Concorde

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Simpo Two

Original Poster:

87,026 posts

272 months

Saturday 13th July
quotequote all
I just wanted to share this...

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2520787141452565

They don't make 'em like that any more - an airliner with afterburners...

aeropilot

36,528 posts

234 months

Sunday 14th July
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
I just wanted to share this...

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2520787141452565

They don't make 'em like that any more - an airliner with afterburners...
Wasn't something you generally got to see in the UK, as it usually took off in the middle of the day on its scheduled services.
I think that was one of the final weeks specials that was being flown in Oct '03.

I was lucky to be working at Heathrow in '03, so got to see it almost everyday in those final months of operations, including the final landings on last day of service, and all the final take-off's on the delivery flights to museums etc., including standing at the side of 27R to watch the final Concorde take-off from LHR, some 33 years and a month after I was standing only a few hundred yards from the where I had been standing as a child alongside 27R in Sept '70 to see the first ever landing of a Concorde at Heathrow.

the-norseman

13,336 posts

178 months

Wednesday 17th July
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I took my lad to Duxford to see Concorde 101 today, I've seen it before but its his first time (hes 2)

I've seen up close
002
101
207
216
77112 (Tupolev Tu-144)

I've seen from a distance
204
208

gtidriver

3,458 posts

194 months

Thursday 18th July
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Does anyone remember Sainsbury's running a campaign for their 125-year anniversary ??? They had quite a lot going on, I worked for them at the time, and it was super busy, anyways my Mother was a Rewards card holder and she was called up as a winner for a return trip for two on Condorde to NYC, she put the phone down after saying that she wasn't interested, they called back assuring her it was correct and she terminated the call again, a manager then called to quite rightly so smugly tell her that her chance had gone and someone else had won that prize. I've never let her forget that smile

Brooklands has a Concorde where you can also walk around on, its also has a mock-up of the terminal as well

Actual

1,029 posts

113 months

Thursday 18th July
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We lived in Bracknell for 30 years and a Concorde would roar high over the house every day in late afternoon or early evening. If we were outside then we always stopped to watch and could never get bored of it.

Did I say "a Concorde"? I meant "The Concorde"!


48k

13,951 posts

155 months

Friday 19th July
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the-norseman said:
I took my lad to Duxford to see Concorde 101 today, I've seen it before but its his first time (hes 2)
It's great seeing the actual prototype isn't it?

I've been lucky enough to see a "nose droop" demonstration, and my friends held a party there a couple of months ago. Having dinner under the wing is pretty cool.




phil-sti

2,813 posts

186 months

Friday 19th July
quotequote all
Amazing plane and a shame that we really never advanced on from it.

I’ve seen G-BOAC




And G-BOAD before she was repainted.



Edited by phil-sti on Friday 19th July 08:29

2 GKC

2,059 posts

112 months

Friday 19th July
quotequote all
Incredible plane. The one at Filton is well worth visiting.
The fuel burn whilst taxiing was quite something.

aeropilot

36,528 posts

234 months

Friday 19th July
quotequote all
48k said:
the-norseman said:
I took my lad to Duxford to see Concorde 101 today, I've seen it before but its his first time (hes 2)
It's great seeing the actual prototype isn't it?
It's not strictly speaking the 'actual prototype'.

101 is the 3rd Concorde completed and 3rd to fly, and was the British Pre-Production test aircraft.

002 at the Fleet Air Arm Museum is technically the British Prototype aircraft (and the 2nd completed and 2nd to fly) and the first British built Concorde.

202, the British Production Development aircraft, and the last of the six prototype/test/development aircraft to be built and fly, is the one at Brooklands.

Slowboathome

4,460 posts

51 months

Friday 19th July
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I'm not sure there's anything like Concorde. I don't just mean in the world of aircraft. It was such a special thing.

the-norseman

13,336 posts

178 months

Friday 19th July
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Slowboathome said:
I'm not sure there's anything like Concorde. I don't just mean in the world of aircraft. It was such a special thing.
Tupolev TU-144


I've seen both Concorde and Tupolev together in Germany.

