Concorde

France France
United Kingdom United Kingdom

Aérospatiale
British Aircraft Corporation

The Aérospatiale -BAC Concorde 101/102, short Concorde (French for " unity, unity ") is a supersonic passenger aircraft, which was operated from 1976 to 2003. She was often called the "Queen of the Skies" referred to in the press. The flight time on its main routes across the Atlantic between Paris or London and New York was about 3 to 3.5 hours, about half of modern subsonic aircraft, the flight altitude was up to 18 km. The operators were of commissioning until recently British Airways and Air France.

The Concorde was developed jointly by the French and British aviation industry on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement of 29 November 1962, reached a maximum of Mach 2.23 ( 2405 km / h ). She was a parallel development to the Soviet Tupolev Tu- 144. The cell was by Aérospatiale ( now EADS ) and the British Aircraft Corporation (now BAE Systems ) designed and built the engine Olympus 593 Rolls-Royce (Bristol Siddeley ) and SNECMA.

4.1 Structure and Control Systems
4.2 features and travel comfort
4.3 flight path and altitude
4.4 Cockpit and visor
4.5 Technical data

5.1 Air France
5.2 British Airways

History

The Concorde was developed in the 1960s and was of great interest to the airlines that time. 1967 was also ordered by the German Lufthansa three machines. Not least because a significant number of orders from renowned airlines the development of the Concorde of the two States, Britain and France has been released.

Supersonic aircraft have very high operating costs, therefore they were uninteresting for commercial aviation, especially after the oil crisis in the early 1970s. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also banned initially with effect from April 27, 1973, flights over the territory of the United States with civil supersonic aircraft. The call options were canceled following airlines:

Air Canada (4 options)
Air India (2 options)
American Airlines (10 options)
Braniff International Airways (3 options)
CAAC (4 options)
Continental Airlines ( 3 options)
Eastern Airlines (8 options)
Iran Air (3 options)
Japan Airlines ( 3 options)
Lufthansa (3 options)
Middle East Airlines (2 options)
Pan American World Airways ( 8 options)
Qantas (6 options)
Sabena (2 options)
Trans World Airlines (10 options)
United Airlines (6 options).

Only Air France and British Airways took over their ordered Concorde. 1979, the construction of the Concorde after two prototypes, two pre-production and only 16 production aircraft was discontinued.

Use in scheduled service

The Concorde was used in each case of commissioning to the air services through its sole customer Air France and British Airways twice daily from Paris- Charles -de- Gaulle and London Heathrow to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Furthermore, there were up to August 13, 2003 weekly Saturday flights from London Heathrow to Barbados. Only in the summer of 2000 also flights between New York and Barbados were offered beyond that also took place on Saturdays. In the charter operation, the Concorde flew occasionally and mostly for reasons of prestige incidentally to other airports.

Various other global goals have been served with the Concorde only in the 1970s and early 1980s, at the beginning, for example, Rio de Janeiro and Singapore. In the late 1970s the Concorde flew on short routes from Singapore Airlines (in cooperation with British Airways) and Braniff International Airways (in cooperation with Air France ). A machine of the British Airways contributed for this purpose on its port side the painting of Singapore Airlines.

In addition to the economics of the operation failed due to more and other destinations also to the approximately 6000 kilometers for longer direct flights to short range and the fact that the Concorde because of their high noise level at many airports did not receive permission to land.

Suspicion of industrial espionage

The Tupolev Tu -144 was similar in design and performance of the Concorde and followed a similar structure with rear clustered engines and a retractable nose, which improved the visibility of the pilots in landing. These similarities led Western media to rumors about possible industrial espionage and missed the Tupolev Tu -144 the nickname Konkordski. However, these allegations were never confirmed, especially since the maiden flight of the aerodynamically but not mature Tu-144 prototype ( ID 68001 ) December 31, 1968 took place even before the Concorde ( March 1969 ). In addition, the similarities may be because the builders were faced with the same technical and aerodynamic problems. Later versions of the Tu-144, however, reported as the Concorde on two separate nacelles, each with two engines. Also from the Soviet side similar allegations against the West were made.

