Concorde supersonic aeroplane, 1976-2003

[A380]

I went on a trip with Business Studies students in 2009 and got up close and personal with a retired Concorde at Manchester Airport. What astounded me was how small the thing is.

They have built a sort of tent thing round it now that they hire out as a conference centre- I went to a couple of events there a good few years ago. Also the Manchester Concord trustees took the decision then not to strip the aircraft, which is happening to all the other BA ones. The point was that in maybe 30 or 40 years they might be able to do something akin to the Vulcan and get one flying again, if only for a few years. I’m not sure if they stuck with that strategy.

 

[1927]

They have built a sort of tent thing round it now that they hire out as a conference centre- I went to a couple of events there a good few years ago. Also the Manchester Concord trustees took the decision then not to strip the aircraft, which is happening to all the other BA ones. The point was that in maybe 30 or 40 years they might be able to do something akin to the Vulcan and get one flying again, if only for a few years. I’m not sure if they stuck with that strategy.

Sad thing is one of the problems with keeping Concorde in the air was the maintenance of engines, same as Vulcan, using very similar engines. Why couldn’t there have been a joint approach to keeping both in air?

 

[A380]

This was on FB yesterday to mark international women’s day:

 

[Elpenor]

Love the Landor livery, it suited Concorde so well

 

[pogofish]

I love the Intrepid museum. A concord, a space shuttle- though not one that flew in space - and loads of cool aeroplanes on an actual aircraft carrier.

I miss New York…

The Space Shuttle was announced just after I visited but it was still a superb museum even before.

And the craziest nuclear missile sub of them all:

I read somewhere that it was said that Canada probably had more to fear from its missiles than Russia as they were notoriously unreliable but intended to be shot across Canada and the Pole to reach their targets!

 

[A380]

The Space Shuttle was announced just after I visited but it was still a superb museum even before.

And the craziest nuclear missile sub of them all:

I read somewhere that it was said that Canada probably had more to fear from its missiles than Russia as they were notoriously unreliable but intended to be shot across Canada and the Pole to reach their targets!

The Growler - great name- , deffo one of the most mad parts of Mad. Had a look round that in the before times too.

 

[Elpenor]

I don’t really want to return to New York but I suppose I ought to visit the Intrepid as an ambition of mine is to visit all the Concordes.

Shame the Barbados one is now closed to the public. I won’t be able to get to the one parked at Heathrow either - which is allegedly filled full of old copies of the BA in flight magazine that are used as ballast!

 

[A380]

I don’t really want to return to New York but I suppose I ought to visit the Intrepid as an ambition of mine is to visit all the Concordes.

Shame the Barbados one is now closed to the public. I won’t be able to get to the one parked at Heathrow either - which is allegedly filled full of old copies of the BA in flight magazine that are used as ballast!

I did a similar thing with all the ( American STS) Space Shuttles but there are only 3 + 1 of those left. Discovery in Washington, Atlantis at Kennedy SC, Endeavour in LA and Enterprise, the one on intrepid that never flew in space as it had no engines.

LA has an external tank and their long term plan is to get some SRB casings and show the whole stack as it was for launches.

 

[A380]

 

[Elpenor]

Visited my third Concorde today at Duxford (with two more planned for the next few weeks)My first time inside a test plane.

Didn’t know there was an escape hatch, not sure I’d have fancied using it!

 

[A380]

Visited my third Concorde today at Duxford (with two more planned for the next few weeks)View attachment 344527My first time inside a test plane.

Didn’t know there was an escape hatch, not sure I’d have fancied using it!

View attachment 344524View attachment 344525View attachment 344526

The hatch might have been the best of some bad options...

 

[1927]

Didn’t know there was an escape hatch, not sure I’d have fancied using it!

Maybe not, but when the only alternative is death I’m sure you’d manage it.

 

[T & P]

The hatch might have been the best of some bad options...

Also Elpenor Which one is the one where you can enter the cockpit? The guide at Brooklands said theirs is the only one where you are allowed to sit on the passenger seats, but one of the others was the only one with cockpit access.

 

[Elpenor]

I don’t know, that’s a good question. I sat in some Concorde seats today - not actually in the Concorde as it was a test plane - but in an adjacent plane as it goes.



I am due to visit the Scottish museum of flight and the Manchester runway park ones in the next few weeks. I get the feeling Manchester might offer lots of special add-ons.

 

[nick]

Also Elpenor Which one is the one where you can enter the cockpit? The guide at Brooklands said theirs is the only one where you are allowed to sit on the passenger seats, but one of the others was the only one with cockpit access.

There's one ion an aircraft carrier in New York (the fastest across the Atlantic I am told )

You can go in the cockpit and look , but not touch. You sit in the first class seats whilst an underwhelming guide tries to tell you about it: More cramped than SleazyJet - but more leathery

 

[iamwithnail]

Yeah I was definitely surprised how cramped Concorde was when I saw it at duxford

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

In the Concorde Room at terminal five (actual first class passengers only, unlike the first class lounge which is for gold card holders) there was a board room with a large table surrounded by seats taken from Concorde.

That seems to have been closed and replaced with a sleep zone, Forty Winks.

They have instead put in a couple of displays of Concorde tat, including a nose cone and some
other bits and bobs…

 

[iamwithnail]

Lol at the “ecologically speaking” bit tho

 

[Elpenor]

National Museum of Flight in East Lothian

Definitely the best (and cheapest) Concorde I’ve been to so far, though must admit I’ve not done them all, this being my fourth (others are Seattle, Bristol and Duxford). Some good exhibits and an audio guide.

Particularly like that the first thing you see as you enter the hanger is this, also they’ve made small holes in the glass partition blocking off the aft cabin and cockpit so you can take pics through

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

 

[A380]

Engine test rig.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

World’s biggest crack pipe

 

[Elpenor]

There is a podcast called layovers which is about aviation, usually it’s about the airports and travel that the hosts, two frequent (previously more frequent) London-based (but non-British) flyers have done.

This week they have a guest and there’s a lot of talk about Concorde including visiting all 18 extant Concordes. It’s quite a long podcast and I’ve not finished it yet but the Concorde talk gets going early on.

Link here

 

[A380]

 

[Spymaster]

View attachment 360378

The green field under the wing is the Mellish Sports Ground, in Rotherhithe, which used to be one of the Surrey docks until it was filled-in in the 70s. Local folklore has East End gangsters using the building site to dispose of bodies.

 

[Spymaster]

 

[Joe Chi Min]

This guy’s channel is a good watch, a pilot nonetheless

 

[A380]

 

[dessiato]

I remember how Concorde always drew attention when she flew overhead. Few aircraft have had that charisma. It didn't matter whether it was the first or hundredth time she flew past, people always looked. A 747? So what? But Concorde...

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

I used to work on the bath road. It would set off a lot of car alarms in the hotel and perimeter car parks.