Concorde, G-BOAB I think......

[HamishMcBush]

Saw this on 4 Nov 2017 at east side of LHR when flying out to CPH... looked immaculate, as if it is being well cared for.
Does anyone know why, and if there are plans for its future? Is it the one that "the club" are hoping to buy and get flying again?

[PJD1]

From what I understand G BOAB is far from being well cared for and is unfortunately in a pretty sorry state. It was originally intended that it would be put on display outside T5 but for various reasons this never happened and no one now seems to know what to do with it. Last I heard was that the interior had been completely stripped out and the paintwork was in a poor state (it may look good from a distance but I think close up it is a different story)

[PAXboy]

It is BOAB. This list all locations of the remaining craft: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde_aircraft_histories

[MerchantVenturer]

G-BOAF, the last Concorde to be built and the last to fly, has at long last been moved into the recently-opened Aerospace Bristol museum on the Filton Airfield site. It is the centrepiece of a museum devoted to Bristol's aerospace achievements from 1910 to the present day.

AF was left to deteriorate at the side of the Filton runway for many years but superficially at least has now been restored.

Lift off for Aerospace Bristol: The new home of the last Concorde ever to fly ? Aerospace Bristol (http://aerospacebristol.org/news/2017/10/19/lift-off-for-aerospace-bristol-the-new-home-of-the-last-concorde-ever-to-fly)

[edi_local]

Seems a bit strange that they would keep this piece of history airside when they could probably have put it somewhere near LHR and charged a few quid to let people see it. They could even have turned it into a restaurant or something. Leaving her to fall to bits, especially in the middle of LHR, just seems like such a waste.

[Jarvy]

See AB regularly and from distance it doesn't look too bad.
If it is in a bad state that would be odd.
I used to volunteer on the Intrepid in NYC and have some knowledge of AD.
All the former BA Concordes are all still owned by BA to prevent them been put back in the air as are all the Air France ones. You have to sign an agreement when you get one to say you will keep it looking good and in an approved (by BA) paint scheme.
The engines from AD are in a hanger at JFK and Captain Leslie Scott the pilot who holds the west-east record regularly visits the Intrepid as he lives in the NYC area.

[TURIN]

Seems a bit strange that they would keep this piece of history airside when they could probably have put it somewhere near LHR and charged a few quid to let people see it. They could even have turned it into a restaurant or something. Leaving her to fall to bits, especially in the middle of LHR, just seems like such a waste.

G-BOAC is kept in exactly that kind of condition at MAN.

Concorde | Manchester Airport (http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/at-the-airport/attractions/concorde/)

This seems apropriate today...

https://www.royal-naval-association.co.uk/library/static/media/5440da15f3dc8.jpg

[jijpc]

I saw BOAA at East Fortune a couple of years ago and it seemed to be in excellent condition both inside and out. It is in a hangar by itself along with a display of Concorde memorabilia.

Last month I visited the Seattle Museum of Flight and it was great to see BOAG amongst all the Boeing exhibits. Again BOAG was in excellent condition.

[JEM60]

Went past AB in March last year, fairly close on the road outside. It looked immaculate, and I believe was repainted by the apprentices?. Soft spot for it, having been lucky enough to be a pax on it.

[ExSp33db1rd]

There's a nice one - sorry, forgot rego' BAOD maybe ? - on display in New York, part of the USN Entrepid aircraft carrier museum on the West side near pier 42 where the 'round-the-island' cruise starts from. Visits on board can be purchased, tho' it was closed when I visited. Kept in good nick.

[AeroSpark]

Pretty sure it is AD in New York. Thats the one I was lucky enough to go on so I was rather sad when I saw they were sending her overseas.

[yellowtriumph]

There's a nice one - sorry, forgot rego' BAOD maybe ? - on display in New York, part of the USN Entrepid aircraft carrier museum on the West side near pier 42 where the 'round-the-island' cruise starts from. Visits on board can be purchased, tho' it was closed when I visited. Kept in good nick.

