Concorde

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Ikara

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I was watching a show about Concorde on Discovery Science last night and I got to thinking. I've only walked through a Concorde at the Naval Museum in New York and to me it looked like a very squashy economy class that travelled very bloody fast.

Has anyone actually travelled on the Concorde and could they share their experience with us please?

JB
 
Ikara said:
I was watching a show about Concorde on Discovery Science last night and I got to thinking. I've only walked through a Concorde at the Naval Museum in New York and to me it looked like a very squashy economy class that travelled very bloody fast.

Has anyone actually travelled on the Concorde and could they share their experience with us please?

JB


It was not as bad as economy class. The seats were economy like but the seat pitch was of the level of World Traveller Plus ( 38" ). It was not uncomfortable to travel in

Dave
 
The standard of catering and level of attention from the cabin crew wasn't economy either.
 
When i was young (i know what a waste, but i was about 12), great flight, got to see the coughpit, have a photo somewhere.
Main reason we flew was father was an aviation fan, had his PPL and started to teach me, but i could never justify keeping mine living in the city (just like a few friends of mine)

I think its really sad they still don't fly (not that it is practical) and even worse that designers have not been bold enough to develop a new supersonic plane with lower costs and more practical to replace it.

I was very tempted to try to catch one of the last flights a couple of years ago just because i could but at the time it just proved impossible.

Evan
 
Evan said:
I was very tempted to try to catch one of the last flights a couple of years ago just because i could but at the time it just proved impossible.
Evan

Just as well, as you might have been on that unfortunate flight ex CDG.
 
Ikara said:
I've only walked through a Concorde at the Naval Museum in New York JB

Didn't know there was a Concorde in a naval museum in NY.

You didn't mean Yeovilton, Somerset did you. I've been through the Concorde there and it really is quite pokey.

I'd rather fly LON-NYC F/C on the upper deck of a 747, sipping a nice Veuve Clicot or some such.

But, that's just me.
 
clifford said:
Just as well, as you might have been on that unfortunate flight ex CDG.
Given that it was a charter flight, and the removal of Concorde from scheduled services was announced after that accident, its most unlikely such a goal would have resulted in an Aussie being on that flight.

I too contemplated how I might be able to squeeze/manipulate a supersonic flight before she was removed from service. But I have had to make do with a few visits to Duxford to satisfy my fixation with the aircraft - albeit firmly sitting on the ground.
 
clifford said:
Didn't know there was a Concorde in a naval museum in NY.

It was the USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. Pier 36. USS Intrepid being an old aircraft carrier. The flight deck was awash with different aircraft including an old Stealth Aircraft and an ex-USSR jet. There is a submarine (unfortunately it wasn't there the day I was there - having a refit) plus the Concorde on a barge. Photos available on request

Being ex-Navy it was a very enjoyable day for me.

JB
 
Ikara said:
It was the USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. Pier 36. USS Intrepid being an old aircraft carrier. The flight deck was awash with different aircraft including an old Stealth Aircraft and an ex-USSR jet. There is a submarine (unfortunately it wasn't there the day I was there - having a refit) plus the Concorde on a barge. Photos available on request

Being ex-Navy it was a very enjoyable day for me.

JB

Thanks for that.

I guess it was West Manhattan, on the Hudson?

:)
 
clifford said:
Didn't know there was a Concorde in a naval museum in NY.

Yeah there is. I was suprised as I didn't know it either and did searching!

www.intrepidmuseum.org

Although, currently closed until 2008 for a refurb.

So instead, looks like I'm going to Seattle for the Museum of Flight
www.museumofflight.org - although it doesn't look like they offer walkthroughs.

Any other museums that have walkthroughs of the Concorde?
 
Mal said:
Yeah there is. I was suprised as I didn't know it either and did searching!

www.intrepidmuseum.org

Although, currently closed until 2008 for a refurb.

So instead, looks like I'm going to Seattle for the Museum of Flight
www.museumofflight.org - although it doesn't look like they offer walkthroughs.

Why not go to Yeovilton, then?

Very nice FAA museum with a walk-through (or even sit down in) Concorde.

