Concorde to fly again?

[Ontariotech]

Just watched an interesting news article on the BBC News site about a concorde in France that is being kept in as close to airworthiness shape as possible. And one of the worlds few female concorde engineers is looking after her. It's at a museum in france (obviously) but a British Museum operator in the UK was asked if the Brits are planning on getting one in the air. No plans yet, they both need someone, or a company to come up with the millions required to keep them airworthy.

Branson?? Where's Mr. Branson.

I don't think there would by anything more cool then a Virgin coloured Concorde. I wonder what the colour scheme would be????:ok:

[mcgoo]

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=248649

[bamcb38c]

BA will never allow a concorde in virgin colours as it owns the patent on the special paint used on concorde

[GBALU53]

Nice article on the news yesterday on F-BTSD the French Concorde in Paris how they keep all systems going with regular function testing.

How many British politicions whouild have seen the article and bowed there head in disgrace on not keep the aircraft in the air.

After all the engineering hard work after the French crash to get themback into the air is an insult to them that the plug was pulled on the aircraft a few years later.

In my opinion Branson should have been given a chance at least to try and keep some flying as British aviaiton is all most lost>:ugh: :ugh: :{ :{

[Hirsutesme]

I absolutely agree, sadly it has all been said before, it didn't happen. But well done the french (did I really just say that?)

[HZ123]

What a complete load of tosh, we at BA, the citizens of the west of England are well shot of the nosey gas guzling monster.

[noflybywire]

The French population have plenty of faults but they stand up and defend anything french. Seemingly unlike most of the people in this country who moan bleat and whinge about everything and anything and are only too eager to sl*g off anything British. HZ123 you must be talking about that crappy piece of junk at southend it's called a Boeing 707 and should have been sent to the scrap yard years ago,

[The AvgasDinosaur]

To see an image of Concorde in Virgin colours try this link
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rez.manzoori/fakes/fakes.htm
Hope it helps
David

[W.R.A.I.T.H]

To see an image of Concorde in Virgin colours try this link
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rez.manzoori/fakes/fakes.htm
Hope it helps
David

and there it is, but that EZY jumbo rolls it over, absolutely hilarious :}

not to hijack the thread, i was spending that night in a hotel room with a malfunctioning wireless and as a result of that i saw the spot ten times at least on the telly. Good going froggers, once airborne, I remain confident that several flypasts will be made just over central London:E , in full french colour glory.

[GBALU53]

The piece of junk noflybywire is mensioned would it be the Boing 707 at Sothend?

Groups of people are prepared to get mony together and try to keep some history allive.

With the comment Merchant Venturer saying about Concorde not flying again unless some prive enterprize comes along if they are prepared to put the money where there mouth is to get history going againg the Government should support not close the door.:sad: :sad:

I was reading an article in the British Airways news on the unvailing at Brooklands of Concorde G-BBDG it looks in good shape i hope to be inside it next month.:ok: :ok:

If Brooklands can get this back into a static condition and look fantastic with some push and help from the Government there could be hope the more time these aircraft stay outside it is no good to any one. (Well done Brooklands):ok: :ok:

If we look back twenty years or so when the good old Shackleton was withdrawn from the Air Force some groups one an engineering company that looks after the BBMF Lancaster was envolved wanted to keep a couple the Governing bodys put the mockers on that as well.:( :(

One could keep going on on this subject but it is sad when history on your doorstep gets brushed into the gutter if only some of us were rich.:ugh: :ugh:

[Gulfstreamaviator]

I saw the static display Concorde in Paris a few days ago, it looked fantastic at night, with the flames spurting out of the engines, it looked so real, and only 2 kmts from its burial ground too.

[GBALU53]

Well lets hope this is successful and the hangar is built to house the aircraft a tribute to all at Bristol shame they cannot progess one step further and get the aircraft airbourne as well but we can dream on.

