, Concorde could reach outside temperatures of 127°c (260°f). At this temperature, the fuselage would extend by up to 300mm (1ft).