Many other interesting a/c and experiences (like being on the flight deck of the Ark Royal when Buccaneers are being launched and retreived).
Welcome to the official web site for the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, Somerset, UK
 
clifford said:
Why not go to Yeovilton, then?

Very nice FAA museum with a walk-through (or even sit down in) Concorde.

Ta for the link. A nice detour next time I'm in the UK methinks :)
 
Mal said:
Any other museums that have walkthroughs of the Concorde?
The museum at Duxford (near Cambridge) in the UK has walkthrough of Corcorde serial number 101. This was one of two flying prototypes and is kitted out in the front section with the test gear used during the test flights, and the rear section has a sample seating section. It is interesting to see the emergency escape hatch!

At the time of its arrival (and may still be true), it was the shortest air strip a Concorde had landed. It was always to be a one-way flight as there is no way it could depart from the airport. The same goes for the B52 on display.

They have some other great examples including a Vickers VC10 and Lockhead Electra.
 
I was fortunate enough to fly Concorde once - 13 August 2002 on BA1 (LHR/JFK). I was in Seat 9D. Got my original Boarding Pass still (along with other Concorde memorabilia) - was sequence number 37. I've uploaded what photo's I can - unfortunately the Mach 1 & 2 photo's aren't too clear, but increase viewing size to 200% and you should be able to make out the display.
 

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Lindsay - thanks for the photos. Great to see an actual passenger's photos. :)

I would've loved to travel on a Concorde. :( Unfortunately I didn't really know anything about them (apart from "they're fast!") until it was too late.

I did see one above Drummoyne once though. How often did they fly to SYD? Not too often I seem to recall?

Cheers,
- Febs.
 
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I was lucky enough to fly from LHR to JFK at the end of July in 2003 - during the run-down to retirement in the October.
As has been said the seats were about economy in width, but with more legroom. Leather and very comfortable, as you would expect.
The cabin is compact - only 4 abreast - and the headroom is just adequate for most (the very tall have to stoop).
A couple of interesting points are that the windows are much smaller than usual (a passport nearly blocks one out) and, once cruising at Mach 2,you have the odd feature of a "warm" wall next to you from the kinetic heating of the aircraft.
The food and wines were superb and, although there is no video, there is an audio system. However, the flight itself is sufficient entertainment to keep the headphones in their bag.
The most unique feature, as already posted is the speed. Just under 3500 statute miles (5600 km) in 3 hours 20 minutes.
The aircraft I flew on (G-BOAD) was probably the last to visit SYD as it completed a RTW charter late in 1999.
In 1979/1980 BA and SQ operated a service to Singapore via Bahrain with a flight time of 9 hours. When SQ took delivery of their 747-200s that could do it non-stop in 13, it put paid to the venture. Indeed, even then, the writing was on the wall for supersonic air travel.
Fantastic aircraft. Still unrivalled.
 
Ikara said:
Being ex-Navy it was a very enjoyable day for me.JB

Is Ikara the name of the anti-aircraft missile that the RAN used to have? Not the same one as the US Navy used to knock out a civilian Iranian Airbus in the 80s?
 
crazydave98 said:
Is Ikara the name of the anti-aircraft missile that the RAN used to have? Not the same one as the US Navy used to knock out a civilian Iranian Airbus in the 80s?

Ikara was an anti-submarine missile system that was developed by the boffins at Salisbury in SA. In my opinion it was the best there was. The Yanks had a thing called ASROC but it wasn't a patch on Ikara. ASROC was point and shoot whereas Ikara was guided all the way. It was decommissioned in the early 90's. The picture in my Avatar was taken in the 70's.

JB
 

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Ikara said:
It was the USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. Pier 36. USS Intrepid being an old aircraft carrier. The flight deck was awash with different aircraft including an old Stealth Aircraft and an ex-USSR jet.

There has never been a stealth aircraft on the carrier as none have been retired from active duty yet, I suspect you mean the SR71 which looks a little strange but is by no means stealthy. It survived by outrunning any missle that existed at the time it was used, although the shape was designed to reduce the radar cross section where possible.

It was the SR71 sitting on the carrier that got my interest when I was in New York up the empire state building, just had to go and check it out and as a result had a good day at the museum.
 
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