Solocle

3,630 posts

91 months

Friday 19th July
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the-norseman said:
Tupolev TU-144


I've seen both Concorde and Tupolev together in Germany.
Concordski. But it's an inferior aircraft, by all accounts the cabin noise was like a constant hairdryer, as it couldn't supercruise.

some bloke

1,199 posts

74 months

Friday 19th July
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I saw the Concorde flying out of Heathrow in the distance in 1993, and again when it flew over Edinburgh with the Red Arrows back in 1997 for the Scottish Parliament. I was telling my NZ pilot mate this when he was over staying in Edinburgh last year and we had a wander round the one at East Fortune airfield. He said he'd seen it once in Bermuda - he was flying a 737 and followed the Concorde in to land. Which sort of pissed all over my story...

55palfers

6,001 posts

171 months

Friday 19th July
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Between 70's to 90's I worked for Triplex Safety Glass in Kings Norton, Birmingham who made all the flight deck glazings for the Concorde.

A couple of times, I was lucky enough to go to Filton and have a look round the plane.

The amount of "stuff" on the flight deck was mind boggling.


Magnum 475

3,648 posts

139 months

Friday 19th July
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I was taken to Birmingham Airport when I was a small child to see Concorde on one of its visits. Needless to say, flying on Concorde always seemed like an unachievable dream.

Until my employer wanted me to deliver a workshop / presentation in Paris, followed by one in NY. When I pointed out that I couldn't get from one to the other in time, they handed me a ticket for an AirFrance Concorde flight. Sadly had to come back by 747, as there was no need to go fast. Worse, I was so tired I slept through most of the flight on Corcorde.


RizzoTheRat

25,995 posts

199 months

Friday 19th July
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I did some work at BA's engineering section at Heathrow many years ago, and our offices were in the ceiling of a hanger, with a Concorde parked either side. Managed to get a tour of one and have a photo somewhere of me in the pilots seat. Surprised how cramped it was inside, less space than a modern 2-aisle-2 layout like a Embraer or Dash 8


the-norseman

13,336 posts

178 months

Friday 19th July
quotequote all
Solocle said:
Concordski. But it's an inferior aircraft, by all accounts the cabin noise was like a constant hairdryer, as it couldn't supercruise.
Yep, still pretty cool to see though.

croyde

23,899 posts

237 months

Friday 19th July
quotequote all
I remember it flying over us daily in London and it coming over Wembley Stadium when I was at Live Aid 1985, with Phil Collins onboard, off to carry on the gig in Philadelphia.

I've been on the one at Brooklands where they do a pretend waiting to board in a mock up gate, boarding and 'flight' at Mach 2 smile

I went in the one in Yeovil, the flight deck looked like something from an old cold war bomber compared to the glass cockpits of modern airliners.

I was a bureau cameraman when the French Concorde crashed and was told that I needed to get out to Paris.

First words out of my mouth where 'But what about my tea' frown

Shock!

I didn't fly to Paris in the end, I filmed an interview with a Concorde pilot in London that night.

GT03ROB

13,565 posts

228 months

Friday 19th July
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In 2002, I decided to take my son away somewhere for a long weekend. I thought I'd get rid of some Avios. I wasn't really sure how to use them back then so called up BA & asked what I could use them for. They explained & so I asked if I could even use them on Concorde. Yes the lady said "when would you iike to go?" So I booked us a return to New York for the next weekend. My sone was 6 at the time & ididn;t tell him what we were doing. At check-in the check in girl whispered to me "Does he know?" I told her no, so she said nothing about Concorde. The 1st he twigged was when we went to the lounge, with Concorde right in front. It's fair to say a 6 year old was impressed.

Quite a plane.

aeropilot

36,528 posts

234 months

Friday 19th July
quotequote all
GT03ROB said:
In 2002, I decided to take my son away somewhere for a long weekend. I thought I'd get rid of some Avios. I wasn't really sure how to use them back then so called up BA & asked what I could use them for. They explained & so I asked if I could even use them on Concorde. Yes the lady said "when would you iike to go?" So I booked us a return to New York for the next weekend. My sone was 6 at the time & ididn;t tell him what we were doing. At check-in the check in girl whispered to me "Does he know?" I told her no, so she said nothing about Concorde. The 1st he twigged was when we went to the lounge, with Concorde right in front. It's fair to say a 6 year old was impressed.

Quite a plane.
Fab story.
Despite being only 6 at the time, he'll remember some of that for the rest of his life.