Concorde Arrivals/Departures - Sunday 21st september

[matspart3]

I'll be near Heathrow tomorrow and would like to see Concorde in the air for one last time, anyone know what the schedule is on Sundays and whether there are still restrictions on the runway she can use?

(PS I do not own an anorak!!)

[kevindelaney]

Hi
The arrival of concorde will always be with the normal landing traffic and it should arrive about 18:00. Check with baa.com for the updated arrival information and it should tell you the expected time..

As for the departure it can vary quiet a lot...

If arrival traffic is on 09L(Northern Runway from Westerly to Easterly, nearest the Hotels) it will usually take off down 09L (ie Under the landing traffic), make a right turn and then out over Staines, Bracknell Reading etc..

If the arrival traffic is 27R (Northern Runway from Easterly to Westerly) then again like above, it will take off down 27R and head direct for New York (straight out over the dual carriageway at the end where the T5 is being built!)

They prefer the 09L/27R (Northern) Runway as the other one is considered "bumpy" and they tend not to use it as much.. That said I have seen it depart quiet recently on 27L..

90% of the time it follows the two rules above but then traffic conditions etc can make changes and these are usually heard on Ground/Tower ATC prior to take off..

Best of Luck with the viewing!!!

Kev..

[ShyTorque]

Watched BA Concorde 01 take off on 27L this evening, about 150 metres from us, as we were taxying along the Southern.

As she rotated off the ground, the blue of her afterburners flickered bright against the evening sky. Up, up she went, ever quickening her pace towards the reddening sunset till, turning left, she disappeared from our sight.

A very poignant moment for me; I don't suppose I will ever see one again, certainly not so close and loud over our own engines.

(Gave me the same sort of feeling I got whilst watching the Royal Yacht Britannia sail away through Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, on the last day of British rule).

[Mark Lewis]

They have fixed the runway "bumps" now, so she will always work with the flow of traffic. This was all recitified at the beginning of the month I believe.

[DavidLucas2002]

when is the last Concorde flight? thanks

[SteveQB]

24th October I believe

[DavidLucas2002]

i heard this Saturday?? comfirm.

[SteveQB]

I was one day wrong, it's 23rd Oct
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3127448.stm

[DavidLucas2002]

many thanks, any one here got a ticket? or been on Concorde?

[Globaliser]

There is a day return on 24 October itself as the last stop of the round Britain tour. I wouldn't be surprised if there is at least one other flight that day as well, plus the last BA2 will come back from JFK - it's landing early that day, as it's scheduled to depart JFK at 0700 instead of 0900, so her scheduled arrival is 1600.

I had my SSC treat in July. And a real treat it was too. There are few genuine once-in-a-lifetime experiences these days - for me that was one of them.

[BahrainLad]

I had my Concorde treat on 08 Sep. We departed off 9L with a gathering dusk. Suffice to say the "right turn" mentioned above doesn't really do this manouevre justice; more like a sharp right roll at about 100ft with the BA Engineering base flashing past the windows very quickly indeed..........

The aircraft is magnificent. The pinnacle of British engineering excellence. When she's up there at Mach 2.0, 58000ft, she's settled, secure, happy to be there. She belongs in the air.

Not gathering dust in some museum being gawped at.

[Jordan D]

I will be at EDI on the 23rd to see off the last Concorde taht departs from there for LHR.

From what I unserstand, the three arrivals are been staged together:

One (the last scheduled) from JFK
One from EDI
One from LHR that will go over th Bay of Biscay and then return.

Jordan

[topdog1]

I have also been up to LHR twice this month to have one last look and on both occasions the aircraft took off from the opposite runway to which we were waiting. Very dissapointed, trouble is which runway do we go to the next time??

[kevindelaney]

TopDog
I think from now all concorde departures, the scheduled ones and not the special day trips, will follow the departure traffic ie if departure is on 09L it will use 09L..

Like you i've been duped several times with it taking off the wrong runway...

Best of luck trying to get parking!!!!!!

[topdog1]

Thanks, we've found a great pub at the end of the runway so will have to have another visit and hope it goes off that way!!!