The Concorde in Germany and Austria

On April 22, first time in 1972 landed a Concorde on German soil. At the International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition at the Hannover Airport presented the British Aircraft Corporation to the public the British prototype. On 22 and 23 April, the Concorde was to be seen there, both on the ground as well as in several presentations flights in the air.

In the early '80s British Airways began, followed by Air France to offer regular charter flights from Germany. The starting point was the beginning of the airports Hanover and Cologne / Bonn and later in Berlin -Tegel, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich ( Munich Franz Josef Strauss Airport is only visited exactly once, 1996). Also to Graz ( Austria ) was flown on 29 March 1981. On 19 July 1986, the Concorde landed in Nuremberg. Additionally, there was until the late 90's regular charter flights to major events such as the Hanover Fair. For a particular purpose was the Air France Concorde with Captain Yves Pecresse in Berlin in 1999. From Schönefeld Airport from four charity flights to the Arctic Circle and back were scheduled on 19, 20, and 21 March 1999. With a ticket price of 2222 marks, however, only enough tickets could sell for three flights, so that the failed fourth. The action was accompanied by a large crowd at the airport. However, it put because of the unusually high noise also protests in the region. Due to the spectacular view of the Concorde departure and landing configuration of the traffic on feeder roads came to a halt at points.

On 18 March 1986 for the first time landed a Concorde in the GDR. On the occasion of the taking place that day at the Leipzig Fair - day France flew an Air France Concorde (F- BVFF ) to the airport Leipzig- Schkeuditz. A day later, also landed a British Airways Concorde in Leipzig. The aircraft flew a detour through North and Baltic Sea, on the one hand to the passengers to make a supersonic flight, on the other hand because of the crossing of the inner German border, for political reasons was not possible. Normally, the flight was not permitted at supersonic speed over the European continent, but the first test flight in the GDR, the Air France Concorde was allowed on the northern part of East Germany Mach 1.5 fly. This area was also otherwise by flying military aircraft regularly at supersonic speed. The Concorde was in the following years a regular guest at the Leipziger Messe air traffic.

On 1 May 1998, the Concorde F- BVFA was to admire the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Elysée contracts at the Stuttgart airport. Only about a month before her crash hosted the Concorde F- BTSC, at the air show, " Hahn in Motion" under the command of Christian Marty, the captain of the accident flight AF 4590, at Hahn Airport in Rhineland-Palatinate Lautzenhausen.

The last flight movement on German soil was the landing of the F- BVFB at the airport Karlsruhe / Baden -Baden on 24 June 2003 on the occasion of the transfer to the Technik Museum Sinsheim, where the aircraft can be viewed now.

End of the Concorde

At the start of the Air France flight 4590 at Paris -Charles -de- Gaulle, a tire was shredded from a point on the runway metal part that had fallen from the engine on the recent launched DC-10 of Continental Airlines. Thrown rubber parts of the bursting of the tire cut through a current-carrying cable of the left main landing gear before they hit with great force on the bottom of the left wing. However, these parts are not punched through the support surface, but caused by the high impact speed, a pressure wave in the tank, leading to a leak to the supporting surface. The leaking fuel caught fire on the mentioned cables as well as on the right next to the current jet engine and put the fuel tank in the left wing on fire.

A rejected take-off at that time was no longer possible because the machine had already reached the decision speed and passed the end of the runway during an emergency stop. The alarmed by Tower and instruments pilots remained as the only option of attempting an emergency landing on the lying just 8 km ahead of Le Bourget airport. Because of the damage to the wings, control surfaces and engines, the aircraft was no longer controllable and beat about one minute after the start in the parking lot of a hotel in Gonesse on. All 109 people aboard and four residents of the hotel were killed.

