Concordes Last Flight
13 July 2010, 02:13 PM
#31
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There's no goodwill from the Manufacturer(s) to maintain them. I guess they deem it too much of a risk for too little of a return. We're only talking about a dozen aircraft. Much more lucrative to maintain A320's and the like.
As for the crash, the sister of one of my wife's friends was in the Gonesse Hotel when Concorde crashed outside. She was a musician and was there with a visiting orchestra. Must have been horrific. GMTV got hold of her and whisked her back to London for a studio interview.
NB: I didn't know that Jacques Chirac had also come so close to meeting his maker! 30 feet!
As for the crash, the sister of one of my wife's friends was in the Gonesse Hotel when Concorde crashed outside. She was a musician and was there with a visiting orchestra. Must have been horrific. GMTV got hold of her and whisked her back to London for a studio interview.
NB: I didn't know that Jacques Chirac had also come so close to meeting his maker! 30 feet!
13 July 2010, 05:10 PM
#32
Interesting to note that the bean counters in Wall St backed the 747 which has probably proved to be the most commercially successful air-plane model ever, whereas the Concorde was a commercial flop, subsidised to buggery by the French and British taxpayer.
As a white elephant, it was a nice looking all the same.
As a white elephant, it was a nice looking all the same.
13 July 2010, 06:27 PM
#34
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what I want to know is why Aerospatiale had the maintainance contract and not jointly with BAE? It seemed that at the end the rise in maintainance costs is what did for it, becuase there was a monopoly supplier?
13 July 2010, 09:30 PM
#35
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Beautiful aircraft (i did shed a tear) and an excellent programme. Lots of very interesting facts as well (although i can't believe that each window had a "mini fridge" to cool it down!). You even have to give "Wedgie Benn" some credit for soothing the extra "e" 
All that talent, be it wing design, engines, fly-by-wire, fuel balancing, awfully fast etc. We were world champions, so what happened?
mb
All that talent, be it wing design, engines, fly-by-wire, fuel balancing, awfully fast etc. We were world champions, so what happened?
mb
13 July 2010, 10:10 PM
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BA's chairman at the time 
I will always think he could have done more to keep the big bird flying
I saw him on a programme once being questioned as to why they wouldn't
let Virgin buy the planes, and he span some gumpf about airbus? stating
it wasn't cost effective maintenance / parts etc..
This was despite the press reporting RB was in negotiations with Airbus to
keep the maintenance programme going
What would it have mattered to him??? it would have been virgins problem not BA's
Mart
I will always think he could have done more to keep the big bird flying
I saw him on a programme once being questioned as to why they wouldn't
let Virgin buy the planes, and he span some gumpf about airbus? stating
it wasn't cost effective maintenance / parts etc..
This was despite the press reporting RB was in negotiations with Airbus to
keep the maintenance programme going
What would it have mattered to him??? it would have been virgins problem not BA's
Mart
14 July 2010, 12:07 AM
#38
BA's chairman at the time
I will always think he could have done more to keep the big bird flying
I saw him on a programme once being questioned as to why they wouldn't
let Virgin buy the planes, and he span some gumpf about airbus? stating
it wasn't cost effective maintenance / parts etc..
This was despite the press reporting RB was in negotiations with Airbus to
keep the maintenance programme going
What would it have mattered to him??? it would have been virgins problem not BA's
Mart
I will always think he could have done more to keep the big bird flying
I saw him on a programme once being questioned as to why they wouldn't
let Virgin buy the planes, and he span some gumpf about airbus? stating
it wasn't cost effective maintenance / parts etc..
This was despite the press reporting RB was in negotiations with Airbus to
keep the maintenance programme going
What would it have mattered to him??? it would have been virgins problem not BA's
Mart
It is a bit like the SR71 to my mind, absolutely beautiful piece of kit, but a technological cul de sac - a dinosaur ahead of it's time?
An allegory for man kind perhaps?
