Concorde may once again take to the skies!

bandit197

The engines on a French Concorde are to be examined as the first move in a £15m project aiming to get the supersonic passenger jet back in the air.

The Rolls Royce engines of the former Air France Concorde will undergo an initial examination to see what work needs to be done to start the engines.

Concorde was retired seven years ago, but it is hoped the jet could return to flight in a heritage capacity.

The tests by a French-British team will take place at an air museum near Paris.

The work at the Le Bourget Air and Space Museum is being done through a partnership between the British Save Concorde Group, SCG, and a French group Olympus 593.

'Critical date'

Vice-chairman of SCG Ben Lord said: "Today marks the most critical date in Concorde's history since she was retired almost seven years ago.

"Two members of our management team are in France this weekend to observe these amazing developments.

"SCG has always maintained that she could return to flight in a heritage capacity, and the findings of today will hopefully go an awfully long way to proving our point.


After today, we will know exactly what needs to be done with those four engines
Ben Lord, vice-chairman SCG

"This is just the beginning, but we are delighted and privileged to be working with a team of skilled Concorde engineers who both worked on the aircraft at British Airways and Air France."

The tests will first establish whether the engines can be safely started and whether the aircraft could complete a ground taxi.

Mr Lord said: "After today, we will know exactly what needs to be done with those four engines in order to take this to the next stage of engine test runs with an objective to hopefully perform a ground taxi."

It is hoped the jet will be able to fly as part of the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

Meanwhile, the trial over the Concorde crash that killed 113 people in Paris in 2000 ended on Friday after four months.

The Air France Concorde crashed soon after take-off, after hitting a metal strip from a Continental jet that had taken off earlier.

The French court said it would give a verdict on 6 December....

BBC News

This would be great if it gets the go ahead. I've never seen Concorde in flight, it would be a star attraction at any airshow or display.

Blue Punto

Think this got covered a while back


http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055826025

bandit197

Indeed it was, I guess I should have searched and added it to that thread. The original news item in that thread mentions nothing about Concorde returning to the air though in fact it is stressed that this is not the case.

Feldzer says that the engineers will attempt to repair all four powerplants, but that only two will probably be used for the taxiing demonstration.
"I hope we will be able to do this once a year," he adds, but stresses that the aircraft is not being returned to an airworthy condition.

The engines are being tested this weekend and we may see Concorde flying a display for the 2012 Olympics, not just taxiing.

lord lucan

I'd love some Arab Sheikh with more money than sense to buy one and return it to flight. Purely for selfish reasons,as a flight on Concorde is one of the things i always wanted to do before i die.:)

Steyr

Simply put it wont happen. After 7 years, and the huge financial difficulties for a relatively simple aircraft like the Vulcan, you would think they would have come to their senses by now. Airbus have categorically declined any assistance in any way shape or form to help this Aircraft for many years now.

Airbus would have carried on producing parts and kept Concorde going if BA would pay the inflated costs and BA would still be flying her, but instead she was retired.

scudzilla

My favourite memory of Concorde goes back to August 1990, i was about 30 yards from the stage at Donington Monster of Rock, Aerosmith were on stage, atmosphere was feckin awesome.
We were used to plane's flying over as the festival was next door to East Midlands Airport.
Halfway through Aerosmiths set Concorde takes off, the noise drowned out the P.A!! It was awesome

The band said later that it was something that money just couldn;t buy

bandit197

Steyr wrote: »

Simply put it wont happen. After 7 years, and the huge financial difficulties for a relatively simple aircraft like the Vulcan, you would think they would have come to their senses by now. Airbus have categorically declined any assistance in any way shape or form to help this Aircraft for many years now.

Airbus would have carried on producing parts and kept Concorde going if BA would pay the inflated costs and BA would still be flying her, but instead she was retired.

I know where you are coming from and the Vulcan is a prime example. I still hold hope though as I'm sure we all do. It would be a shame to see what is one of mans finest technical achievements left in a museum without even one example left flying for later generations to marvel at.

Run_to_da_hills

If they can keep 70yo DC3's in the air there is no reason that they can keep the Concord going

Looking foreward to testing again at Shannon.

Good move.

Steyr

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

If they can keep 70yo DC3's in the air there is no reason that they can keep the Concord going

A DC3 is a prop, Concorde is so so so much more than a Prop and eons more technologically advanced than a prop aircraft could ever hope or aspire to be.

So in short NO they can not keep Concorde flying its just the way it is, if they cant keep the Vulcan relatively ok as in the UK their is a constant doubt about her as the cost is rocketing all the time then what makes you think they can keep a Supersonic Airliner going??

TBH the most they could hope for would be to keep her going doing fast taxi runs like they do with the EE Lightning and the Victor.

Steyr

bandit197 wrote: »

I know where you are coming from and the Vulcan is a prime example. I still hold hope though as I'm sure we all do. It would be a shame to see what is one of mans finest technical achievements left in a museum without even one example left flying for later generations to marvel at.

I think Jeremy Clarkson put it perfectly when he said forget Nationality as we as a race took 3 steps back in Advancing the Human Race when she stopped flying.

*Kol*

Steyr wrote: »

A DC3 is a prop, Concorde is so so so much more than a Prop and eons more technologically advanced than a prop aircraft could ever hope or aspire to be.

In relative terms though Concorde is old technology compared to aircraft coming off the production line today.

They could of course keep it flying but the costs involved would be the limiting factor.

Steyr

*Kol* wrote: »

In relative terms though Concorde is old technology compared to aircraft coming off the production line today.

They could of course keep it flying but the costs involved would be the limiting factor.

Yes its old Technology but compared to a DC3 its no contest, also if they are seriously in doubt about the Vulcan ( £2.4M this year needed alone ) then they have no hope. An old jet needs alot of money regardless of it being Airborne or not.

You also need to factor in the French people on this as The only machine ( Concorde ) that could even be considerd is owned by the French air and space museum at lebourget and as such comes under the french military and government.

The french group involved wants to get the engines re-lit for Taxi demo's but the UK Group wants her Airborne for around £15M

I dout they have factored in the fact the buck would stop with the French guys in charge of that Airframe and the UK CAA on letting her even get Airborne and the fact of No chance no spares no airframe support no engine support coming from anybody let alone Airbus.

Blue Punto

This is the only way I could ever see it getting in the air again

By total accident


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F369UqjlJ2w

Another View
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh2YSzBdWFg&feature=related

Steyr

She caused quite a stir that Victor.

mickdw

THe french killed off concorde, the brits followed for financial reasons. The french could now possibly end up getting one airworthy again. One political move in france could get Airbus & Airfrance on board. If enough cash is thrown at this, it could certainly be put in the air in a subsonic non pasenger carrying capacity.
The brits will look silly then, having butchered some of the fleet, filling fuel tanks with concrete etc.