Concorde aborted takeoff

[sir]

oooh imagine the headline !. .. ."Popular Pooftah Perishes in Posh Pointy Plane Prang....". .. .Those ar*seh0le journos should be writing about the heroic crew who saved their sorry lives....

[Nihontraveller]

They will all have been pi**ed by the time they lined up. Wouldn't have know L from R or any other letter in alphabet come to that.. .. .Anyway, idiot journalist to call an aborted take-off a "debacle". Doesn't deserve further comment.. .. .Accept to say that the Times used to be a decent newspaper.. . . . <small>[ 16 March 2002, 13:07: Message edited by: Nihontraveller ]</small>

[Kalium Chloride]

Look, if you're expecting sensible aviation articles in the Evening Standard then you're probably on to a loser to begin with.... .. .Read a professional aviation journal. At least those guys try to get it right.

[Carpe]

'most of Fleet Street was on board the plane'!. .. .Nice to know our hacks travel in style.

[FO Walrus]

Most of you seem to have some sort of sensitivity complex. This post started with a guy quoting a newspaper article and asking for more info. Then he gets flamed for doing so. The topic then changes to journo accuracy and no one can offer a constructive comment only petty whining and complaining, which in my book is just as bad as the journos. So, GET OVER IT, reporting will always be sensationalist because that's what people want to hear, if they didn't they wouldn't buy the papers or watch the news.

[greatorex]

I have to say that despite all of the calls of sensationalism and journo-insanity, the point remains that there aren't many 30-odd year old commercial airliners that still have people stopping in the street and looking up (even if it is just because of the noise <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> ) or that draws quite the crowd and interest that Concorde does wherever it goes.. .I, for one, have to say that no matter how many times I see one out there on the apron or especially when taking off just in front of us - the little boy in me always just wants to go 'Wow!'

[DamienB]

In other news: a BA Concorde was recently seen to lurch upwards while rolling along the runway, and was last seen receding into the distance trailing flames from four spots on the wings.. .. ."It was deafening" said a bystander.

[blowawayjet]

from the horsecrap daily filth:. .story by richard cranium. .------------------------------. .the aircraft went left, right and then center, and was starting to break up in pieces, fuel was gashing out both wings, tires were exploding, and smoke appeared in both the cabin as in the flightdeck.people were screaming and jumping up and down the isle, while most of them were getting strangled by the oxygenmasks, which were hanging out of the ceiling because of the explosive decompression during the take off roll, which took twice it's normal distance.the captain didn't have the sense of abording the take off, instead he was shouting out on the pa, begging the passengers to help him.the first officer and flight engineer both crying out for help asking if there were any journos onboard who could save the airplane and it's passengers.ofcourse there were plenty onboard, and they all went into the cockpit, and aborded the t/o, and kicked the crew out of their seats.the airplane came to a halt, and the journos managed the emergency evacuation, with the airplane now burning up completely.after the succesful rescue mission,ba management thanked the journos on their knees, and promised that this filthy old heap of crap airplane would retire from it's service.the journos saved the day, and the celebs all willingly, gave each journo involved in this heroic action, a free blwjob.. .. .-------------------------------------------------. . <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> . .. .sorry for any typos, but i'm not so fantastic as all journos are, i can only type in the fms scratchpad...... . . . <small>[ 18 March 2002, 17:03: Message edited by: blowawayjet ]</small>

[trustno1]

I was on EI373 from LHR/SNN on Friday morning. I saw Concorde line up. We were number 2 after it for take off (Finnair A321 was number 1). The EI capt advised the pax of the expectant noise and for us not to worry as it was Concorde. Off went Concorde's breaks and you could see the afterburners clearly. Within about 3 seconds the afterburner in the far LHS engine went out. Within a second so did the others and the airplane slowed. All in all it took about 10 seconds from releasing the breaks to stopping. Not very eventful but I have to admire the crew for their split second decision making. Hats off to them.. . . . <small>[ 18 March 2002, 17:08: Message edited by: trustno1 ]</small>

[suction]

I was on Fridays flight, so maybe I can report a few facts here ............. .. .1.&gt; There was some yaw to the left as power was applied, with some yaw to the right as the crew corrected for this, before the noise level reduced as the the engines were throttled back and we rolled to the next exit and vacated 9R.. .. .2.&gt; The crew informed the passengers that an engine had failed to accelerate and they were diagnosing the problem, in the meantime we'd return to a stand.. .. .3.&gt; We had to wait for a outbound aircraft to leave a cul-de-sac at T4 before we went back onto stand.. .. .4.&gt; Back on stand, we were told that engineering would be looking at our aircraft, but also that a replacement aircraft was also to be prepared.. .. .5.&gt; We disembarked, at which point there was a Journo still in his seat dictating a sensationalised version of events down his mobile phone - much to the obvious amusement of many of the passengers.. .. .6.&gt; We went back to the lounge & boarded the replacement aircraft once it had been prepared. Unfortunately T4 was very busy and it took an hour or so before the replacement could get on stand.. .. .7.&gt; The whole thing was a non-event. The crew were excellent in keeping us informed of the problem and what was going to be done about it. The ground staff were also excellent in keeping us informed on the progress once we were back in the lounge. The only part worth reporting would have been how well British Airways dealt with the whole episode.. .. .Very well done all involved - thank you

[Steepclimb]

That last post was confirmed in the Sunday Times today by no less than Jeremy Clarkson who recently had dinner with Graham Norton. (Is there something we should know?). Graham told him it was a non event and happened at such a slow speed that a puppy could have stopped it rolling. Clarkson then went on to describe his own flight on Concorde in such flattering terms that a PR person from BA might blush in writing it.. .So he's not so bad after all.

