Concorde to fly again?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8712806.stm

If only they had sold them to Beardy Branson.....

Concorde and the Vulcan are the best looking planes ever to fly.

would love it if that happened, love it

Concorde and the Vulcan are the best looking planes ever to fly.

Not Concordski? You surprise me.

I would also love it and would one day hope to fly on concorde.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8712806.stm

 

If only they had sold them to Beardy Branson.....

Was never going to happen realisitically. The maintenance leading up until their retirement was done by Airbus, who were unwilling to carry on making the spare parts. Especially after Air France retired their fleet and their were even few planes to service.

Would be nice if they can get one airworthy again though.

It seems it might just happen. Of course it was a slim chance with Branson, but if anyone could have done it, it was him. Instead of helping, obstacles were put in his way.

They basically said, No, you can't play with our toy, even though we don't want it anymore.

Concorde has had to fight tooth and nail all her life to stay in the air. This is just another chapter of what could have been.

It'd be fantastic to have them flying again, supersonic airliner travel is just too much of an incredible feat to be resigned to the past. One day i'd love to fly on one, although I guess it would probably be quite underwhelming. But to think that you could go from London to New York in 2 hours, the same time it would take to fly to Marseille or Amsterdam....it's just amazing.

It'd be fantastic to have them flying again, supersonic airliner travel is just too much of an incredible feat to be resigned to the past. One day i'd love to fly on one, although I guess it would probably be quite underwhelming. But to think that you could go from London to New York in 2 hours, the same time it would take to fly to Marseille or Amsterdam....it's just amazing.

There's that old story of the Concorde giving a particular Boeing 747 two hours start, from Heathrow, across the Atlantic. On landing at JFK, someone enquired about the particular 747, only to be told that it was just over halfway across.

What a step backwards, since 2003.

There's that old story of the Concorde giving a particular Boeing 747 two hours start, from Heathrow, across the Atlantic. On landing at JFK, someone enquired about the particular 747, only to be told that it was just over halfway across.

 

What a step backwards, since 2003.

Just amazing what a few dozen well-honed minds, a lot of time and a f*ckload of cash can produce. I think people went off them in the end because of the explosion in Paris before they were discontinued, but i'd welcome them back with open arms. Absolutely amazing feat.

Just amazing what a few dozen well-honed minds, a lot of time and a f*ckload of cash can produce. I think people went off them in the end because of the explosion in Paris before they were discontinued, but i'd welcome them back with open arms. Absolutely amazing feat.

Of course, it was grounded because it picked up a piece of metal, that had fallen, from that well known junk heap and serial passenger killer, the McDonnell-Douglas DC10, which should have been grounded decades before.

Of course, it was grounded because it picked up a piece of metal, that had fallen, from that well known junk heap and serial passenger killer, the McDonnell-Douglas DC10, which should have been grounded decades before.

The later models of the DC-10 were pretty good. It was just the early models which had some terrible faults.

The later models of the DC-10 were pretty good. It was just the early models which had some terrible faults.

Pretty good is a relative phrase, mate. Pretty good for a DC-10, is still pretty awful.

Of course, it was grounded because it picked up a piece of metal, that had fallen, from that well known junk heap and serial passenger killer, the McDonnell-Douglas DC10, which should have been grounded decades before.

It could have happened to any airliner, but I don't think people always fully committed to the idea of the Concorde, some people were still pretty sceptical about it. Hell, even nowadays people are trying to discourage us from flying by saying we'll get DVT or our blood will thin (or is that the same thing? :confused:). It was a shame to see them go like that, but perhaps if they come back now people will be more welcoming. BA would certainly reap a f*ckload in profits if they choose to fly them again.

Of course, it was grounded because it picked up a piece of metal, that had fallen, from that well known junk heap and serial passenger killer, the McDonnell-Douglas DC10, which should have been grounded decades before.

Actually, that is a false public thought.

The aircraft was observed by numerous people to be on fire a long time before it went over the piece of metel from the preceeding aircraft.

The fire was actually caused by maintenance failing to fit a spacer in the main bogey unit (main undercarriage), which ment it could slightly 'swivel' like a supermarket trolley. This caused parts of the tread to come off the tyres, impacting the wing where the fuel is held, the resulting shockwave off the fuel then punctured the wing undersurface, causing fuel to ignite in the exhaust/afterburners.

