A monument to optimism

[Mich the Tester]

Concorde's last resting place.


It should be flying.

[TimberWolf]

No one used to complain when she flew over, rather the deep rumble of the engines just caused people to look up in awe.

[Mich the Tester]

No one used to complain when she flew over, rather the deep rumble of the engines just caused people to look up in awe.

Yep. Test matches stopped as all the players looked up. What an amazing machine.

[TimberWolf]

Yep. Test matches stopped as all the players looked up. What an amazing machine.

<Conspiracy mode>But she killed a bunch of rich people, which will never do. Had it been a Easyjet caught fire, no one would have been bovvered>

But in reality I don't think the economics made much sense, in part I believe because of the wing design compromises needed to satisfy the yanks, which meant she guzzled fuel but could land less noisily on shorter runways. I don't think the yanks liked her full stop.

[Mich the Tester]

<Conspiracy mode>But she killed a bunch of rich people, which will never do. Had it been a Easyjet caught fire, no one would have been bovvered>

But in reality I don't think the economics made much sense, in part I believe because of the wing design compromises needed to satisfy the yanks, which meant she guzzled fuel but could land less noisily on shorter runways. I don't think the yanks liked her full stop.

The Yanks were jealous.

As for the economics, Concorde's development was hampered after the sales collapsed (due partly to the oil crisis and partly to the US threats to not allow it to land). If it had actually been produced in larger numbers it could have had another 20 or 30 years of incremental devlopment (much like the 747), which would have led to vast improvements in efficiency.

[d000hg]

Just think what modern tech could do if it wasn't in the hands of idiots... several decades of materials, aero and engine development.

[Troll]

Concorde's last resting place.


It should be flying.

I passed that Concorde parked up at Filton last night on my way to the Mall.

It still looks good as a design and made me ponder have we made anything comparable in this country since, or was that a marker of the end of world class design & build in this country.

Also seeing that there are plans to turn the Filton airport into a housing estate... seems to be the way of the world & all very sad

[MrRobin]

The Yanks were jealous.

As for the economics, Concorde's development was hampered after the sales collapsed (due partly to the oil crisis and partly to the US threats to not allow it to land). If it had actually been produced in larger numbers it could have had another 20 or 30 years of incremental devlopment (much like the 747), which would have led to vast improvements in efficiency.

I thought sales collapsed because of the complaints from the public regarding the sonic booms over land?

[BA to the Stars]

I thought sales collapsed because of the complaints from the public regarding the sonic booms over land?

She wan't allowed to fly supersonic over land. Most of her flights would have been over the sea i.e. the Atlantic from Paris / London to New York so no more than a couple of hundred miles over land

[MrRobin]

She wan't allowed to fly supersonic over land. Most of her flights would have been over the sea i.e. the Atlantic from Paris / London to New York so no more than a couple of hundred miles over land

Exactly. But when she was first built and went on a tour of the world collecting orders from governments and airline companies all around the globe they didn't know that it would be so audible at ground level and that people would complain. All the airlines which planned to use the aircraft on land routes then cancelled.