Diamonds.

iTrader: (2)

just watching some clips of it. anyone still think its weird and wrong they got rid of it? i know old Virgin dude wanted to buy them but BA being cunts said no cause they know that Branson would of pulled it off.

i still agree with Clarkson that its taking a step back and also i think they should of kept at least 1 flying for shows.

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

very much so!nothing quite like seeing one in the air!

Pete frst

i know what your saying,somethings not right about it,it was a world class jet and one of the last greatest things this country/france produced.......cudnt fly across mainland 'US' for some reason.........wish id gone on it tho....

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

Shame they got rid. Iconic and the way things going a symbol of a bygone era. Shame virgin didnt buy them.

Peak of the human race long gone???

RickDraper

The simple fact of the matter was even if Branson had got all the concordes they were not able to be flown as Airbus had not renewed the air worthyness certification, parts were becoming had to get as well with BA having to cannibalize one of theirs to keep the other ones flying.

On a side note i did travel from New York to London on it just before it retired.

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

it couldnt fly across mainland america because it beat the Boeing SST into production, so the americans got petty

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

they had got there air worthiness certification after their refit !and can not fly across america at supersonic speed!

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

wtf has airbus got to do with concorde?

orion_crazy_carl

iTrader: (3)

yeah they got it back!amazing plane, would love to have gone on one,real shame there not in thr air anymore!

FletchCossie

iTrader: (4)

I remember being next to a runway in Heathrow. Heard a fucking loud plane fire the engines (It was loud enough to make me walk outside the building I was working in to see what it was) and I see Concorde go past and take off. It really was fucking loud and good to see

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

Concorde has never been allowed to fly accros mainland america at supersonic speeds, other than a couple of test flights

RickDraper

"The Concorde programme's primary legacy is in the experience gained in design and manufacture which later became the basis of the Airbus consortium."

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

this is true!could only go supersonic across water

natehall

iTrader: (2)

im sure if the money was there at the time, the parts would have been manufactured!

RickDraper

If you have only 2 airlines flying one type of aircraft and one of the parties wants out then the other one would have to foot the bill for having parts made which would more than likely be financially unviable.

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

true, the experience gained from all this did become Airbus, BUT concorde was built and maintained by BAe

Diamonds.

iTrader: (2)

i agree with what Rick says there especially after 9/11 stuff that hit the air industry hard and things were gradually slowing down to now a recession does make it so hard.

just weird to think that something that gets you somewhere quicker is not what people want so to speak ( i know the is a lot of issues)

RickDraper

Yes but Airbus held the type certification for it.

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

i work in aerospace and its a very funny time, 9/11 had a major effect on the industry and is only just starting to pick up, nothing like what it was before. For example Rolls Royce have reduced their production of the Trent range of engines by 30% and also the Boeing XWB project being pushed out to fook knows when, lol

What killed concorde is cheap holidays, everybody these days goes abroad for their holiday, and everybody wants to pay as little as possible.

do you ask at the travel agents what type of plane you will be flying on?

Concorde as great as it was, is today by modern standards very in-efficient, super-sonic speed doesnt come cheap, the new Airbus A380 is about 30% more efficient and can carry nearly 40% more passengers than the old Jumbo.

It is sad to see but all the major airline builders are focussing on econony, not the cool stuff like speed and height.

thank fook they are still pushing the boundries with millitary aviation, lol

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

nope, concorde certification was always bae/ac/qc/pt1, ie BAe

RickDraper

Why can’t Concorde continue to fly on after October 2003?

Airbus is adamant that it will not support Concorde’s continuing operation beyond this October. Airbus’s chief executive Noel Forgeard is on the record as stating no other airline can operate Concorde without their support. Airbus is the key supplier in the Concorde operation. It’s a world-class company that not only built Concorde, it specifies the maintenance regime and supplies the parts which make it fly.

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

the filton site was given to BAC during the war effort given the close proximity of Rolls Royce filton, BAC later became BAe.

Airbus became a nationalised company and BAe where removed from site fully by 2002, due to the production of the A380 starting.

All drawings and manufacturing processes for concorde where governend by BAe and Aérospatiale, but the fact this is now on a Airbus site, i can understand the claim.

