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Thread: Concorde - Supersonic Transport

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    Default Concorde - Supersonic Transport

    I know there is a few aviation buffs on here, no doubt have already seen this.
    But i find this guys presenting and knowledge worth a watch

    An amazing Aircraft and what i find even more amazing, an advancement in technology that never continued, instead, we took steps backwards.
    You don't see that much in the modern world








    This is an interesting watch for the demise of the final concord flight.



    It is so ironic, that after the age of privileged supersonic flight came Low Cost Carries to dominate the market
    Last edited by ol' boy; 14-08-18 at 11:43 AM.
    If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!

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    Money and profits come first.
    If progress does not lead to more profits then it will have to step back.
    It looks like there is still no way to be fuel efficient and fly supersonic.
    Musk was onto something by sending you up to space with his cheap rockets and then 'dropping' you back anywhere on this planet within an hour but he has also been behaving very strange lately. I am losing some trust in him.
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    Quote Originally Posted by nomeat View Post
    Money and profits come first.
    If progress does not lead to more profits then it will have to step back.
    It looks like there is still no way to be fuel efficient and fly supersonic.
    Musk was onto something by sending you up to space with his cheap rockets and then 'dropping' you back anywhere on this planet within an hour but he has also been behaving very strange lately. I am losing some trust in him.
    So you should mate...he appears to have lost...."something"...I hope not, but it's weird.

    If the Valkyrie technology and compression lift had been persued, I feel we'd have gone a lot further.
    The fact that there's a highway to hell and a stairway to heaven says a lot about the anticipated traffic flow.

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    From Day ONE this aircraft flew with nothing but 'Bad Press' with all sorts of claims regarding the 'Supersonic Boom' caused by its flight.
    Every other week some one has a proposal for flights so fast as to almost arrive before the passengers have sat in the seats and they are 'cheered on' but here was Concorde that delivered the promise but was met with opposition where ever it flew.
    It was damned expensive to make and to fly in but had it been kept on and further developed, who knows where the Airline industry would be today.

    I like most was shattered on that day during take off when an 'object' thrown up by the wheels entered the engine and it caught fire.
    That video footage of that beautiful bird crippled and subsequently crashing is etched into my mind even today.
    I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!

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    Thanks for posting that OB. I've stolen it for a pilot mate who has also flown into some of the airports mentioned.
    I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...

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    I had a chance to fly on it for $1000 in the 90's but I couldn't get the time off work.
    I'm going to visit some of my favourite planes including the concord in a few weeks.
    What can I say... I got a thing for pointy aircraft.
    Yes I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.

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    Quote Originally Posted by lsemmens View Post
    Thanks for posting that OB. I've stolen it for a pilot mate who has also flown into some of the airports mentioned.
    Yeah, i think he is good, been watching him a few years
    He comes up with some interesting subjects, always learn something new.

    His chat on LCC is an eye opener

    Has a cool Video about can a Passenger land a Commercial Airliner....

    And you learn some bat shit crazy procedures, like if Autoland has malfunctioned and both the planes front window are cracked and the pilot can't make visual to the runway, you descend to 10,000ft, get a 5psi cabin pressure difference, then he is to open the side cockpit window and stick his head out to make a visual landing......
    Last edited by ol' boy; 14-08-18 at 11:01 PM.
    If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!

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    Thanks OB, I am having a great evening with all his videos.
    I don't understand how I have missed this guy, probably from watching too many 80's metal videos on YT lately instead of interesting flight related stuff.

    What do you all think of this:

    I actually have PREPAR 3D flight sim (by far the best) but I don't know if my basic version does automated approach & landing.
    I play (manually) mostly with twin engine turbo props. I call this playing as flying the real thing would have nothing to do with it, but typing in instructions in the MCDU and setting the AP is not not really that different, if a flight controller could give you remote instructions. It is just a computer
    Really got to check it out if I find time tomorrow.
    Unlike the girl I didn't find the instructions confusing at all.
    Of course in a real life situation it is all about the nerves but having done it a few times in a simulator would surely help.

    At least better than the video game experience of that guy who nicked the DASH-8.
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    Quote Originally Posted by nomeat View Post
    Musk was onto something by sending you up to space with his cheap rockets and then 'dropping' you back anywhere on this planet within an hour but he has also been behaving very strange lately. I am losing some trust in him.
    You are infinitely more trusting than I am!
    I think the guy is a complete and utter con man. The way he has amassed Millions of fans that hang off his every word and think he's a god while he repeatedly fails to live up to his promises just amazes me. I will admit he's very clever for getting away with it as long as he has a and a small part of me thinks he's so good and got so many in so deep now he just might be able to get away with it but, if he does crash and burn, the fallout will be incredible.

    Of course if he does fall over, then all the supporters will either blame some one/thing else to keep him on a pedestal or deny ever thinking he was anything but a fraud.


    I am surprised there has not been a concord replacement. Yes I understand the cost involved but there are a LOT of rich people in the world whom money would be no object to. I imagine a supersonic aircraft could have advantages from a security POV for world leaders and the super rich. In this day and age of instant gratification, I would have thought there would be a market no matter how limited for an aircraft of this type that could be made profitable. If people can afford to be launched in a rocket, surely a plane would be able to meet a niche market profitably.



    I was only debating on the weekend with the Mrs about teleportation and if that would be something that would ever eventuate. I pondered this not from the technology POV but the security one. Imagine being able to get in and out of anywhere in the world instantly. You could design blocking tech but someone would have a way of getting round it no doubt.

