Concorde

"Svend" (svend) 10/18/2016 at 02:39 • Filed to: None

6

9

I’m presently watching a BBC programme made in 1994 about how Concorde came about.

I knew Farnborough played a big part in the making of it but what I didn’t know was that originally it was put to a few mathematicians and engineers to come up with a supersonic airliner. When they come up with a suitable shape such as the delta wing form it was found that France was doing the same thing and found that the design chosen was very similar, so similar in fact that Great Britain and France joined forces and signed an agreement. Great Britain was to take charge of the front and rear fuselage and the engines while France did the centre fuselage and the wings.

In the film the engineers are learning each other languages but find that through maths and engineering they understood each other rather well and so spoke in their own language also even though France worked in metric and great Britain worked in imperial there was no issue as most people would expect.

For interior cooling tests they simulated people by heating metal models, an average person at 110watts and an intoxicated person at 125watts to see if the cooling system for the passengers was to fail, would it ‘cook’ the passengers. Apparently if it was to fail it would take 10 minutes to have any serious effect on the passengers, by which time the aircraft could be slowed down.

It was even proposed not to have airline stewardesses on the aircraft as flying at such an altitude and not knowing what effects the radiation was at that altitude on the human body was believed would make women infertile (you have to bare in mind many of the things they were doing were unknown unlike today where we’d laugh it off as preposterous). It was later found that there was no such issue and in fact while not making them infertile actually caused a ‘baby boom’ as the stewardesses where home more as they were only away for days rather than regular flights were they could be away for many days or even weeks.

The Rolls Royce Olympus engines while originally taken from the AVRo Vulcan bomber and also used for ships and generators, had to be engineered to give four times the thrust.

I find everything about the aircraft to be amazing.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Svend 10/18/2016 at 08:49

0

It’s the best plane ever.

Svend > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 10/18/2016 at 09:56

0

I’m close to agreeing with you but there are so many others like the Handley Page Victor K2, Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, Avro Vulcan, Hawker Hunter, Blackburn Buccaneer, De Havilland Sea Vixen (so beautiful), Hawker Siddeley Harrier (later BAE), etc... Essentially a lot of 1960s aircraft.

Not to mention the WWII aircraft such as the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, Avro Lancaster, De Havilland Mosquito, etc...

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Svend 10/18/2016 at 10:32

1

Ehhhhhh. Concorde is still my personal favorite, though I would do dark things for a nimrod.

Svend > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 10/18/2016 at 10:57

0

Ye’, especially a MRA4.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK-Air-Force/BAE-Systems-Nimrod-MRA4/1131078

With the passing of the Nimrod. It seems fitting to walk it out to Elgars, Nimrod (it always makes me cry when I hear this).

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Svend 10/18/2016 at 11:00

0

It really is a shame they didn’t go ahead with the life extension program. Coolest ASW/SAR plane by a mile.

Svend > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 10/18/2016 at 11:22

0

Though £200million was spent on the 7 Nimrods it was found “several hundred” air non compliance faults and that a single bird strike would take it out not to mention faults with retracting and deploying the undercarriage, engine walls, cold weather issues, etc... would of required £4billion to correct.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Svend 10/18/2016 at 11:28

0

Good lord. That’s a terrific amount of money.

Svend > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 10/18/2016 at 11:40

0

Exactly. It was a “leaked” document from the R.A.F. which almost certainly helped the U.K. government as they were facing many accusations of wasting money but also leaving a gap in the U.K.s maritime surveillance role.

There was already a question mark over the aircraft after one crashed back in 2006 killing 14 personnel on board.

Aircrew constantly reported leaking fuel lines, etc... within the aircraft that often had to be patched up whilst in flight or turn into a fire ball.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Svend 10/18/2016 at 12:11

1

Eventually everything just gets too old to be feasible. My ultimate money no object private plane(besides a Concorde that is) would have to be a TU114. 14,000 hp per engine...