Diamonds.

iTrader: (2)

i used to work a for Nasmyth an engineering company and we done a lot for the aviation industry and Airbus. when i was at Farnborough in 2006 speaking to the french airbus designers of the A380 (who looked like they should be designing clothes for a catwalk than planes) they were saying how much the bottom line was more people and more eco friendly and beat Boeing 747. as it hadnt had a challenger really. also people want comfort and luxury not speed.. though the funniest well not really was the fact the major problems they had with the fuel system on the A380. Our company would get a book too as do the others of problem and faults with planes. fuck reading i did about 10 pages and it made me not want to get on one

ECOS95

Sad to think that in a few yrs youngsters won't know what your on about when you say Concorde. Bit like having a Cossie.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Concorde should be still in service i think.

It's Czech Mate

Human Race has taken a step backwards.

Had the Americans not been so jealous and stupidly stubborn and let it fly across America whilst supersonic then i'm sure it would be flying today.

Pity Branson wasn't allowed to buy them, i'm sure had he shown airbus the colour of his money they'd find a way, the problem is British Airways didnt want him to steal their crown :-(

Rich_w

Saw a program on Discovery recently, as the guy said. No one really commutes London New York or Paris New York anymore. If you do need to go there, you get a night flight and sleep on the plane. It's not like the 3-4 hours difference in crossings actually makes that much difference.

In fact with the advent of email or Webcams you don't even need to go these days.

If you want to go Supersonic in a plane go to Russia and www.flymig.com Probably work out cheaper and you get your own ejector seat if the plane runs over debris on the runway.

andy escos

iTrader: (1)

are the concorde planes still in one piece or have they been scrapped ,to go mach 2.2 over the sea must have been amazing ,out of interest how fast is the new airbus.

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

think there is only 3 in one peice still!one at duxford I think(the test one)on in new york although now damaged and i think one is at heathrow!

the airbus can only be around 550mph maybe 600 at the most with a tail wind

Fiddy

I watched ' concorde the last flight ' earlier today, i always watch it when its on, seen it a good few times. i was lucky enough to see it fly at an airshow when i was younger, the floor shook, that and the vulcan are two of the most impressive planes ive seen fly, both are VERY loud.

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

Is the vulcan not flying again?

Fiddy

Yeah, has been for a couple of years.

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

would love to watch it at a airshow this year!

St3V3_C

I know there is one at Filton too

EDIT - There are actually 12 :

http://www.concordesst.com/retire/retirestatus.html

Fiddy

I watched it maybe 20+ years ago mate, its always stayed with me though, i even watch it on youtube from time to time. ive seen a lot more advanced and capeable planes fly, eurofighter for example, even had a conversation with the display pilot, he said its incredible, its a hugely impressive piece of modern engineering, but the vulcan had the wow factor for me when i was kid, the angle it can take off at, and the noise it makes are unbelivable. as ive got older an learned what it was designed for makes it even more incredible/important, like concorde, its not a plane, its a legend, but for very different reasons obviously lol.

Big G

Saw the Vulcan at Southport last year, it is impressive and amazing
It was doing a display with a couple of Eurofighters, the thing is MASSIVE compared to them Just hope they can get the funding to keep it in the air.

In sumer if you go up the M6 between J37 and 38 you will get Eurofighters at the same height as you going through the valley, proper shits you up

Big G

Heres a link for that Vulcan
http://www.vulcantothesky.org/

And theres 1 in the background of this pic, poor things just been dumped there at Woodford

Fiddy

Its deffinatly an expieriance watching it display fella, deffinatly something id recommend to anyone who is interested in it. i know it displayed at farnborough last year, fingers crossed they can keep it flying as its a piece of history. dont know about eurofighter flying at head height, it was loud enough when it taxi'd the day i spoke to the display pilot, got a couple of pics of it.

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

aint those euro fighters designed that they physically can not fly by the pilot alone and that the computer has to constantly adjust it?reason for this is to make the plane unstable so it can perform ridiculous turns etc?

Big G

Saw a program on Disco or summat like saying they are built unstable so they can manouvre better, amazing piece of kit.