    The ability to do away with transport machines would cure all the problems for transportation energy for a start even if the teleporters used energy themselves. They would be more fixed than mobile which makes things a lot easier or if they were say wearable the power would be a lot less than a motor vehicle or what an aircraft used. You would not need to transport goods either. Order something on line for guaranteed 3 second delivery.
    I think at some point there could be a time when this crosses with a next generation of transport. Maybe electric cars will never really get a foothold before this starts becoming a reality?

    Again, to me the big question is would gubbermints allow it to come into use?

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    I have always been curious as to why both the USA and Russia started on the development of Supersonic Flight but didnt and left it to the English/French consortium to introduce it.
    I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!

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    Could Russians afford such luxury transportation in those days?
    If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!

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    I saw a fascinating documentary on the Concorde a few years ago. British Airways had been losing a bucketload of money on Concorde and started looking at options to turn it around. They surveyed passengers and found that most of them were in senior management roles and had no idea what the cost of a ticket was, since their secretary would book the trip for them. The passengers perceived that the cost of the ticket was actually much higher than what British Airways was charging at the time.

    As a result, the airline re-fitted their fleet of Concorde aircraft with more upmarket seats and interiors and dramatically increased the ticket price, thus making it a profitable venture. There was an interview with Phil Collins, in which he said: "You had the economy class lounge, the business class lounge and the first class lounge. And then there was... (intake of breath) Concorde!" It was perceived as a cut well above first class.

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    Quote Originally Posted by gordon_s1942 View Post
    I have always been curious as to why both the USA and Russia started on the development of Supersonic Flight but didnt and left it to the English/French consortium to introduce it.
    I can't remember the reason for why the Americans stopped their development of a supersonic airliner. I suspect it was cost and that they couldn't actually fly it anywhere.
    The Russians did however have a supersonic airliner and it was in service. The Tu-144 was used from Moscow to Kazakhstan. But the aircraft had more problems than the Soviet government.
    Nasa was using it for a supersonic test aircraft a few years ago but I'm not sure where they were going with the research. I think it was to reduce sonic booms. They have the X59 on order for further tests. (watch this space).

    Tupelov also had plans in the 90's for a new Tu244 and my favourite the Tu444 (supersonic personal jet). I'd order one if I had some cash to spare for it. (about $60 million).

    There is surprising a number of other companies working on second generation supersonic airlines. Boom Tech is working on a small airliner the BSJ and their test aircraft (baby boom)
    Even Sukhoi and Gulstream working on the S-21 and there are several others.

    I got to go now and get rid of this aircraft induced boner.
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    Quote Originally Posted by trash View Post
    I can't remember the reason for why the Americans stopped their development of a supersonic airliner. I suspect it was cost and that they couldn't actually fly it anywhere.
    The Russians did however have a supersonic airliner and it was in service. The Tu-144 was used from Moscow to Kazakhstan. But the aircraft had more problems than the Soviet government.
    Nasa was using it for a supersonic test aircraft a few years ago but I'm not sure where they were going with the research. I think it was to reduce sonic booms. They have the X59 on order for further tests. (watch this space).

    Tupelov also had plans in the 90's for a new Tu244 and my favourite the Tu444 (supersonic personal jet). I'd order one if I had some cash to spare for it. (about $60 million).

    There is surprising a number of other companies working on second generation supersonic airlines. Boom Tech is working on a small airliner the BSJ and their test aircraft (baby boom)
    Even Sukhoi and Gulstream working on the S-21 and there are several others.

    I got to go now and get rid of this aircraft induced boner.
    Saw a doco on the Concorde a lot of years back. The cooperation with the US ceased when the US insisted on Mach 3. The engineering problems to do with slowing the air down to combustible speeds were, in the opinion of the Europeans, far too difficult to cope with and they did their own thing.

    Compression lift as used on the Valkyrie XP-70 was, IMO, the most useful development technology.
    The fact that there's a highway to hell and a stairway to heaven says a lot about the anticipated traffic flow.

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    Quote Originally Posted by shred View Post
    Concorde!" It was perceived as a cut well above first class.
    Yes. It certainly was
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    The main reason the USA and USSR supersonic aircraft went nowhere was that Concorde was able to supercruise
    Able to maintain supersonic speed without afterburners is an amazing feat even today.

    Way ahead of its time.

    British Airways wanted to keep the Concorde going after the air France crash as it was now profitable but when Air France stopped it meant it was too expensive to maintain only the British fleet.

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    Here's a a few fun facts:

    Concorde flew at Mach 2.02-2.04 (approx. 1350mph) and carried 100 passengers to the edge of space at a cruising altitude of 55,000 feet (16765m). On the ground Concorde was 203 feet 9 inches long but stretched by almost 10 inches in flight due to heating of the airframe. The famous swing-nose reached 127 Celsius - a stark contrast to the outside temperature of a subsonic aircraft of -50 Celsius. This high skin temperature also accounted for the excellent condition of the plane because the corrosion effects of moisture in the air were significantly reduced.


    Had the good fortune to see the Concorde when on a business flight out of Sydney some years back.
    We were cleared for take-off, and our 747 ambled towards the runway, only to come to an abrupt halt just as we were about to turn off the taxiway onto the runway.
    I looked out the window to see what was on the runway....couldn't see anything....then I looked down.....I reckon the damn thing could have just about passed underneath us, it looked so small alongside the Jumbo.

    Always remembered that, so couldn't resist this when I saw it in a local Op-shop recently:



    It's an original (water colour, I think)......artists signature is "R.Scholes".........on the back is a gold label on which is printed:

    Mr.and Mrs. R. Scholes
    32 Queens Avenue
    Highworth
    Wiltshire SN6 78A

    Don't know whether the bloke was involved with the Concorde, or was just an aviation tragic.

    Hangs in my study now as a reminder of an interesting encounter.

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