The aircraft was also performance limited weight by a large margin as they took off with a tail wind to save a long taxy to the correct runway, this limited its performance when the engine(s) were shut down, too early, by the engineer.

Would be amazing to see them fly again. But I fear that Airbus may hamper this as they won't provide maintenance. The reason it stopped flying was Air France didn't want to fly them any more, and although BA did, there was a clause that goes back to the early day's before production and design, that stated both airlines must fly them, or no one does.

Fingers crossed it grazes the sky again though. I have visions of a flypast somewhere with a Concord (let's drop the e!), a Vulcan, a Buccanear, a Lightning and a Harrier, followed by a Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane. If only TSR2 could fly too!

Simples :cool:

Pretty good is a relative phrase, mate. Pretty good for a DC-10, is still pretty awful.

Tupolev 154. Now there's a death trap piece of sh*t.

Tupolev 154. Now there's a death trap piece of sh*t.

Plus the Tu-144 dropped out of the sky quite well too.

Did I read somewhere, not too long ago, that NASA are using them for flight tests..?

Plus the Tu-144 dropped out of the sky quite well too.

 

Did I read somewhere, not too long ago, that NASA are using them for flight tests..?

They did. Had a few mail flights for aeroflot too. That was ages ago though. TBH though the 144 only had one crash, it just happened to be very high profile pulling a manoeurve it would never usually have to do.

RE: The DC-10 They've got some info on the accidents here:

http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_manu_details.cgi?aircraft=DC-10

Some dodgy design faults, like the Turkish crash with the cargo door, the AA crash at Chicargo and of course Sioux City. Most others just seem to be bad maintenance, bad weather or bad flying.

They did. Had a few mail flights for aeroflot too. That was ages ago though. TBH though the 144 only had one crash, it just happened to be very high profile pulling a manoeurve it would never usually have to do.

 

RE: The DC-10 They've got some info on the accidents here:

 

http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_manu_details.cgi?aircraft=DC-10

 

Some dodgy design faults, like the Turkish crash with the cargo door, the AA crash at Chicargo and of course Sioux City. Most others just seem to be bad maintenance, bad weather or bad flying.

Tbf, I was slightly unfairly commenting on the TU-144, although it was said to suffer from many dodgy design compromises, in order to stay in the political lead, if not the technical one, in front of Concorde.

http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_manu_details.cgi?aircraft=DC-10

Looked at your link, Arizona.

I remember when I lived in NZ, in the early 90's, that the Mt Erebus crash had a day of memory. Can you imagine the horror if anyone survived that crash for even a short time..? If memory serves, they all died instantly.

http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_manu_details.cgi?aircraft=DC-10

 

Looked at your link, Arizona.

 

I remember when I lived in NZ, in the early 90's, that the Mt Erebus crash had a day of memory. Can you imagine the horror if anyone survived that crash for even a short time..? If memory serves, they all died instantly.

Luckily, I guess, there was no chance of that.

I would also love it and would one day hope to fly on concorde.

I did a supersonic flight LHR-LHR, the take off was awesome. The landing was fun and the champagne in the middle wasn't bad either. I sat in the back row and when I looked out of the tiny window in mid flight I could only see the black of the stratosphere. Wish I could do it all again tbh!

I did a supersonic flight LHR-LHR, the take off was awesome. The landing was fun and the champagne in the middle wasn't bad either. I sat in the back row and when I looked out of the tiny window in mid flight I could only see the black of the stratosphere. Wish I could do it all again tbh!

Had to travel from here to a conference in Vegas. BA had a deal, book to New york in Biz class and get one leg upgraded to Concorde. I had a choice to fly Dubai-Heathrow-JFK-LA-Vegas which went Bizclass-Concorde-economy-economy or biz class to LA - no brainer, although I was wrecked by the time I finally got there with all the stop overs but that moment when they hit the gas on the runway was simply awesome....

Although it was weird having to bend backwards into a sort of reverse S-shape to have a pee in the loo and I am sure I still have damage to my knees from when the table smacked down into it, damn that thing was as small as a Flybe thingy.

