Originally Posted by stilton
Its all academic now but, just out of curiosity could this have worked on the Concorde ?
I would say not: there wouldn't have been any space in the wheel well.
The gears retracted inwards, and when up, the bogies were right next to each other on each side of the keel. As a matter of fact, the main gear legs had to be "shortened" while they retracted, otherwise they wouldn't even have fitted...
Originally Posted by
Nick Thomas
...some flexibilty built in around the window openings... 3 to 4 inches difference between the inside panel and the actual window.
No, because the inside trim wall panels were relatively short (say about 10 ft, don't remember exactly) and each moved with their bit of fuselage (think roof tiles). Same applied to the floor panels, which also were in fairly short sections. The movement was of course hidden by the carpets.
I guess all the hydraulic and fuel lines must have had some "slack" to allow for expansion.
Yes indeed. Flexible sections all over the place.