Re: what is the maximum speed of the Concorde ?

Greetings:

The Concorde has been flying for 25 years and is still a marvelous aircraft 
and one of the  significant engineering achievements of the century. 

The Concorde has a maximum  speed of Mach 2.2 ( 2.2 times the speed of 
sound), or 1450 miles per hour (2333 km per hour) at an altitude of about  
50,000 feet (15.25 km). This is the maximum speed that the aircraft can 
reach if air friction is not to heat up and weaken the aluminum skin. Even 
at the – 94 degree F (-70 degrees C) temperature and thin atmosphere at the 
cruising altitude the aircraft would have to be made from titanium (as is 
the SR-71 Blackbird) or stainless steel if it were to travel faster.  In 
standard operation the Concorde cruises at Mach 2.02, about 1354 miles per 
hour (2179 km per hour). 

To test the aircraft on the ground at the temperature extremes of 
supersonic flight the engineers built a closely fitted cover around one 
wing and the fuselage of a test airframe. They then  blew hot and cold air 
between the cover and the aircraft. The test was repeated thousands of 
times to prove that the aluminum would not become brittle with fatigue from 
thermal expansion and contraction in extended flight operations.

Pictures and technical data about Concorde can be found at the following 
URLs:

http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/8952/e_histoire_1.htm
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/2455/aboutssc.html

Best regards, your Mad Scientist
Adrian Popa