The Air France presented alerted the flight operation of the Concorde, the British air traffic control eluded the Concorde airworthiness certificate, which they regained only after numerous design changes. In particular, the British developed a reinforcement of the tanks inlaid mats, consisting of Kevlar, while the French tire manufacturer Michelin designed a more stable tire that comes now for the Airbus A380 for use. These changes, which should have cost around one hundred million Euros, was the Concorde barely heavier (BA developed new, lighter passenger seats, also the maximum passenger capacity was slightly reduced).

On 7 November 2001, the line operating between Paris and London and New York was resumed. Because of missing passengers and new security flaws, however, Air France and British Airways declared on 10 April 2003 that the scheduled operations would be discontinued with the Concorde during the year 2003. Another reason for this decision, however, is to assume that the spare part producer EADS wanted the prices of the spare parts to adapt to the actual cost. The last flight of an Air France Concorde took place on 27 June 2003. British Airways ended the Concorde flights on 24 October 2003. Ultimate Concorde flight, with the aircraft registration G - BOAF, found on 26 November 2003 under the leadership of Chief Pilot Mike Bannister from London Heathrow to the aviation museum at Filton instead.

Investigations revealed that an accident would like performed on 25 July 2000 with a different carrier aircraft type also to a disastrous outcome. The investigation into the cause of the accident was completed on 16 January 2002.

Most of the machines are by dismantling parts currently no longer airworthy. But there is no statement, whether a re-admission for all time is really excluded. In May 2010, the British group announced "Save the Concorde " (SCG ), that seven years after the service end of the Concorde test French aviation experts, the engines at Paris -Le Bourget. New flights are planned, however, according to SCG for cultural purposes only.

Records

On June 17, 1974 Air France Concorde started in Boston for the flight to Paris -Orly, Paris -Orly simultaneously launched in a Boeing 747 with destination Boston. In Orly the Concorde spent 68 minutes to refuel on the ground. Then she flew back to Boston - and ended up there for ten minutes earlier than the Boeing 747

On August 22, 1978, the former Air France captain Fernand Andreani had the route Paris on Concorde - managed to New York with an average speed of 1669 km / h in three hours, 30 minutes and 11 seconds. The still existing course record with an average speed of 1763 km / h was set up on 1 April 1981 by Pierre Chanoine.

From 15th to August 17th 1995 succeeded an Air France Concorde, flight number AF1995, with 31 hours, 27 minutes and 49 seconds, the fastest flight around the world. The flight was organized by the U.S. Attorney Donald Pevsner and performed as part of an advertising campaign along with a brewery. Measured in this case was the total time that had passed from the start in Paris to landing on the departure airport, including all intermediate stops at Toulouse, Dubai, Bangkok, Guam, Honolulu and Acapulco. On the 36,784 km long plane trip, the passengers could each two sunrises and sunsets to witness.

On 7 February 1996, a British Airways Concorde covered the distance New York - London back in 2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds. This is still a record for the fastest Atlantic crossing in civil aviation history.

On 11 August 1999 flew two British Airways and Air France Concorde during the total solar eclipse with double the speed of sound with the moon's shadow across the North Atlantic. So were the 300 passengers see a 3 to 4 times longer total solar eclipse as the viewer at the bottom ( see also: Werner Raffetseder - " Festival de la Concorde "). A similar company announced it previously during a solar eclipse in 1973 Also flights were offered for the year, where you could celebrate New Year's Eve twice. Once in Paris and a few hours later in New York.

Phil Collins was at the original Live Aid concert on July 13th, 1985 occur with the help of the Concorde on both sides of the Atlantic. First, in London's Wembley Stadium and then in John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia.

Importance for aviation and State

The development of the Concorde was made possible only by the state funding of high development costs. During operation, the Concorde flew only partially profits. In addition to the record performance that have been achieved by supersonic flights, is above all the progress that has been made in aviation technology through the development of Concorde and the Tu -144, so significant that to this day benefit all aircraft manufacturers thereof.

In the industrial- economic sector, the Concorde project was pivotal for the cooperation about the Airbus range.

Technology of the Concorde

The Concorde had to have some special features compared to other airliners due to their high speed and the associated construction.