Not sure of the tail number but we saw her, in fact we paid just a little bit extra and had the guided tour inside her - not only that but I was allowed to clamber into the cockpit and sat in the rh seat! What a fabulous experience it was for me as a very interested observer over the years. Was surprised how small and ‘tight’ everything was. I sit here typing still grinning about it.

Never had the opportunity or money to actually go on a flight, but my interest came about from watching the title sequence to those ‘Whicker’s World’ programmes in the 70’s - so much so that I wrote to the great man himself simply addressing the envelope to ‘Alan Whicker, Channel Islands’ asking how they managed to film the title sequence - especially the ‘frozen’ end shot of him walking beside the runway and a Concorde taking off beside him. A couple of weeks later he wrote a very nice letter back explaining it all. Dead chuffed, still have the letter.

[PAXboy]

BOAD is at the USS Intrepid Museum.https://www.intrepidmuseum.org/

[Bull at a Gate]

It’s Intrepid, not “Entrepid”. And it’s a good museum to visit. Not only aircraft carrier and Concorde, but also nuclear armed submarine and space shuttle.

[PAXboy]

Thanks BaaG. Corrected and link added.

[Jarvy]

I've already mentioned AD on the Intrepid as I used to volunteer on the Intrepid.
I've been inside her many times and chatted with Captain Leslie Scott.
I've also been lucky enough to have been inside the shuttle Enterprise.

[yellowtriumph]

We were told it was more or less gutted inside and parts taken to keep the other operational shuttles in operation - at the time. This would have been 2 or so years ago. Does that ring any bells?

[Bull at a Gate]

Sounds unlikely, yellowtriumph. Enterprise never had any engines so was never able to go into space. Didn’t have a heatshield either so if it had managed to get into space it could never come down again.

[Jarvy]

It is gutted inside but it was never meant to go into space. Its basically just a giant glider used to test its flying ability.
We were shown round by two NASA engineers who worked on shuttles.
We climbed up a ladder into the giant hold then up again into the crew area which was totally empty. Then into the cockpit which again had been gutted of all the controls and instruments. Amazed how small the cockpit is, tiny.
It does have the heat shield and was used to develop the later tiles after a shuttle (not sure which one) blew up on re-entry after losing some tiles on take off.
It never had engines but did have weights for flight tests. It was only ever launched off the back of a 747.
I was at JFK to help at the arrival of the Enterprise and its 747 carrier. Also there was the late Leonard Nimoy who gave a fantastic speech finishing it with live long and prosper.

[Bull at a Gate]

If you want to see the inside of a shuttle the best way to do it is to visit the Museum of Flight in Seattle. You won’t get inside a real flying shuttle, but you will get inside the genuine mock up used for training the crew. And while there you can see another Concorde, G-BOAG.

[wiggy]

As Jarvy said the Enterprise was never meant to go into space and was not built to "spaceflight" standard... but just to add to the confusion about it's appearance on it's last two gliding flights it was fitted with dummy engine bells to replicate an orbiter's correct aerodynamic characteristics, image here:


https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/300947main_ECN-8923_full.jpg


...after a shuttle (not sure which one)

Columbia..


blew up on re-entry after losing some tiles on take off.

FWIW it wasn't really a case of losing tiles (though that was a perennial shuttle problem), in Columbia's case the problem was a section of foam from the external tank which came lose during launch and punched a sizeable hole in a wing leading edge. That hole then led to the wing structure being burnt through on re-entry, the rest we sadly know....

[ExSp33db1rd]

It’s Intrepid, not “Entrepid”.

Sorry, my fault, I started it !

Waiting for my family to join me before we bought the tickets to the "Intrepid", I mentioned that although I never flew Concord I was still a retired B.A. pilot, and how about a visit to the Concord ? ( not then knowing the entry fees ) I was told that as an ex-B.A. crew member I was entitled to a free ticket for myself and one other, so self and son entered free, and we just bought junior tickets for the grandchildren ! Won one, but unfortunately the Concorde was unavailable that day. Will try again next visit !