Concorde question
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Blue Wave
Although Marketing (bless 'em) and the usual 'Emperors New Clothes' brigade thought that this was wonderful, most of 'us' in the fleet thought that this was really quite a naff idea and would end up being a total annoyance to most regular Concorde passengers. The idea was that at Mach 1 a battery of blue lights would wash a single pulse from the rear to the front of the cabin. At Mach 2 you would get a double whammy blue light show to help ruin your concentration.
Marilake
I remember these 'improvements' to be embodied in 'project rocket' (as you say, pretty unreadable) but it would be interesting to look at the history of this thing. When it was first fitted in the mid to late 80s it proved itself to be total junk: Instead of using an off the shelf microprocessor design, Marilake Instruments decided to use a custom processor running from dedicated TTL/CMOS chips, it used a clumsy parallel instead of serial databus between the displays (stacks of extra wiring) ran red hot all the time (the toasty display units were surrounded by coats in the wardrobes to boot and also used a master/slave layout, where it the master (fwd right hand) display developed a fault you lost the whole shooting match. Just to put the cherry on the parfait, flight data had to be entered via a laughingly called 'hand held controller' that was fitted against the side of the C/B panel behind the captains seat. (This thing was so big that the supernumerary seat had to have restriction fitted to its fwd travel, to prevent the seat or occupier colliding with this monster). Now this thing, which was in reality a quite large LCD portable commercial computer terminal (it even ran BASIC!!), had to be initialised before every flight, and the crew had to input Baud Rates as well as all sorts of other bilge before the system would hopefully initialise. As often as not the system would lock up, and I'm quite sure that if this thing had not been tethered via a power and data cable, many a pilot or E/O would have tossed the thing out of the DV window!!. Reliability became so awful that eventually the whole system was disabled for about a year while Marilake were forced/coerced/threatened into a total system redesign. The final product, which ran nice and cool abandoned nearly all of the original hardware (no more master/slave arrangement either), utilised an ARINC 429 type databus and came equipped with new plasma displays which FINALLY worked rather well. The crap commercial computer terminal was replaced by a really neat data entry panel that was fitted on the left hand centre consul that worked pretty good from day 1. FINALLY the darned system worked.
Best Regards
Dude
Although Marketing (bless 'em) and the usual 'Emperors New Clothes' brigade thought that this was wonderful, most of 'us' in the fleet thought that this was really quite a naff idea and would end up being a total annoyance to most regular Concorde passengers. The idea was that at Mach 1 a battery of blue lights would wash a single pulse from the rear to the front of the cabin. At Mach 2 you would get a double whammy blue light show to help ruin your concentration.
Marilake
I remember these 'improvements' to be embodied in 'project rocket' (as you say, pretty unreadable) but it would be interesting to look at the history of this thing. When it was first fitted in the mid to late 80s it proved itself to be total junk: Instead of using an off the shelf microprocessor design, Marilake Instruments decided to use a custom processor running from dedicated TTL/CMOS chips, it used a clumsy parallel instead of serial databus between the displays (stacks of extra wiring) ran red hot all the time (the toasty display units were surrounded by coats in the wardrobes to boot and also used a master/slave layout, where it the master (fwd right hand) display developed a fault you lost the whole shooting match. Just to put the cherry on the parfait, flight data had to be entered via a laughingly called 'hand held controller' that was fitted against the side of the C/B panel behind the captains seat. (This thing was so big that the supernumerary seat had to have restriction fitted to its fwd travel, to prevent the seat or occupier colliding with this monster). Now this thing, which was in reality a quite large LCD portable commercial computer terminal (it even ran BASIC!!), had to be initialised before every flight, and the crew had to input Baud Rates as well as all sorts of other bilge before the system would hopefully initialise. As often as not the system would lock up, and I'm quite sure that if this thing had not been tethered via a power and data cable, many a pilot or E/O would have tossed the thing out of the DV window!!. Reliability became so awful that eventually the whole system was disabled for about a year while Marilake were forced/coerced/threatened into a total system redesign. The final product, which ran nice and cool abandoned nearly all of the original hardware (no more master/slave arrangement either), utilised an ARINC 429 type databus and came equipped with new plasma displays which FINALLY worked rather well. The crap commercial computer terminal was replaced by a really neat data entry panel that was fitted on the left hand centre consul that worked pretty good from day 1. FINALLY the darned system worked.
Best Regards
Dude
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Barbara Harman
It is with great sadness that I have to tell you that Barbara passed away earlier this week.
Lovely lady, great pilot and always very supportive of her crew.
Before the Spice Girls even thought of it, Barbara was the very essence of Girl Power!
Rest In Peace, Barbara x
Lovely lady, great pilot and always very supportive of her crew.
Before the Spice Girls even thought of it, Barbara was the very essence of Girl Power!
Rest In Peace, Barbara x
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Bluewave.......
I'm with M2dude and the majority of those involved who thought this was an unbearably naff concept - the whole point of Concorde and the millions of man-hours of development was that Mach 1 was a non-event. To introduce this nonsense convinced most of us that the marketers had lost the plot regarding Concorde and its purpose.
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I'm with M2dude and the majority of those involved who thought this was an unbearably naff concept - the whole point of Concorde and the millions of man-hours of development was that Mach 1 was a non-event. To introduce this nonsense convinced most of us that the marketers had lost the plot regarding Concorde and its purpose.
Maybe the marketers should have done something about the protective screen of the displays.... I hate to think how many "once in a lifetime" photos were ruined by the reflection of a flash blanking out the display.
