When I was a student I had a summer job with a firm that was resurfacing the southern runway at heathrow - at night obviously. We were 'housed' in a bunch of static caravans about 10 miles or so from the airport pretty much directly under the flight path. So I'd get home just about in time to hear the planes starting to use the runway again. After a few days I got used to the 'normal' planes but never got used to concorde gong past, around 10AM if I recall - like newboy says it shook the hell out of everything and was LOUD. That was then me up for the day.
It's a start - let's hope for more
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The TU 144 managed about 55 scheduled flights and was withdrawn due to its nasty habit of crashing a bit. In all it managed another 50 or so flights as a cargo plane and then they gave up on it as it had achieved what it set out to do... To be the first supersonic airliner.
And, if I remember correctly, they were turbojets rather than (quieter) turbofans.
N
Newboy
Correct - turbo jets as turbo fans are not capable of operating at supersonic speeds. The Rolls-Royce Olympus engines were a development of the engine fitted to the Vulcan.
I remember seeing Concorde at Woodford (near Manchester) with Brian Trubshaw at the controls. Way before you could either see or hear her, there were thick lines of exhaust gases visible in the distance.
I remember seeing Concorde at Woodford (near Manchester) with Brian Trubshaw at the controls. Way before you could either see or hear her, there were thick lines of exhaust gases visible in the distance.
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Not wishing to quibble, but the Tornado has Rolls Royce RB199 Mk103 turbofans and the Typhoon has Eurojet (who are they?!) EJ200 turbofans.
N
Newboy
Apologies - at the time Concorde was being developed turbofans were not capable of supersonic speeds and the cost of developing a supersonic turbofan engine would have been huge - far simpler to evolve an existing military turbojet engine.
Wasn't it taken out of service because BA could just not run them profitably in the end?
I understand that Virgin (Richard B) offered to buy them but BA refused as they acted like children due to past conflict with Virgin..
I understand that Virgin (Richard B) offered to buy them but BA refused as they acted like children due to past conflict with Virgin..
N
Newboy
I suspect that the Virgin offer to buy them was more of a publicity stunt (especially given the bad blood between BA & Virgin) - the cost of maintaining a few Concordes would have crippled Virgin.
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