Richard Wiggs

Anti-Concorde Project

Company type	Activist group
Industry	Environmental activism
Founded	1966
Founder	Richard Wiggs
Area served	United Kingdom, international
Key people	Richard Wiggs

The Anti-Concorde Project, initiated by environmental campaigner Richard Wiggs, opposed the advancement of supersonic passenger aviation and significantly curtailed the commercial viability of Concorde. When Concorde commenced operations in 1976, out of 74 options held by 16 airlines at the time of its inaugural flight, only the national carriers of Britain (BOAC) and France (Air France) moved forward, resulting in a total production of just 20 aircraft. Additionally, Braniff International and Singapore Airlines operated flights with Concorde. This initiative also stimulated research focused on diminishing sonic booms, culminating in the Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration, which succeeded in reducing sonic boom strength by approximately one-third. The project mirrored widespread public unease regarding aircraft noise, which in turn prompted tighter noise control regulations and influenced modifications in aircraft design and operational procedures to lower noise emissions.

Overview

After the sound barrier was first surpassed in the late 1950s, the prospect of supersonic commercial airliners became a realistic possibility. However, by the early 1970s, resistance had led to prohibitions against commercial supersonic flights in countries such as Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, West Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Canada, and the United States. Supersonic routes were confined primarily to non-urban areas—mostly over bodies of water—due to restrictions on overland supersonic travel, and only a limited number of airports were equipped to handle their takeoff demands. The aircraft’s construction was expensive, and it consumed considerably more fuel per passenger kilometer compared to conventional airliners amid escalating fuel costs.

Aeronautical engineer Bo Lundberg, who served as Director at the Swedish Aeronautical Research Institute, cautioned during the early 1960s that sonic booms and engine noise would provoke public opposition.

Founded in 1966 by Richard Wiggs—a schoolteacher—the Anti-Concorde Project aimed to resist the development of supersonic passenger transport. Wiggs positioned Concorde as a symbol reflecting the conflict between ecological concerns and technological progress.

Origins

In 1962, an agreement between Britain and France was signed to jointly develop Concorde. The following year, The Observer featured an article titled The Supersonic Threat, which drew upon Lundberg’s research Speed and Safety In Civil Aviation. This study warned that Concorde’s sonic booms could cause disturbances ranging from irritation and physical shocks to broken windows and structural harm. Critics labeled the project as an unacceptable burden borne by ordinary citizens for the benefit of affluent business travelers. Public figures such as Alec Guinness, Pamela Hansford Johnson, and Baroness Snow voiced their apprehensions. Responding to a flood of supportive correspondence, Richard Wiggs from Letchworth, Hertfordshire organized the Anti-Concorde Project.

In a 1967 letter addressed to The Times, Wiggs articulated the aims of the Anti-Concorde Project: to generate public opposition within Britain strong enough to halt Concorde’s development and to collaborate internationally toward banning supersonic transport. The movement comprised a diverse membership including scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, government officials, farmers, academics, and members of Parliament.

Methodology

Prior to the Labour administration assuming power in 1964 with a £700 million deficit, high-profile ventures such as Concorde were at risk of termination. Early development cost projections of £150–170 million in 1962 escalated significantly: reaching £280 million by 1964, £500 million in 1966, £730 million by 1969, and ultimately exceeding £1 billion. Issues with financial oversight became apparent, especially since the UK Treasury was excluded from both the Anglo-French agreement and the Concorde Finance Committee. Although the British government initially declared cancellation on 19 November, this decision was later reversed due to agreements with France and concerns over potential employment losses—while other initiatives faced cancellation. Wiggs argued that a robust advocacy effort might have prevented Concorde’s continuation.

Wiggs disputed assertions from the British Aircraft Corporation and government officials regarding environmental impacts such as ozone layer depletion, sonic booms, noise pollution, fuel efficiency, economic viability, and public funding losses related to research and development expenses. He condemned Concorde as an "elitist and inherently unsafe" endeavor.

To strengthen opposition beyond traditional letters to editors, Wiggs utilized advertisements in prominent national outlets including New Scientist, New Society, and New Statesman. He also placed full-page advertisements in newspapers like The Guardian, The Times, and The Observer. These campaigns highlighted arguments against supersonic transport and sought financial support for ongoing activism, frequently acknowledging donors by name.

