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islander539
10th Apr 2009, 10:41
Nostalgia!

BBC - Bristol - The story of the final Concorde (http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_7989000/7989702.stm)

Shaggy Sheep Driver
11th Apr 2009, 20:46
Interesting - G-BFKX became G-BOAF!

742-xx
12th Apr 2009, 11:55
What a fascinating video. Thanks for the link.
Just such a pi**er she doesn't fly any more !! :*:{

India Four Two
12th Apr 2009, 16:49
Is it really 40 years ago! I was a lowly UAS APO, at Lyneham, waiting for a trip on a Britannia to Cyprus. A call to the crew room from ATC had everyone outside in an instant to watch 002 fly past on her way to Fairford, accompanied by a Canberra (?) chase aircraft. An unforgettable moment.

Captain Airclues
12th Apr 2009, 17:31
The approach into Fairford was made more interesting by a Hamble PA-28 which flew across the approach forcing Brian Trubshaw to take evasive action. The student survived but the instructor, who had authorised the flight, was asked to leave.
The story going around Hamble at the time was that the nose-up pitch had put him on the backside of the drag curve and that he had to use reheat to make the runway.
Look at the following link from about 6 minutes in;

BBC - Bristol - Concorde's maiden flight on film (http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_7963000/7963821.stm)

Dave

Shaggy Sheep Driver
12th Apr 2009, 19:44
All concorde approaches (and indeed take offs) were on the back of the drag curve. Min drag speed is 400kts!

What he may have encountered is Vzroc - zero rate of climb speed. The only way out of that is to reduce alpha (and lose height) to get the speed up.... or add power.

SSD

Captain Airclues
12th Apr 2009, 20:18
SSD

Many thanks for the info. "Back side of the drag curve" was the only phrase that we young chaps knew at the time. We were told that he had to apply reheat to maintain flying speed. The instructor was a nice guy, but unfortunately had approved a cross-country flight through a notamed area.

Dave

Shaggy Sheep Driver
12th Apr 2009, 20:49
Captain - delighted. And thanks for the link - she certainly seems to have 'burners' lit on short final in that vid, which is deffo non standard!

SSD

ICT_SLB
13th Apr 2009, 03:51
SSD,
If memory serves, the last Concorde was originally assigned to Iranair and was to a different & later spec than the BA or AF aircraft.

ARCHIE1
13th Apr 2009, 06:05
Thanks for those two videos everyone. Not a dry eye in the house here!

India Four Two. You were probably waiting for Flight No. 6369 operated on 9 Apr 69 by Britannia XM 518 Captain Flt Lt Dewhurst Lyneham to Akrotiri 6hrs 10 mins PAR approach! I would have been found on the flight deck, first seat on the right, navigator. First leg of a Changi Slip, Akrotiri - Muhurraq - Gan - Changi - Gan - return pax on 15 Apr. At the time, Mrs ARCHIE1 was at Fairford with hundreds of others, watching the arrival from the spectators' area set up at the end of the runway. She remembered the day in detail over a cup of tea this morning; I didn't but thank goodness for old log books. FWIW (and back to the thread) I did manage a trip in a crew training Concorde some years later, out of Brize, subsonic but enough to say I once flew in one.

There you go - Aviation History and Nostalgia all in one post!

India Four Two
13th Apr 2009, 06:41
ARCHIE1,

Thanks for the anecdote, but you were not my nav. I left a few days later and flew as supernumary in the signaller's seat on a Lyneham-Akrotiri-Lyneham flight with the same crew. We were in Limassol over the weekend, where, because it was Orthodox Easter, most places were shut!

Sad to say after all these years, I can remember that our outbound call sign was Ascot 6241!

Unfortunately I don't have any notes of who the crew were, nor which Brit. I don't have access to my slides at the moment. I've already had a chat with brakedwell and he was not on my flight either.

I42

Silverspoonaviator
13th Apr 2009, 09:00
at Filton for the first flight.

Working in those days for the BBC in Bristol, and as they all knew my aviation interest I was released from my duties in BH, in the TK department to drive over to Fliton.

As I had my BBC Pass I gained entry to the BBC compound at the side of the runway, and with my 8mm camera also recorded the take off.

I really must dig out the film, and the few slides I took from my prime location on the camera rosterum.

After the flight I was able to go to Fairford as the camera assistant to the news crew who went most weeks to record the progress.

Never managed to get on board as film crew, BAC had their own film crews on for any interesting flights.

The credits for the BBC crew brings back many memories, as I worked with all those guys, it was a great time to be in the BBC and a great time to be a CPL.

Thanks for the links and the happy memories.

ssa

diddy1234
13th Apr 2009, 20:00
I went to Brooklands Museum today and also went on the Concorde experience tour.

Excellent tour (the tour enters the rear of the aircraft in the baggage hold and progresses forward ending up in a passenger experience video and cockpit look).

It was an excellent tour and can highly recommend it to anyone.

It brought a lump to my throat but also made me a bit angry.
Why was I angry, well what has replaced Concorde ?
nothing.
So why take it out of service ? I don't understand.

However I did start to wonder what the pilots and crew are flying now.
I asked around and some crew are now flying on 737's. must be boring as hell for them.

Overall an excellent experience and well worth the £4 tour.