In the season finale, we go beyond rumor and speculation to answer: what really grounded Concorde for good? Aided by insights from an aviation journalist, we explore Concorde's legacy, its impact on the world, and the new projects it inspired that might return supersonic passenger aircraft to the skies.
Teamistry is the chemistry of unsung teams that achieve the impossible
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Season four is the untold story of Concorde. It begins November 21st with new host, investigative reporter Nastaran Tavakoli-Far. New episodes every other Monday.
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In season four of Teamistry, we dive deep into a single story of extraordinary teamwork – told in six gripping episodes. It's a story of how the impossible becomes possible when teams work and dream together, no matter who they are or where they live.
In Season 4, Teamistry’s new host Nastaran Tavakoli-Far and Teamistry producer Pedro Mendes travel to the U.K. and France to speak with the designers and engineers who worked together, failed together, and dreamed together to make the the fastest passenger plane ever. Season 4 of Teamistry is the story of Concorde: the world’s only supersonic passenger plane to have ever taken the skies. It’s an engineering marvel, a pop culture icon, a topic of controversies, intrigue and gossip. But above all, Concorde is a testament to what happens when teams go beyond borders, egos, and politics to make the impossible, possible.
Starting November 21st, a new episode drops every two weeks.
On July 25th, 2000, Concorde suffers its worst nightmare. Minutes after take off, an Air France flight crashes into a hotel near Charles de Gaulle airport, killing all passengers and crew. It’s now up to the team of engineers to study the aftermath and piece together the final moments of the aircraft. They hope to explain the cause to the world and restore faith in supersonic flight.
Concorde is an instant hit with celebrities. Mick Jagger, Sting, and Princess Diana are all frequent flyers – for the fast travel and the high-class atmosphere. Concorde itself becomes a pop star, with its own (horrible) feature film. But on the ground, politics and protests force it to alter its course.
Concorde makes aviation history when the first prototype plane takes to the skies. But solving complex engineering problems is only the beginning. At almost every turn throughout the 1970s, Concorde faced existential threats. The Oil Crisis, environmental protests, and allegations of "Aviation Colonialism" could ground the plane and end the supersonic dream forever.
As engineers in the U.K. and France struggle to get a prototype of Concorde in the air, they respond by creating a new way of working together. America enters the supersonic race, spies are disguised as priests, and Soviet Russia’s haste in flying supersonic ends in a tragedy.
In episode one, host Nastaran Tavakoli-Far and Producer Pedro Mendes set the stage for our six-part story of the people and teams that made supersonic flight a reality. The team travels to the Brooklands Museum in the U.K, where Nastaran sees a Concorde up close for the first time. Also in episode one, you’ll hear about the monumental 1956 meeting of the Supersonic Transport Aircraft Committee (STAC) that set in motion a complex network of teams from the U.K. and France to execute this ambitious project.
Imagine flying between New York and London in half the time it takes today. Celebrities sit nearby, champagne and caviar are served. Fantasy? Not long ago, this was a reality – made possible by Concorde. An airplane faster than a bullet, faster than the speed of sound. An airplane that seemed impossible to make. In Season 4 of Teamistry, new host Nastaran Tavakoli-Far and lead producer Pedro Mendes travel to the U.K. and France to speak with the designers and engineers who dreamed the same dream, worked and failed together, and built the fastest passenger plane ever.
About the host
Teamistry is hosted by journalist, radio, podcast and TV host Nastaran Tavakoli-Far. She was educated at the London School of Economics and Columbia University, and has received awards from the Foreign Press Association of New York and the Shorty Awards.