Happy 40th Concorde, RIP

[Nov71]

Maiden flight 2 Mar 1968
Died 24 Oct 2003

[vapilot2004]

Here's the lovely lady from that day:
http://www.mae.org/uploads/pics/visites-guidees-800_04.jpg


Not sure of the exact time, but I know it was in the afternoon Callum.

Meanwhile, how about some entertainment for the occasion:
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/x93bHA98Pms&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/x93bHA98Pms&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[Overdrive]

Still makes me feel sad now. She was too good and too symbolic for the modern age. Just where was that country in the film? Reminds me of England a million years ago.

[kotakota]

would that be 2nd March 69
Or 41 years ?

[speedbirdconcorde]

Overdrive > "England....whats left of it" -- you have that spot on mate.

Concorde was the envy of the aviation world - still is if you ask me and a few million others....no other passenger plane could ever taxi and command the attention that she did. Seeing JFK ground crew standing to attention, arms behind their back whilst transfixed on the beautiful white bird was always a sobering moment when one realised it was to end, completely.

She really was a source of pride, for the whole nation, even for those who knew they would never have the opportunity to fly at 1400mph whilst sipping champagne. Seeing her land for the final time at Filton was tough. The last piece of brilliance from a once proud nation.

I wonder what Sir George Edwards, Julian Amery, Brian Trubshaw, and all the brilliant engineers on both sides of the channel would have said if they were told that in 2003 Concorde would be retired, supersonic travel for the public would end and the UK's 'aviation industry' would end up simply producing wings for a double decker jumbo :ugh: ( well, OK, not including RR ! )

The pilots received all the attention but I salute all the great 'unknown' engineers that produced a magnificent aircraft and, well, a work of art.

Thanks for the memories....

[downwindabeam]

If only BA was still what it used to be back in those days.

The excitement. Always being on the cutting edge with everything while remaining classy about it. Long gone are those days, for BA, Britain and the rest of the world. Very little excitement left.

[b377]

How much did this plane cost the British and French tax payer over its subsidised life span plus initial R&D troubles? It could have followed TSR-2 to the scrap heap had the two governments known that no buyers would materialise other BA & AF - and they were not even real buyers just operators. BA bought its Concorde fleet for £1 each - thank you very much - under the pledge that they would go forth and multiply it (£1) and make the tax payer proud despite BA itself being a perennial tax burden that eventually drove the government barmy and to privalisate it in the mid 80s in a style true to the Capitalist insights of Thatcher era.

Works of art like this one are entirely feasible when funded by bottomless government pockets something a very limited and privilidged few would be destined to enjoy as a utility. The rest of the world would only enjoy it as - well - an expensive work of art or object for sentimental anoraks to have wet dreams over because of its lovely pointed nose.

Marketing failure aside, what Kudos did this airplane leave the British a/c industry? Mistrust and a statistic to join the Britannia & VC10.

BA did the right thing in making a graceful exit to Concorde operations while its image was intact rather than continuing and risk blemishing its service history should a nasty AF like incident repeat.

[Overdrive]

Well, I could never say we don't get the whole spectrum of opinions on this site!

Much of your post is correct b377, and I agree from a singular business point of view. I feel Concorde meant more though, for the whole of her time. I still harbour a little hope that there will remain at least a few things more regal than the balance sheet if possible.

[Dr Jekyll]

BA (OK BOAC then) bought their first 5 Concordes for something like 20% more than the price of a 747. The last two were operated on a complicated deal involving government getting a share of the revenue. When BA was privatised some years laster they decided to buy the government interest out, plus a collection of spares simply because it made business sense. The 2 aircraft appeared in the books for a nominal £1 but that's meaningless. They were subsidised before that, but so was the VC10, that's the problem with a nationalised airline.

The British taxpayer paid about £1 billion towards the project, the same as the US taxpayer paid towards their SST and they didn't even have a prototype to show for it.

As for a 'limited and privileged few' being to only ones to use it. Crap, I travelled on it on a scheduled flight for less than many people spend taking their brats to Disneyworld in cattle class, and I'm certainly not rich or 'privileged'. As for 'limited', I don't see how you can argue that it should never have entered service and it's good it's been withdrawn, then complain that too few people had the chance to use it.

There was nothing conceptually wrong with Concorde, just a few whingers who had nothing better to do than complain about noise and unfortunate bad timing.

Pan Am came very close indeed to ordering Concorde, and it was generally assumed that when the US airlines pulled out the project would be cancelled. If they had known Concorde would be allowed into New York and that they would be competing against supersonic Air France and BA services the decision could well have been different.

Also BA and Air France were not strictly speaking the only operators, there was also Braniff and arguably Singapore Airlines for a while.

[BEagle]

Maiden flight 2 Mar 1969
Died 24 Oct 2003

More like murdered in 2003.

For what they then did to the Concorde airframes under orders from their 'management' and for their infamous 'Dirty Tricks' of earlier years, I will NEVER fly with ba unless there is absolutely no possible alternative. Including the train.

481 flights over the last 6 years. All Business Class, all Star Alliance.

ba? Who they??

[b377]

Crap, I travelled on it on a scheduled flight for less than many people spend taking their brats to Disneyworld in cattle class


Sure it was about to start competing with the 747 .. on equal p/s/m basis ahh consistently - sure. You got just got a cheap seat that day, but that doesn't change anything. To make Concorde work it had to target the premium single-class fare payer. Every now and then BA would naturally do a bit of PR and carry bumpkins around in style.

There was nothing conceptually wrong with Concorde,

Of course not, considering it was designed with a 1950s mind set when carrying 100 pax a la DC-7 or Comet was just fantastic. Little did they suspect that 747 economics and the redefinition of air transport were around the corner.

SST economics don't add up even now no matter how sexy SSTs look.
Concorde economics were under test for 41 years. No one has built anymore SSTs on the strength of results. Why? Go on, blame fuel prices and mass transport.


I totally endorse BAs decision to retire Concorde gracefully before fate struck- a great plane technologically, but an aging plane irrespective of the TLC it got, and a feather in this countries cap from that perspective only and a feather in BAs cap not to have injured anyone.

Nevertheless I agree it was a great airplane. Let me say it : Happy Birthday
hope I have redeemed my self.:)