콩코드(Concorde)의 미주취항과 환경문제

Concorde s Transatlantic Service and the Disputes on its Environmental Impact

After twenty years of research and development, including close cooperation between Britain and France, Concorde represented a major technological breakthrough in civil aviation with its enormous speed and new technology. Its development was particularly important after the United States Congress stopped an American supersonic transport program on March 24, 1971 because of its potential environmental impact. As a result, Concorde s transatlantic service opened the possibility for domination of the commercial aviation market by reducing flight time between London to Washington, D.C. from eight hours and twenty minutes to three hours and fifty-five minutes. Even though Concorde s design contained superb technological advances, it created serious issues. For instance, its environmental impact, such as noise levels which are five times stronger than those created by subsonic aircraft when taking off, and the possibility of the destruction of ozone from its higher altitude flight pattern, as well as its potential impact on weather and wilderness, brought strong reactions from the American public and led to demonstrations and the prohibition of its landing by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. After the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States in 1970, the Concorde faced strong opposition with regard to transatlantic operation, which was critical for the economic success of the Concorde after Pan American and other airlines in the world refused to purchase the aircraft. The reactions of the American public mainly concentrated on the issues of environmental protectionism and nationalism. Although the information available to the public about the Concorde s impact on the environment was based on predictions, the American public tended to accept it as a fact because of the power of the press. However, the Concorde s transatlantic service was granted with trial period based on diplomatic concerns. From the experience of the Concorde, public reaction has become an important consideration for scientists and engineers during the process of technological development. The public was informed well enough to take a stand because of the development of communication, and issues on the environment became a part of life in the late twentieth century. Still, second generation supersonic transport projects continue because the Concorde was able to operate in transatlantic routes despite opposition. The history of Concorde shows that without improvement on economic feasibility and lessening environmental impact, it will be another catastrophe in the history of aviation.