Good news from Bristol at least

[boredcounter]

I doubt very much she will ever fly again. The costs involved in restoring airworthiness does not make the average beancounter smile with national pride. Who would support the project as designer for repairs and airworthiness sponser. Alas, this young lady is not available to fly on an 'on condition' basis, if she were, I'd chip in for gas, no matter how much she guzzled......................
Now, if only we could give the Russians the 'real' plans, the technology and a couple of good airframes. They would find a commercial use for her, as they do their one off's. Who would have thought the Tu144 or others would fly for profit again.
Then again, Concorde on an 'N' plate, flying in NASA colours, reseaching the 2020 Superjet project, no doubt to be allowed to fly to any UK airport, from any American airport, doesn't warrent thinking about.
The British, once proud, World leading Aircraft industry is dead. Left now to the few proud restorers, working in their own time to keep history alive.
The Government, in the form of the BBMF,RN historic Flight etc, keep a number of key, historical aircraft flying, I am very happy to fund that as a tax payer and aviation enthusiast, even the DC3. The Vulcan restoration fights for lottery funding and support and may or may not of won, time will tell.
Yet we hear we must tax aviation, it harms the environment, it can subsidise the development of the third world. The first may be true, the second, balderdash in my personal opinion.
Tax every ticket, in and out of the UK. Heritage Tax, GBP1.00 a ticket, 100,000,000 pa through LON! Who would notice? We have more bodies through LON than we have population.
Now, that just might, just might, get her flying again, restore the BAC 1-11 to the UK register (display perpose), and work on a Viscount and Herald.
As the American Government still funds the B52, charge the Yanks an extra Quid to fund the Vulcan, that should do it!
To think the Atlantique Historic flight is open to offers over and above 1,00,000 makes my blood boil............................................
No I am not that callous, another GBP1.00 per ticket to invest in finding the answer to Oil, thats GBP1.00 tax on every ticket to aid development of the world, already raped, globally, billions........................ to educate America cars do run quite OK on 1000cc engines and diesel to, try leading on this one.

[gordonroxburgh]

If Brooklands can get this back into a static condition and look fantastic with some push and help from the Government

We wish! This project was done on hard work from the people who rattled buckets, to those at the sharp end doing the graft...a true team effort.

The Government's answer to heritage funding is the National lottery, but the hoops you need to jump though to secure said funding, makes it near enogh impossible to actuialy gain access to the much needed funds.

Saying that we do hope one day to have a nice covered building for Concorde at Brooklands with a few of the other post war Vickers civil airliners ,with the assistance lottery funding...but thats a long way off.

[Craggenmore]

BA will never allow a concorde in virgin colours as it owns the patent on the special paint used on concorde........and the second reason BA would never have allowed Virgin to get their hands upon Concorde is that Branson supposedly goaded BA by vowing to paint down the fuselage "BA couldn't keep it up" !!

[gordonroxburgh]

BA will never allow a concorde in virgin colours as it owns the patent on the special paint used on concorde

Mythbusting time

Concorde paint was standard CA-8000 Aircraft paint.

[cirrus01]

Fly again ?? .................short answer NO !

There is no Engineering support for it now.

People ( the dreamers anyway ) seem to forget that not so small army of design signatories, and Engineering professionals that were employed to keep Concorde airworthy.

These dedicated engineers from both the manufacturers and AF / BA have all been disbanded / retired . A lot of the skills which enabled it to fly have now disappeared............ 1960s technology , Parts were very scarce even then, 10 years ago robberies from one to another just to get it away an everyday occurance, now there would be no such luxury. New parts would have to be designed, tested , certified and made .............just ain't gonna happen.

Concorde had the highest Engineering work per flying hour of any aircraft.........something like 42 manhours per flying hour. Compared to say a C5 Galaxy at 22 and Boeing 747 at 12.

A lot of unbelievable Bulls*it that went around when it was finally taken out of service..........
Virgin ( Branson ) got some cheap publicity with his offer , didn't once hear he was going to employ some 300 extra staff just to keep an Concorde flying.

If it wasn't so undignified to trade cheap shots with a National Icon , I would have liked to see BA say "OK , Here you are " and just towed any one of the Concordes over to the Virgin hangar . " Now lets see you get it in the air and keep it operating ":rolleyes:

It would still be there now. :(

[elmrs2]

The aircraft was an amazing piece of machinery that was marveled at the world over. More than many, I would like to see her in the air again as she inspired me to take a degree in engineering.

However the finances to keep an aircraft like that in the air are massive and we can discuss as long as we want to about how we should bring her back into service under any guise. Given the financial and environmental issues as well as public concern she isn’t going to be coming back. It’s something we will be able to think of fondly and tell our kids/grandkids “I remember when you could fly faster than a bullet in a lounge suit sipping champagne”

Sadly its one of the great icons lost to the financial pressure of the world we live in.