Advisory Committee

After initiating correspondence with newspapers, Wiggs established an Anti-Concorde Project Advisory Committee composed of:

• Dr. John Adams, Professor of Geography at University College, London, founding Board member of Friends of the Earth
• Professor Gustav Victor Rudolf Born, FRCP, FRS, Department of Pharmacology, King's College, London
• Dr. Nelson F. Coghill, FRCP, West Middlesex University Hospital
• Mr. C. B. Edwards, Economics Lecturer at University of East Anglia, author of Concorde – A Study In Cost Benefit Analysis (1969)
• Dr. A. W. F. Edwards, Professor of Biometry at University of Cambridge
• Professor Sir Nevill Mott, FRS, Head of the Cavendish Laboratory at University of Cambridge
• Dr. R. M. S. Perrin, University of Cambridge
• Dr. Jerome Ravetz, Professor specializing in History and Philosophy of Science at University of Leeds, first Executive Secretary for Council for Science and Society (1973–76)
• Professor Horace E. Rose from Mechanical Engineering at King's College, London
• Dr. William Shurcliff, Physicist affiliated with Cambridge Electron Accelerator and Harvard University; Director of Citizens' League Against the Sonic Boom; author of SST and the Sonic Boom Handbook
• Professor Cedric A. B. Smith, Biometry expert at Galton Laboratory, University College London
• Dr. Peter J. Smith, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at Open University
• Mary Stocks, Baroness Stocks, writer
• Professor William Homan Thorpe, FRS, Ethologist at University of Cambridge
• Professor Nikolaas Tinbergen, FRS, Ethologist at University of Oxford, awarded the Nobel Prize in 1973
• Professor Bo Lundberg, Director of Aeronautical Research Institute in Sweden
• Mr. Nigel Haigh, M.A., later served as London director for the Institute for European Environmental Policy and represented the Anti-Concorde Project internationally

Sonic boom

A sonic boom occurs when an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound, generating a shockwave. Unlike subsonic aircraft that gradually displace air, supersonic planes rapidly compress air as they exceed sound speed, producing a pressure wave that can extend up to 25 miles from the flight path. This phenomenon often results in loud noise and potential damage to structures.

During the early 1960s, supersonic test flights over American urban areas led to numerous public grievances and property damage claims amounting to millions of dollars. In 1967, similar trials conducted with Lightning fighters over southern England triggered approximately 12,000 complaints related to noise and vibrations.

Noise complaints at airports

The Anti-Concorde Project maintained that Concorde generated more noise than traditional jets during takeoff and landing because its delta wing configuration demanded increased power at lower speeds. In 1977, assessments by the British Civil Aviation Authority verified that Concorde was typically louder by several decibels compared to older long-haul jets both near airports and at greater distances. Data collected from Dallas-Fort Worth and Dulles airports in the United States indicated that Concorde's approach noise was moderately higher, while its takeoff noise exceeded that of conventional aircraft by over 10 decibels.

Global resistance

By the end of 1969, the British Aircraft Corporation regarded concerns about sonic booms occurring over land as exaggerated.

Nonetheless, opposition intensified internationally: countries including Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, West Germany, and Switzerland imposed restrictions on supersonic overflights; Ireland proposed relevant legislation; Canada implemented a complete ban. In 1970, the US Senate passed measures forbidding commercial supersonic flights over land and imposing limits on airport noise levels.

These regulations confined Concorde’s flight paths primarily to oceanic routes or sparsely inhabited regions (such as London–Bahrain; Paris–Rio; Paris–Caracas). Some exceptions occurred—for example, operations at Washington Dulles Airport commenced in 1976—but persistent local resistance delayed service at JFK Airport until a Supreme Court decision permitted it.

In 1977, Concorde briefly offered London–Singapore flights before Malaysia withdrew overflight permissions amid diplomatic tensions; India refused overflight rights due to limited UK flight allocations and complications involving fifth freedom traffic rights.

Archives and media

The Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick preserves materials from the Anti-Concorde Project, including promotional literature (1967–1981), meeting records, press clippings, and reports.

The 2003 BBC2 documentary Concorde – A Love Story, broadcast in the United States as PBS Nova’s Supersonic Dream, incorporates archival footage and interviews with Richard Wiggs’s family, illuminating his opposition campaign against Concorde.

Sources

• Wiggs, Richard (1970). Concorde: The Case Against Supersonic Transport, Ballantine Books/Friends of the Earth.
• Wilson, Andrew (1973). The Concorde Fiasco, Penguin Books.

External links

• Civil Supersonics: Too Much Hurry!: A Plea for a More Rational Approach – article by Lundberg in Flight 1961
• Index to Records of Anti-Concorde Project at University of Warwick
• Richard Wiggs obituary – The Telegraph
• NOVA Supersonic Dream Documentary & Transcript
• Concorde SST – Singapore Concorde Services
• Concorde SST – Timeline – 60's
• Civil Aviation Authority Paper 77007 – Noise Data from First Year Scheduled Concorde Operations at Heathrow