Having read some of the posts here and in the Tech Log, from John Farley in particular, I think I should withdraw any speculation on the appropriateness of Capt. Marty's actions that I made in my second post of 1st September. It's quite clear to me now that, all other factors being equal, he was making the very best of a very bad job.
I should have just left my first post to stand as it was. That'll teach me to stick to the facts!
Cosmo Kramer Thanks for the link to the low aspect ratio wings at high alpha treatise. I don't think anything in there contradicts what I said in my first post, although the graph does show the non-linear vortex lift continuing for higher alphas than on my graph - probably because it is describing the theoretical total lift and doesn't allow for vortex bursting which, as the author points out, is not easily predicted using theorectical models.
On the tech log,
WOK noted that concorde departs at slightly less than 25 degrees alpha in the sims which I suspect is more due to other stability factors than vortex bursting. I also tend to agree with John Farley that, even with all four engines producing max thrust, concorde would not be able to maintain IAS at such high alpha, which effectively puts vortex bursting well outside the normal (or even abnormal) operating envelope of the aircraft.
Nevertheless, at the point of departure from controlled flight, the aircraft, for whatever reason, experienced a dramatic loss of lift, which is essentially what people mean when they talk about stalling. That this was ultimately due to high alpha, high drag, low power or any combination of the three is not really important. One or both of the wings did, in fact, stop producing lift - which is why the aircraft went down and not up!
As you say, although discussion of this point is interesting, it has little to do with what we should be concentrating on with regard to the causes of the accident. My aim was really to clear up any misunderstanding that may have arisen about the nature of slender delta wings and their performance at high alpha. I think between us all, we have managed to do that fairly comprehensively!