canuck slf
8th Nov 2003, 23:25
This is part of a post I placed on another forum, however I was interested as to whether anybody new anymore about the following amongst this esteemed group :).
I was a pax, Concorde LHR-JFK March 1979 or 80, all the normal superlatives about Concorde expressed better by others. Previous days flight schedule disrupted by hydraulic problems (it made the news, I remember!!). Leave LHR, captain announces technical problem, dump fuel, return to LHR. Mechanics all over the plane, 2+ hours champers etc. in lounge, back into plane. Take off, cruise climb to FL 700 (or does the memory become feeble with age?). Landing into JFK, later learnt with only one operational hydraulic system. Two flights for the price of one!! Really surprised by violent oscillations of outboard wingtip when at slow speed and high angle of attack whilst dumping fuel and on approach.
Connected onto AA DC 10 to SFO, after monster storm which shut down JFK, Conc followed us out and took off behind. I was listening to ATC on seat headset, Conc requested fuel dump and return to JFK. Read several years later that the problem was hydraulic fluid being topped up by BA using tanker stored outside. This introduced small amounts of moisture which then produced steam when system got up to operating temperatures and blew seals in the pumps. I believe at one point BA ran out of pumps and flights were cancelled. AF did not have same problem as they stored tanker inside. Anyone know anything more about this?
Thanks in advance
I was a pax, Concorde LHR-JFK March 1979 or 80, all the normal superlatives about Concorde expressed better by others. Previous days flight schedule disrupted by hydraulic problems (it made the news, I remember!!). Leave LHR, captain announces technical problem, dump fuel, return to LHR. Mechanics all over the plane, 2+ hours champers etc. in lounge, back into plane. Take off, cruise climb to FL 700 (or does the memory become feeble with age?). Landing into JFK, later learnt with only one operational hydraulic system. Two flights for the price of one!! Really surprised by violent oscillations of outboard wingtip when at slow speed and high angle of attack whilst dumping fuel and on approach.
Connected onto AA DC 10 to SFO, after monster storm which shut down JFK, Conc followed us out and took off behind. I was listening to ATC on seat headset, Conc requested fuel dump and return to JFK. Read several years later that the problem was hydraulic fluid being topped up by BA using tanker stored outside. This introduced small amounts of moisture which then produced steam when system got up to operating temperatures and blew seals in the pumps. I believe at one point BA ran out of pumps and flights were cancelled. AF did not have same problem as they stored tanker inside. Anyone know anything more about this?
Thanks in advance