[gordonroxburgh]

Here is the full excerpt on what Mr Norton told Mr Clarkson:. .. ."Luckily, Graham Norton came to the rescue. The newspapers reported this week that he was on board when one of the plane’s mighty Olympus engines developed a fault at the moment of take-off. We were led to believe that the plane had swerved on the runway as the pilot desperately sought to save the life of Britain’s best-loved chat show host. . .. .Good. Here was a chance to savage British Airways for putting profits above the safety of Graham Norton. Unfortunately, I had a drink with Graham last night and his view of events was slightly different. He said the Concorde was doing about 4mph when the engine went wrong and that a small dog could have brought it safely to a halt. He also said the staff were wonderful and that after a short wait everyone was put on another Concorde which worked perfectly. Damn. ". .. .For the full article check out. .. . <a href="http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,2-1501-245392,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.sunday-times.co .uk/printFriendly/0,,2-1501-245392,00.html</a>

[BEagle]

So what sort of a drink would JC have with GN?. .. .Brown ale??

[5711N0205W]

Ref the above post, here's the full Article, worth a read even if you don't like Clarkson. .. . <a href="http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,2-1501-245392,00.html" target="_blank">Sunday Times Article</a> . .. . Jeremy Clarkson: My first trip on Concorde, a love-hate kind of affair . . . . . . . .You wouldn’t last long in this column writing game if you supported every move that the government made and loved everything you watched on television. It is the job of a vicar to see the good in people and the job of a columnist to poke around with a lollipop stick until he finds the bad. . .Florence Nightingale had BO, you know. And Rolf Harris? I’d look behind the cheery smile and find out what sinister piece of the genetic Aussie jigsaw caused him to grow that beard. . .. .Concorde, however, is a problem. I’m so in love with this great white dart that when I found I was due to go on it, for the first time, I feared I’d be stuck for something to say. I’d just sit there dribbling and grinning. . .. .Luckily, Graham Norton came to the rescue. The newspapers reported this week that he was on board when one of the plane’s mighty Olympus engines developed a fault at the moment of take-off. We were led to believe that the plane had swerved on the runway as the pilot desperately sought to save the life of Britain’s best-loved chat show host. . .. .Good. Here was a chance to savage British Airways for putting profits above the safety of Graham Norton. Unfortunately, I had a drink with Graham last night and his view of events was slightly different. He said the Concorde was doing about 4mph when the engine went wrong and that a small dog could have brought it safely to a halt. He also said the staff were wonderful and that after a short wait everyone was put on another Concorde which worked perfectly. Damn. . .. .My trip was even worse. In the Concorde smoking lounge, the captain himself popped by to dispense bonhomie and press a little flesh. . .. .I forget his name. But it will have been Tom Bannister, or Mike Pemberton. It’s a rule, I think, that all BA pilots have a single-syllable Christian name and three syllables in the surname. It’s reassuring. . .. .On the plane we were offered a drink, and you can forget the choice of sauvignon or chardonnay. It becomes obvious, as the stewardess runs through the options, why this plane is so small. Most of the space is taken up by the wine cellar. I settled on a Tattinger ’88, or it could have been a Bollinger RD, and started looking around for something to hate. There was nothing obvious, apart from the man sitting next to me called A A Gill. . .. .Then we started to roll. Now I’ve been in some fairly fast machinery over the years but there’s very little that can prepare you for the thrust of a Concorde on after-burner power. And even the take-off acceleration is nothing compared with the sheer thrill when you clear Wales . . . . .. .We were doing 550mph, which is slightly faster than the speed of a normal passenger jet, when the pilot pushed his throttles into reheat and the world went berserk. It felt as though a very fat man was sitting on me. There was so much pressure that I thought my seat was going to break. And we were climbing! Of course, the higher you go, the thinner the air and the slower the speed of sound, so eventually we settled at Mach 2 — 1,200mph — that’s faster than any modern fighter plane can manage. You don’t hear the sonic boom. That’s reserved for people 58,000ft below on ships. It isn’t a boom either, it’s a rifle crack. . .. .I’d been told Concorde is noisy. It isn’t, especially if you sit in the front cabin. And I’d been told it’s cramped — and, again, it isn’t, unless you are used to sitting in a field. But it wouldn’t matter if you were made to sit in a half-nelson, listening to a collection of rap artists. It’s only for three hours, for heaven’s sake. . .. .I couldn’t even find fault with the staff. If they’d been 5% more chummy, they’d have been too American. And if they’d been 5% more chilled, they’d have been too British. They were perfect as well. . .. .I suppose I could whinge about the cost, but as I’d bought a £650 economy ticket and had been upgraded it would seem churlish. There was damn-all else. We landed at JFK, picked up our bags after a 20-second wait, cleared customs in a minute and pretty soon I was in Manhattan having another breakfast. . .. .Concorde stumped me. But it’s my job to find something wrong. And I did. The other passengers. Half of them were too handsome and the other half were too rude. Now I know that when you’ve just sold your company for £28 billion, taking the Concorde is like taking the bus. And that the staff are therefore nothing more than bus conductors. . .. .But here’s a tip. When they ask if you’d like another braised otter eyebrow, at least have the decency to look up. There was one man who was so obsessed with the reflection of his own hair in his laptop screen that he never once acknowledged the presence of the poor girl trying to feed him a lightly dead kingfisher. . .. .At last. In the immortal words of Jack Hawkins, my eyes were filled with hate. And that’s good. It keeps a man alive. oPPP healthcare. Last week I told the story of my wife’s claim for the removal of a lipoma from her shoulder under our PPP healthcare policy. I should have said that although the PPP people initially disputed the claim, once they received the specialist’s clinical explanation for it they did accept and pay up. Sorry, PPP.