Beautiful
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would just like to thank the contributors to this thread - it is by far and away the best piece I've ever visited on the internet. Bar none. It has taken me months (and many arguments with a jealous girlfriend!) to get this far - I didn't want to ask any questions which had already been answered.
My experience; never flew on her but when I heard she was being decommissioned, I decided to make every effort to watch a Concorde take off and hang about for the final three consecutive landings at LHR. I have never seen so many grown men cry. I would have counted more but I think I got something in my eye..
As a Chartered Engineer working on a multi-disciplinary rail project, I am amazed that a project as complex as this was managed across the Channel in the 1960's; how was the Systems Engineering managed - who drove the requirements for the Jet, potential carriers, engineers or politicians?
CliveL - your input to this has been amazing - a quick question if I may; you say wind modelling played a big part in the development of the aerodynamics, how big did the models go? Did you have the luxury of testing a full-scale model? or maybe full-scale parts or sub assemblies?
Dude - its my understanding that you worked on the Maintenance Engineering of the jet, many thanks for your thoughtful remarks. Please keep those grey cells going! Was any maintenance every brought forward when it became clear a member of the Royal Family was to fly? How much input did the carriers have in generating the maintenance periodicities for the works? Did these change mid-life? If so, what and why?
ChristiaanJ - I am blown away by just how much cutting-edge (for the time!) kit was provided to get her up. In the railway, we try and steer clear from 'New and Novel' because of the increased assurance risk required. Did the onboard systems required extended testing to assure the authorities? Please forgive my memory, but I seem to recall seeing the test craft have many 'computers' in the passenger areas while testing - what did these record? How did the data support development?
Bellerophon - your post on 18th Dec 2010, 15:20 #875 had me in tears for about 20 minutes - wife to be thought I'd found out someone had died. hhmmmm..
As someone who's hoping to secure their PPL in March / April I found your piece extraordinary - can you confirm rough altitude above aerodrome (AKA QFE for us GA boys?) before instigating the 25° left bank to commence the turn out over Jamaica bay?
A thoroughly enjoyable and often moving read. Thank you all. Like a good book / film I think I'll come to read it from page one before long - who'd have thought missing out the APU would cause such a stir?!