Concorde

[Cubbie]

Driving into work the other day at Heathrow, went past Concorde in the engine run up bay,- is it usually parked there now, or are they doing engine tests?

[JEM60]

Cubbie. No engine runs I'm afraid. It is just languishing there whilst they decide what to do with it seemingly. It was orginally to be outside Terminal 5 but that hasn't come about. Great shame! Remember being on the flight deck at 55,000' in that one, G-BOAB. Ah, nostalgia!!.

[Gulf4uk]

Think this would have made a fine exhibit at Farnborough as part of an
SBAC Heritage exhibit but i dont suppose anyone would be bothered
but it would draw the crowds . Not much room for it these days
building work all round the perimeter hotels houses and the rest
FAST Museum dont think there would be enough room but it would get
looked after there by Dedicated People

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu324/Farnborough1/DSCF0078.jpg

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu324/Farnborough1/DSCF0075.jpg

if anyone thinks about going there above shows the information

TONY

[Cubbie]

Thanks for the reply, pity ...cant say that I am not disappointed that they aren't preparing her again! -they got the Vulcan back in the air why cant they get Concorde back where it belongs too! Politics :ugh:

[rog747]

it is disgusting that concorde at LAP is not on display somewhere prominent...
recession or not, even a lottery application could access funds to get her in display condition and upkeep,, its outragious...

i visited the ex BA a/c in NYC at the USS intrepid aircraft carrier site on the manhattan piers and the a/c is superb, so is the ww2 carrier...
you can go inside concorde there and she still smells of brand new leather seats...never sadly used...

come on BA and Heathrow pull your finger out and sort it...
typical british apathy grrrr:ugh:
either that or scrap it (like the QE2 will end up now so it seems)

[sharksandwich]

A site discussing the cost effectiveness of keeping Concorde airborne: Concorde - An Untimely and Unnecessary Demise (http://thetravelinsider.info/2003/0411.htm)
I don't know if the figures quoted are accurate - anyone able to confirm?

[ArthurBorges]

Word going around at Air France in the years before the crash on takeoff out of CDG was that it was losing on Concorde flights themselves but making money on the total journey of business travelers who needed to connect to cross the Atlantic, e.g. let's imagine maybe someone flying Pittsburgh to Lyon.

[Dont Hang Up]

When G-BOAA was moved to the National Museum of Flight in Scotland, despite being an essentially airworthy aircraft it was not allowed to fly there.

The reason? It had not been modified with the kevlar lining for the wing tanks!

I am amazed that no-one was prepared to consider the minimal probability of a fuel tank penetration on one single, final, positioning flight and allow a special dispensation. Extra stringent runway debris inspections could have been carried out for example.

But no, the poor girl had to be to taken by barge.

She looks magnificent in her custom hangar though. Well worth the admission.

[LAS1997]

The FAST museum at Farnborough airport would love to have the Concorde from LHR, but as was already stated there is no room at the musuem itself. Only possible if the airport (TAG) allow it to be parked on the airfield free of charge close to the museum so that it can be viewed by visitors.

As I understand the inside of the aircraft is empty, no instrumentation or cabin seating, etc. But I am sure some of the items could be returned or indeed a display area inside made up coverning its developement, etc.

The cost of moving it by road it another hurdle, who would fund it?

BA simply cant afford to move it under the present economic enviroment it finds itself in, so perhaps we should all wait and at least be grateful its in a secure area like LHR for the time being.

[Leezyjet]

DHU,

G-BOAA was most definately NOT in an airworthy condition prior to leaving LHR. Her last flight was on 12/08/00 and she had been used as a spares source to keep the rest of the fleet flying and IIRC for testing the new cabin fittings for the cabin re-fit.

I have pics of her in the hangar at Bealine base where she spent the last few years of her life at LHR.

She was missing the top part of the rudder, on loan to AF apparantley. There were an awful lot of cabin windows missing, she also had no engines or elevons either and looked in a rather sorry state.

In only got to see the outside, but I know an ex-Concorde engineer who said she wasn't in a much better state inside either.

The guys at NMF-S have done a great job on her to get her back to her (almost) former glory.

Have a look at my pics of her in June 2003 here :-

MyAviation.net - Aviation Photo Gallery (http://www.myaviation.net/search/search.php?view=&regnr=GBOAA)

:)