Concorde on the move
 

I saw concorde move today from next to the runway to the engineering base.It was then washed and looked gleaming in the sun.Nice to see the old bent nail on the move again.Apparently it is going to have some flying controls locked out to stop them moving in the wind.Does anyone know if it going back to its current resting place or maybe to Terminal five?

Until you mentioned Terminal Five,I hadn't a clue as to what location you were talking about!! You have a worldwide audience here,it would help to be more specific.:)

It would be great to see it over as a gate guardian to T5, its quite a big logistical exercise I guess, so quite a way off if thats what BAA plan....that was always the long term intention.

At CDG, ADP and AF are progressing with plans to display their grounded Concorde up on stilts at take off attitude, in the area in front of the Hilton Hotel. Work is progressing on the foundations and a small taxiway extension has been built.

Once she is "flying", that should be the wake up call for the powers that be on this side of the Channel

BAA and BA must be able to come up with something better and more imaginative that just letting it rot on the side of RW23, nice though it is to taxi past it. Put it outside T5 and make sure it's looked after as a reminder of what was once possible.

I apologise for not being specific,Concorde Alpha Bravo was moved this morning from alongside runway 23 at Heathrow to Stand TA 11 on the east engineering base at approx 9.00 am.

Any commercial organisation would make a fortune with such an asset at such a well visited location (say £20 a head 1000 times a day), but BA will just let it rot away.

Maybe it could pay for a few new pilots to help them get their establishment right.

Why use it as a gate guardian outside T5? Be inspiring and build it INTO T5, now that would be something but I guess a little late to incorporate it into the plans now !

Thanks for the reports on this, I noticed something was missing today.. I was eager to find out what has happened to her.

When they were removed from service, I recall reading that Alpha Bravo was to be on the roof of T5 and visits would be possible. Was that wishful thinking or Standard Operational Pollocks? :hmm:

Typical of the 'Golden Runways' to let it rot.

Manchester have got their Concorde just right. It is kept in immaculate , polished, condition right by the public access 'waving ' bays just off 24R and is beautifully illuminated with an ultra-violet type glow at night. Most passengers get a great view of it as we taxi close past it on taxiway 'A'.

Before we start a Man/Lhr row please let me tell you I am NOT Manchester based.

To put G-BOAB plight in perspective: BA had 8 Concordes; the 7 flyers in the fleet and development a/c G-BBDG. The interior fixtures and fittings had been removed off G-BBDG in 2001 when work started to prototype fit the project rocket upgrades to the Galleys and Lavs etc..

BA wanted to save G-BBDG from the scrapman and Brooklands Museum were keen to have the aircraft. To turn this into a viable proposition this would need to be fitted with a mock BA interior. So the best decision was to retain the shell of G-BOAB at LHR for "marketing' purposes, as there was never going to be any funding to move G-BOAB to a museum and put it on display with no interior.

This therefore allowed the historic G-BBDG to be saved and fully restored at Brooklands and fitted partially with the remaining fixtures and fitted saved off of G-BOAB in 2001.

A little bit more imagineering at LHR and Alpha Bravo could look great in her temp location sitting along side R23, a few more low level lights inside and out would make her look great.

Heard from a very reliable source that the LHR Concorde is absolutely infested with rats inside, following the doors being left open during the v hot weather a couple of months back...which is apparently one of the reasons it's not "in the frame" for a move to T5 anymore (and the above is correct, most of its interior has been removed, before the "rats" event anyway)

Thats simply crap. She is inspected and cleaned every 2 months - there is no sign of rats and no sign dampness either. Would have to be 'supersonic' rats to jump up onto the high wings and in the doors.

The doors are locked shut from the inside further making your statements implausible......I think you've been reading Skyport lol

anyone heard of the all party group suggesting they get a concorde flying again for the olympics?

re
 

Getting a Concorde operational for the 2012 Olympics will take a huge amount of Cash and may no longer be possible after BA Decomisioned the Fleet!

There was an early plan to hang 'AB' from the ceiling of T5 (I kid you not), but even with all the major weight items removed it was found to be too heavy. I understand it will be used as a T5 gate guardian. The rats story isn't quite fantasy, some rats were seen in the wheel bays but these were removed very quickly.

gordonroxburgh - I don't want to rain on your parade, but you know as well as I do that your assertion that the

is simply NOT POSSIBLE.

As the man who did that...would be trapped inside!!!

You are quite correct about the bi-monthly check, the clean however is exterior-only, there is no internal check.

Furthermore, when I last looked (yesterday) the aircraft was attached to the ground via the miracle of the landing gear, so no "jumping" required by the rats.

Thanks K. We have an engineer who looks after our Concorde and keeps her in great condition. I love showing our visitors around the aeroplane, especially as we have recently introduced 'technical tours'. These allow more time (especially on the flight deck), and we open up the engine bays, fuelling panel etc. and go into as deep a technical detail as the visitors want.

Come and see us!

SSD

dontdoit:

Ok, 5 out of 6 can be held locked from the inside :)

Rats in the landing gear bays will do little damage to the a/c's structure, your implication was they were roaming free inside, now that would be hard to get from a landing gear bay to inside.

Let all hope that a proper plan is formulated for it long term display and care

Well, at least Gallic pride means that F-BVFC is now owned by Airbus and the city of Toulouse - and is displayed outside the A380 construction hangar for all to see.

A reminder of the days when the aircraft industry had soul, imagination and ambition.