I still have my photo at M2.03, but that was the simplistic Mach cabin display in a French Concorde.... .
Originally Posted by M2dude
The final product, which ran nice and cool abandoned nearly all of the original hardware (no more master/slave arrangement either), utilised an ARINC 429 type databus and came equipped with new plasma displays which FINALLY worked rather well. The crap commercial computer terminal was replaced by a really neat data entry panel that was fitted on the left hand centre consul that worked pretty good from day 1. FINALLY the darned system worked.
> "ARINC 429 type databus"... again I'll have to check, but I thought it was still the old RS-422 bus. I can't remember any ARINC 429 on Concorde.... but you were there much longer than me.
I was slightly involved in an effort to bring a Marilake back to life, but we were baffled by the various comm protocols.
The French Mach cabin displays were simple kludges, but they worked, and we've just got one back to life again....
CJ
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Barbara Harmer
Barbara was a truly lovely lady and will be sorely missed by all of us that had the honour to know her. She was such an unassuming lady and seemed to wonder what all the fuss was when the media followed her around in her early days on the fleet.
With greatest respect
M2Dude
With greatest respect
M2Dude
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BlueWave and Marilakes
CJ
Prince of Darkness
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Not sure if this a repeat:
However there is a comment that suggest a flypast for the 2012 Olympics. I thought all were decommissioned so is this wishful thinking on the part of the commentator?
Ozzy
However there is a comment that suggest a flypast for the 2012 Olympics. I thought all were decommissioned so is this wishful thinking on the part of the commentator?
Ozzy
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I really liked the 2nd generation cabin displays that are still fitted to the BA Concorde today. But the “Project Rocket” displays really looked unprofessional and you would of needed binoculars to see them from row 4!
The problem was that as you used the binoculars to view the Mach meter change to famous M200, you would have been blinded by this silly double blue lighting wave rushing through the aircraft, magnified by the binoculars.
There is a page regarding "Project Rocket" at the link below, including video and pictures
BA Concorde “Project Rocket” Heritage Concorde
The problem was that as you used the binoculars to view the Mach meter change to famous M200, you would have been blinded by this silly double blue lighting wave rushing through the aircraft, magnified by the binoculars.
There is a page regarding "Project Rocket" at the link below, including video and pictures
BA Concorde “Project Rocket” Heritage Concorde
Last edited by steve-de-s; 24th Feb 2011 at 16:54.
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Ozzy, you'll find nearly every Concorde aficionado/a has that video on a CD or on his /her hard disk....
For some unfathomable reason, that moment when Concorde climbs away from the Red Arrows, at the end of the fly-past, always leaves me with a lump in my throat.... I don't know why....
I didn't spot it in that video.
You will still find that wishful thinking among people who do not know any better....
Not only were they decommissioned, but neither are there any spares, or infrastructure, still in existence, to make such a pipedream possible.
CJ
For some unfathomable reason, that moment when Concorde climbs away from the Red Arrows, at the end of the fly-past, always leaves me with a lump in my throat.... I don't know why....
However there is a comment that suggest a flypast for the 2012 Olympics. I thought all were decommissioned so is this wishful thinking on the part of the commentator?
You will still find that wishful thinking among people who do not know any better....
Not only were they decommissioned, but neither are there any spares, or infrastructure, still in existence, to make such a pipedream possible.
CJ
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For some unfathomable reason, that moment when Concorde climbs away from the Red Arrows, at the end of the fly-past, always leaves me with a lump in my throat.... I don't know why....
I was also told by an ex-Concorde pilot that they lost the 'yellow' system just as they pulled up from the Red Arrows formation and powered away!
Shaggy Sheep Driver
...told by an ex-Concorde pilot that they lost the 'yellow' system just as they pulled up from the Red Arrows formation...
I don't quite understand why the Yellow system would have been in use at that point - and thus how they came to notice they had lost it!
I suppose the obvious inference is that they may have already experienced one of the several various problems or failures that caused Yellow system to auto-onload.
Best Regards
Bellerophon
...told by an ex-Concorde pilot that they lost the 'yellow' system just as they pulled up from the Red Arrows formation...
I don't quite understand why the Yellow system would have been in use at that point - and thus how they came to notice they had lost it!
I suppose the obvious inference is that they may have already experienced one of the several various problems or failures that caused Yellow system to auto-onload.
Best Regards
Bellerophon
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Shaggy Sheep Driver
Quite right SSD. Most likely cause here would be either a failure in one of the two EDP pump case housings or one of the offload solenoids. These failures were relatively rare but still DID happen on occasion.
Best Regards
Dude
The Yellow is the standby system, but wouldn't it possible to 'lose' it even if it wasn't actually in use?
Best Regards
Dude
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The blue wave looked impressive with the cabin lights off, crap and tacky with them on.
YouTube - Project Rocket Lights on a/c
What would have been better was a new 787 style, LED lighting system on the aircraft, but that level of technology was not yet developed properly in 2000
YouTube - Project Rocket Lights on a/c
What would have been better was a new 787 style, LED lighting system on the aircraft, but that level of technology was not yet developed properly in 2000
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The first thing I know EXWOK and BELLEROPHON will (maybe) notice is that originally OAD had a 'normal colour' electroluminescent light plate on the visor indication panel. (If I remember rightly (it was a million years ago chaps) when this one 'stopped lighting' we could not get a replacement and had to rob 202 (G-BBDG) at Filton; this one being the same black development aircraft colour that OAD has to this day.