[website] Take-off crash 'n' burn didn't kill the Concorde, it was just too expensive

[unixman_again]

Excellent article on Concorde https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/05/01/geeks_guide_to_britain_concorde/

 

When I first came over from Australia, I used to work very close to Birmingham Airport and Concorde used to appear sometimes. As soon as we heard it, the entire block would empty so we could have a look. Absolutely thrilling to see it land or take off.

[Sonic007]

Check out Boom Supersonic. They are attempting to resurect supersonic travel and the design looks very much like Concorde.

[Dos_Box]

The massive increase in oil prices in the early 70's and the (allegedly) input from the US aircraft industry to prevent it flying over the US at supersonic speeds also killed it as a plane to be sold for export or to other airlines.

The US airliner manufacturers opted to increase passenger capacity rather than speeds in light of the oil price increases, which proved to be the sensible thing to do.

Still Concord was, and still is, a beautiful and technological marvel and I am glad to have seen it fly.

[Andrew_C]

the (allegedly) input from the US aircraft industry to prevent it flying over the US at supersonic speeds

I was living there at the time. Nothing "alleged" at all; they were in a snit because they couldn't get theirs to work. Had the routes to the States been established prior to the oil crisis, there's a chance it might have survived. However, with limited routes available, there was little chance.

 

It frightened the Bejeezus out of me one day. Driving into Thorpe park when it took off; I thought the propshaft, or the entire exhaust system, had dropped off the car.

[HarryMonkey]

I was at school in Bagshot, Surrey when it was being built and tested during the early 1970s. We all rushed over to the windows to watch it fly past whenever we heard it.

[Sonic007]

It was a step backwards when it was grounded. I for one like to get somewhere quickly. I think there is still a market for that.

 

If Boom can offer supersonic speeds with better fuel efficiency and environmental considerations then I'm all for it.

[Dos_Box]

It was a step backwards when it was grounded. I for one like to get somewhere quickly. I think there is still a market for that.

 

If Boom can offer supersonic speeds with better fuel efficiency and environmental considerations then I'm all for it.

 

I have been present at sonic booms caused by aircraft. Trust me when I say that people will get upset.

[mikeprice]

She was a wonderful piece of engineering/art - saw her many times at air shows

 

and my Dad and I used to go over to Speke Airport every Grand National day to see her land (sometimes 2 of them) and take off twice each (they used to fly up on charters from Heathrow with rich race fans and then fly on supersonic joy ride over the Atlantic for normal people and then back to Heathrow subsonic)

 

One year I actually flew on her with my Dad and Uncle on a supersonic trip out over the Atlantic - joyridy type thing

 

one of the most awesome experience of my whole life!!

 

sad that she no longer flies

[elsiegee40]

When we lived near Weston Super Mare in the early 70s we used to see Concorde going out on test flights from Filton. It always brought the school playground to a halt

[MartinT]

Concorde used to fly twice a day right overhead when I lived in Sonning. It always sounded and looked thrilling, like a glimpse into the future.

 

We have gone backwards: no more Concorde, no more Moon landings.

[XiJ]

The US killed Concorde out of spite. There’s didn’t work and they didn’t like it so banned routes due to the sonic boom. You think they’d have done that with a US manufactured aircraft?

 

She is a thing of beauty though and I fully agree it was a backwards step when she was retired. My ambition was to fly on concord and I’m sad I’ll never get chance.

 

With that and the space shuttle retired I feel we’ve lost the two all time most beautiful engineering wonders.

 

Elon Musk’s space programme has finally got me excited about it again though.

[Andrew_C]

Shuttle was actually a buggers-muddle. 2 major crashes, largely due to the design being 'super-sized' so it could carry the big spy satellites.

 

Sure, it was a clever bit of kit, but not what NASA wanted.

[XiJ]

Whether that’s true or not - I think you’d expect some tragedy as we push the boundaries of exploration. Seeing the shuttle close up she did look battered - but the whole concept of a ‘space plane’ captures the imagination. I watched in wonder every launch since I was a kid.

[FN-GM]

It's no surprise it ended service. It was nearly 40 year old technology at the time.

 

Maybe one day this will replace it. JAL, Virgin and others have invested. https://boomsupersonic.com

[Andrew_C]

And 747 tech is how old?

[elsiegee40]

And 747 tech is how old?

 

But they have built new 747s. They didn’t keep building Concordes

[Andrew_C]

My point is that some of the old 747s are still flying. Old technology, but maintainable.

[FN-GM]

My point is that some of the old 747s are still flying. Old technology, but maintainable.

 

All of the ones flying are using much newer technology than Concorde did. It would be possible to keep old such as Concorde aircraft flying but the costs are huge.

 

Non of the original 747's (747-100) from 1960's are flying.

They moved on to the 747-200 in the 70's. No airline is flying them. ***

The 747-300 (1983) only has a very small number (3 maybe 4) in service. They are with an airline in Africa who banned from flying in the EU for safety reasons.

The 747-400 entered service in 1989. Around 350 are still in service - mainly cargo airlines. Many airlines are dumping them. Qantas for example their oldest is form 2003.

The 747-8 is the newest from 2010. They have only sold 150 and most of them have been delivered

 

They produced over 1,500 to relatively speaking there isn't a large number still in service.

 

 

*** However 2 x Airforce one is a heavily modified 747-200. They where delivered in 1990 when the 747-400 was in service. It is just a 747-200 shell. They are replacing them with a 747-8

Edited May 5, 2018 by FN-GM

[XiJ]

Concorde had plenty of life left in her when they retired her.

 

The A380 my new favourite (and the best plane I’ve ever flown on). But even that is struggling. Everyone going for twin engine long range. Boring though. And I don’t want to sit in a toothpaste tube A320 for 7+ hours.

[AJWhite1970]

There is a 747-200SP based at Bournemouth still in active (private) service, still makes me look when it goes over. VP-BAT for the plane spotters. The Qatar family that owns it are looking to sell it, they also have a 747-800 at Bournemouth that is their usual runaround these days.

 

I was also lucky enough to be at the end of the runway at Bournemouth when concord visited many moons ago

[elsiegee40]

Concorde may have had life left in her, but she was expensive on fuel and the cost of keeping her in the air was too high for commercial use to continue.

 

Once no longer in commercial use you then start to run out of people with the knowledge to keep the plane airworthy. Much as happened to the Vulcan.

[computer_expert]

Concorde may have had life left in her, but she was expensive on fuel and the cost of keeping her in the air was too high for commercial use to continue.

 

Once no longer in commercial use you then start to run out of people with the knowledge to keep the plane airworthy. Much as happened to the Vulcan.

 

Airbus pulled maintenance support (during 2003) for Concorde too, one of many things leading to it's demise.

[FN-GM]

Airbus pulled maintenance support (during 2003) for Concorde too, one of many things leading to it's demise.

Only after both operating airlines retried it from service. No point carrying on supporting an airplane nobody uses.

[Danp]

 

I went on a school trip to Bristol Aerospace to see one. My grandparents lived in south east london and it was in the flight path of Concorde, you could set your watch by it at 18:30 (around 6pm anyway) it would fly over, never got bored of rushing out to watch it.

[steve]

Saw Concorde fly overhead a few times from Leeds Bradford on joy trips and at a few local air shows. Beautiful bit of engineering.

 

Finally got up close to it on a trip the the Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. An amazing place if you like flight - Blackbird SR71, Shuttle Discovery, Enola gay, F-14A Tomcat, Lockheed Martin X-35B.

 

Kept me busy for a fair few hours.