Structure and control systems

The Concorde is constructed largely of aluminum alloy and in the lower part of a heat- resistant nickel alloy and stainless steel and titanium in critical areas. The wings consist of a torsion box, in which there are many bars, while the hull is carried out in a conventional semi- monocoque construction. The Concorde has three hydraulic systems.

Since the Concorde has as Deltaflügler and tailless aircraft does not have a horizontal tail, the vertical and transverse control surfaces are located exclusively at the trailing edge of the wings. The conventional rudder is supported by the combined height and ailerons ( elevons ). These can be used in parallel operation for height control. In differential mode, the elevons control the lateral position of the machine; these affect how the usual ailerons. The combined height and aileron may be simultaneously used, and transverse to the longitudinal axis for the movements. The entire system has multiple safeguards against possible failures.

Equipment and travel comfort

The Concorde has been certified for the inclusion of a maximum of 128 passengers, after the disaster in 2000 and the following modifications, the maximum number of passengers 100 (British Airways ) and 92 ( Air France ). The seats can be arranged differently in rows of four. The cabin is equipped with toilets and two kitchens. Under the front and rear cabin floor there is storage space for luggage. The passenger cabin doors are located on the port side, the supply cabin doors on the starboard side. British Airways Concorde with a 40 - seater front cabin and a 60 -seat rear cabin operated, which was looked after by a crew of six. There was only one class; the tickets were about 20 % more expensive than tickets for the first class in subsonic aircraft. The nature of the narrow space were offset by comfortable armchairs with leather upholstery, excellent cuisine with exquisite china and champagne. However, in recent years many passengers designated the noise and vibration behavior as particularly unpleasant; the Concorde was in this respect no longer appropriate and allowed only little design improvements.

Flight path and altitude

On the flight from London to New York, the Concorde flew to a height of 8,400 m at subsonic speed before it south of Bristol turned on the afterburners and rose further to accelerate to supersonic speed, which was reached about the island of Lundy. For example, the sound waves and the sonic boom could be kept away from the ground. The Concorde continued to accelerate to Mach 1.7, turned off the afterburner and reached at an altitude of 15,000 meters Mach 2 During cruise flight she slowly rose further to about 17,700 meters ( cruise climb ) that shortly before the start of the descent to landing were achieved. However, this amount varies depending on the outdoor temperature and the load. Conventional jet-powered aircraft to fly in comparison, at an altitude of about 10,000 to a maximum of 13,500 meters. The Concorde prolonged heating caused the Mach- flight by about 14 centimeters, the window feels warm. In the cockpit, between the instrument panels of the flight engineer, it was, for example during a flight Mach one finger wide gap which was no longer available after landing.

Cockpit and visor

The tip of the Concorde is a hydraulically retractable nose with retractable, transparent visor. At speeds of over 460 km / h, and the nose shield for reasons of aerodynamics were completely lifted. In this position, the pilots had a limited forward visibility during the regular flight. At altitudes below 3,000 meters at a speed of around 460 km / h at 5 ° nose was lowered, which ensured a good view forward. When landing the nose was lowered to 12 ° and allowed the pilots an excellent view of the runway. The seating position of the pilots of the Concorde is 11.4 m in front of the nose wheel so that the cockpit protrudes when turning on the start and runway far beyond the adjacent lawn. Captain and co-pilot sit side by side in the cockpit during the flight engineer sits on a swivel chair behind the copilot. The limited space in the cockpit required an unusual design of the control horns to prevent rotational movement of the Horn is hindered by the legs of the pilot.

Specifications

Minimum (empty weight ): 220 kg / m²
Maximum ( maximum takeoff weight ): 522 kg / m²

With standard takeoff weight: 7250 km
At maximum take-off weight: 6667 km

Thrust dry: 4 x 31.350 lbf = 557.6 kN; ( 31.350 lbf = 14,217 kg = 139.4 kN)
Thrust with afterburner: 4 x 38.050 lbf = 676.8 kN; ( 38.050 lbf = 17,256 kg = 169.2 kN)