14 July 2010, 01:33 AM
#39
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Branson obviously saw something, he's not in the habit of bidding for a total lame duck,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Mind you he may have seen it as a way of really ticking off BA with "their" flagship running under Virgin.
Last edited by Fabioso; 14 July 2010 at 01:47 AM.
14 July 2010, 08:18 AM
#40
.............as the original poster said "It would have been Virgin's problem not BA's"
Branson obviously saw something, he's not in the habit of bidding for a total lame duck,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Mind you he may have seen it as a way of really ticking off BA with "their" flagship running under Virgin.
Branson obviously saw something, he's not in the habit of bidding for a total lame duck,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Mind you he may have seen it as a way of really ticking off BA with "their" flagship running under Virgin.
I think BA figured that the people who formerly used Concorde would now use it's first class service.
In letting Virgin run Concorde, BA would in effect also be gifting Virgin many of their most lucrative customers.
One more for the bean counters eh.
14 July 2010, 11:08 AM
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14 July 2010, 11:45 AM
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The ones on show have there wings filled with concrete blocks to stabiles them.
Nothing more would please me to see one on the sky again, but Im a realist, and feel its a site i wont see in my life time.
I went to visit the one on show in Barbados and if you ever get the chance do it ! they really have made a great show of it !
14 July 2010, 12:51 PM
#46
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Just found time to watch this, what an excellent documentary. I can remember thinking I was a little crazy blowing so many BA miles on a return ticket, I never regretted it and regret it even less now.
I clearly remember the afterburners kicking in, the heat of the glass, the curve of the earth and the tremendous service before during and after the flight.
Here's my Supersonic Gin and Tonic
I clearly remember the afterburners kicking in, the heat of the glass, the curve of the earth and the tremendous service before during and after the flight.
Here's my Supersonic Gin and Tonic
14 July 2010, 01:14 PM
#49
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I took full advantage of the most excellent wine and port list and staggered off the plane at New York. On the way home I had a huge hangover from a party the night before and four broken ribs, the Concorde Lounge at JFK was a magnitude better than Heathrow and I fully appreciated the quick flight home.
14 July 2010, 01:21 PM
#50
I took full advantage of the most excellent wine and port list and staggered off the plane at New York. On the way home I had a huge hangover from a party the night before and four broken ribs, the Concorde Lounge at JFK was a magnitude better than Heathrow and I fully appreciated the quick flight home.
Not the diary, just the leather wallet it came in
14 July 2010, 09:45 PM
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Just found time to watch this, what an excellent documentary. I can remember thinking I was a little crazy blowing so many BA miles on a return ticket, I never regretted it and regret it even less now.
I clearly remember the afterburners kicking in, the heat of the glass, the curve of the earth and the tremendous service before during and after the flight.
Here's my Supersonic Gin and Tonic...
I clearly remember the afterburners kicking in, the heat of the glass, the curve of the earth and the tremendous service before during and after the flight.
Here's my Supersonic Gin and Tonic...
This was my lunch...
Sadly all but memories now
mb
15 July 2010, 12:32 AM
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15 July 2010, 09:46 AM
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The answer would have been to ask him if he could turn his upside down!
The Toronto display is run to dead accurate timing for each event and you have to arrive and leave to the second! This maniac arrived 5 minutes early before my display finished. Its a bit unnerving to be recovering from an inverted wingover to find a Concorde flying past beneath you!
I embarassed him severely in front of the organisers by asking him how he managed to do that when he was given a time to arrive and when he had triple inertial navigation on board. Being a Concorde BA captain he did not even have the good manners to apologise! Far too important!
Les
The Toronto display is run to dead accurate timing for each event and you have to arrive and leave to the second! This maniac arrived 5 minutes early before my display finished. Its a bit unnerving to be recovering from an inverted wingover to find a Concorde flying past beneath you!
I embarassed him severely in front of the organisers by asking him how he managed to do that when he was given a time to arrive and when he had triple inertial navigation on board. Being a Concorde BA captain he did not even have the good manners to apologise! Far too important!
Les
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