Also weird was having their Brunch on a Friday, Full English with Foie Gras... not quite what I had expected!

About 3 weeks later they announced her withdrawal from service, a classic lesson of why IF the opportunity comes up to do something special it should be taken. I am so glad I did it, I have the boarding pass framed and on the wall (naff I know) but it was something truly special that I had thought was always out of reach for us mere p1ssheads.

I have the boarding pass framed and on the wall (naff I know) but it was something truly special that I had thought was always out of reach for us mere p1ssheads.

nOT AT ALL PHIL.

i WORKED ON SECURITY AT hEATHROW FOR A FEW YEARS, AIRSIDE. i USED TO GET SO EXCITED DOING GROUND PATROL T4. Used to get the hots walking under the old girls fuselage.

When working Gate 13 I would phone mrs h and hold the phone up so she could hear/feel Concorde take off, it was quite literally an amazing sensation to have the control box vibrate.

When I had my very first mobile phone I would stand outside and do it. She loved it too but as I was the one actually stood right beneath it's flightpath I feel extrememly priviledged.

One of my dreams used to be flying Concorde to New York and the QEII home. Won't ever happen now but what I wouldnlt give to step aboerd the old bird!!

Hard to beleive it was around at the end of 1960's, considering it still looks futuristic even now!

Tupolev 154. Now there's a death trap piece of sh*t.

To be fair, this plane is actually extremely solid.

Unfortunately, the majority of pilots who fly them and the airlines that fly them and the areas of the world they are mostly flown in....are not so stable.

http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_manu_details.cgi?aircraft=DC-10

Just got back from a friend's barbeque who's the creator and owner of that site. FACT. :cool:

When I was on training courses in Shirehampton we could hear them testing the engines.

I also wonder if they would still be flying if they had been made by Boeing or Lockheed.

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When I was on training courses in Shirehampton we could hear them testing the engines.

 

I also wonder if they would still be flying if they had been made by Boeing or Lockheed.

 

.

Perhaps not Lockheed, but most certainly Boeing. And not because they would have been made any better either.

I shouldn't.

After all, it never happened.

It's just photoshop

But thinking about falling DC-10's reminded me of an urban legend

The handover crew decided to do a full power engine run up in the taxi holding area on a brand new neever flown A340-600. The alarms sounded so they removed the circuit breaker yadda yadda yadda

I can remember being a tiny nipper in the 60's standing at Farnborough Airshow when the announcer said that a special test bed Vulcan was about to carry out a display with the Concord engines attached to the wings, "those of you with small children are advised to defend their ears" My Dad borrowed some ear defenders for me from someone nearby, you could still just hear but the most memorable part as it flew around was the vibrations coming up through the floor!!

Every night when it was flying home from the States it could be seen from our garden and never failed to stop you looking up.

I believe that when the 30 year old state secret papers come out, that it will be revealed that Concorde was taken out of service at the request of the Americans following 9/11, as they feared that should a Concorde be hijacked, at flat chat not many Airforce planes could catch it.

I remember flying out to Bahrain on a 747 (I think) on 21st January 1976. Our plane was a couple of stands along from the Concorde waiting for her first commercial flight - looked so tiny against the Jumbos. It was due to take off a couple of hours after us.

Anyway, we're flying over Turkey at 30,000ft and the captain comes on the intercom and tells us to look up out of the port-side windows where I was sat. I looked up at Concorde, another 30,000ft above us, framed against a deep blue sky, rocketing past us. We got to Bahrain in about another 3-4 hours from memory - and there was Concorde, sat on the tarmac next to us, cooling down in the night air.

Amazingly surreal at the time.

As I recall the passing and deceleration of Concorde over the Somerset Levels at about 5pm signalled knocking off time for me.

flew on it many years ago on one of those champagne supersonic 2hr flights.The first concorde we were due to fly on had a problem with one of its engines ,when the next one became available it had to have its emergency inflatable slide thing replaced. As me and the wife eventually got settled in our seats for take off i noticed a 4" bolt rolling around on the wing ,told the hostess who got the captain to have a look and had to shut the engines down.The bolt was from an inspection hatch they forgot to put back on ,apart from that it was a brilliant experience