Free Red Arrows display!

[Jonzjob]

From what I know the main thing that killed the Concord was the fact that the authorities at JFK banned it because they said it was too noisey to fly out and over New York. With that ban most of the airlines would not be able to use it on one of their main routes.

The thing is that Air Farce 1, the US presidents aircraft at the time was a Boeing 707 which was just as noisey and because it was a load of c r a p had a slow climb rate and caused more noise than the Concord doing a noise abaitment take off, climbing steeply and turning out to sea. Basically, Boeing couldn't match it and they killed it. Just as they did to the Comet. I also worked on the Comet 2 and 4C for 5 years when I was stationed at Lyneham. he Britannia too. The Comet 2 was one of the very safest aircraft ever to fly.

 

[RogerS]

From what I know the main thing that killed the Concord was the fact that the authorities at JFK banned it because they said it was too noisey to fly out and over New York. With that ban most of the airlines would not be able to use it on one of their main routes.

Don't think so because when we flew on it from the US we used JFK.

.....Basically, Boeing couldn't match it and they killed it. Just as they did to the Comet. I also worked on the Comet 2 and 4C for 5 years when I was stationed at Lyneham. he Britannia too. The Comet 2 was one of the very safest aircraft ever to fly.

I don't think that is correct. It was the metal fatigue because of the square windows and two crashes that nailed the Comet's fate.

 

[Jonzjob]

After the damage was done the Concord was at last allowed into JFK, but by then it was too late.

As for the Comet 1 with its square windows. That problem was put to bed with the 2 and oval windows, but once again it was being crushed by that lot across the pond. If you want to see just how many 707s crashed then look at this. Ignore the overshot runways/bombs/etc. and just look at the number of unexplained crashes. They weren't grounded.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ac ... Boeing_707

The US didn't ground aircraft then, too much money involved. As with the DC10 and the famous incidents with the rear freight door that opened several times and dragged seats, complete with the people in them, out of the aircraft

http://www.airdisaster.com/special/special-thy981.shtml

Boeing have always said that supersonic flight was not needed or wanted, but now there is no competition they are jumping onto the band waggon and employing, or thinking of, the Concordski, the Russian rip off.

When I was a volounteer on the ex R.A.F. Britannia, XM496 at Kemble I had free access to the Bristol Aircraft Collection and they had a model of what Concord 2 would have looked like. Bigger, quieter and even more beautiful than the original, but that was quashed too. I wonder why?

 

[Steve Jones]

For anyone in the area who wants to see 'the Reds' they're staying overnight at Doncaster tonight due to fog at their home base earlier

Steve

 

[Benchwayze]

Red Arraz opposition pass? A bit like this you mean?



35mm film taken with my Nikon at Kemble about 16 years back. No photoshopping, completely as it was taken and a once in a liftime photo.

.

=D>

 

[Benchwayze]

In the 70s I was holidaying in Mid-Wales, walking in the mountains near Chemis Road. (I can't spell Mcynthleth)
I was pretty well up the side of a valley, when I heard a jet engine somewhere in front of me. . I was just in time to see an RAF fighter type aircraft cruising up the valley, towards me, but about 60 feet below me.
It was a strange feeling to be able to look down on the pilot. The guy wasn't going particularly fast, and it was a great opportunity missed, as of course I didn't have my camera at the ready did I! :roll:

 

[Benchwayze]

I flew in a Comet from Lyneham to Malta in 1959. Maybe I was lucky, as I am of course still here to remember it.
I am a bad air passenger. Actually flying in aircraft terrifies me, and the way that Comet stood on its tail when it took off squeezed the living C*** out of me! [-o<

 

[mseries]

In the 70s I was holidaying in Mid-Wales, walking in the mountains near Chemis Road. (I can't spell Mcynthleth)
I was pretty well up the side of a valley, when I heard a jet engine somewhere in front of me. . I was just in time to see an RAF fighter type aircraft cruising up the valley, towards me, but about 60 feet below me.
It was a strange feeling to be able to look down on the pilot. The guy wasn't going particularly fast, and it was a great opportunity missed, as of course I didn't have my camera at the ready did I! :roll:

I was cycling down Wharfedale a few years ago and a C130 Hercules was below me, very close to the valley floor. It was amazing.

 

[wellywood]

I was stationed at Fairford when Concorde made its maiden flight from Bristol Filton. I was given time off to watch its arrival. An unforgettable sight.
On another occasion as an ATC cadet we were on our way along the A2(?) going to Manston for summer camp. A Lightning came up the road at nought feet and as it drew level with us, put his nose up and climbed vertically. I think I'm right in saying the Lightning was the only plane at the time which could reach Mach 1 in a vertical climb. That was it for me. I had to join the RAF.

 

[RogerS]

I was stationed at Fairford when Concorde made its maiden flight from Bristol Filton. I was given time off to watch its arrival. An unforgettable sight.
On another occasion as an ATC cadet we were on our way along the A2(?) going to Manston for summer camp. A Lightning came up the road at nought feet and as it drew level with us, put his nose up and climbed vertically. I think I'm right in saying the Lightning was the only plane at the time which could reach Mach 1 in a vertical climb. That was it for me. I had to join the RAF.

Quite a lot of comment on the Lightning here http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-445352.html

 

[Jonzjob]

When I was stationed at Tengah, Singapore in 1967 I was on 81 Sqdn, Canbera PR7s and 74 Tiger Sqdn arrived with their brand new Lightening 6s. They had an arrester hook on them. Not like the Penguins had on the carriers (Penguins = Fleet Air Arm, all flap, no fly :mrgreen: :mrgreen: ) The lightning jobbie was a huge leaf spring with the hook being held up by a bomb release. The idea was that when the Lightning landed it deployed a break chute. If that failed there was no way that it could stop before it ran out of runway. With and 11 ton aircraft and 2CV wheels there was not much space for the brakes! :shock: At each end of the runway there was a RAG wire (rotary arrester gear) to stop the aircraft if the chute did fail. Once the hook was released the only way to put it back up was with brute force and several heavy weight riggers, airframe blokes. Occasionally the hook would drop for no apparent reason!

One day, late afternoon, a Lightening took off for a long range flight up Malaya, complete with drop tanks on top of the wings. Just after takeoff the driver reported to the tower that he had heard a thump from the rear of the aircraft. He did a flypast of the tower and they told him that his hook had dropped and did he want the Threshold RAG wire taken up, that's the end he would touch dow on. Him, being big butch, said no he would be OK and off he went for his 90, or so, minute jolly. On the way back and about 25 mins out he asked for the RAG wire to be taken up becuase he realised that he would be landing in the dark! No was the answer, it took 40 mins to take it up and he has just 25. They would put Crash 1, the fire fighters landrover, at the side of the threshold with his full lights on to illuminate the wire. The landing speed of a Lightening is 190 either knots or mph (can't remember ) He landed fine, picked up the threshold RAG and stopped in about 150 feet !!!! :shock: He almost tore up the RAG wire drums out of the ground and had the longest aircraft on the Sqdn :mrgreen:

The drop tanks were on the top because when they were testing the idea at Boscombe Down they found that when they were underneath the wings they went upwards on release and hit the wings or tailplane

Those skinny little wheels. The brakes were so small that it wasn't possible to hold the aircraft stopped on full reheat on both engines so if/when full power checks were carried out the aircraft had to be tied down!

I much prefered the nice gentle PR7s :mrgreen: