Concorde - Super Sonic Aircraft
The most powerful Supersonic aircrafts history started in the 1950s.
" Mr. Arnold Hall "the director of"Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) "said to" Morien Morgan "to start a committee on Supersonic concept.
( Mr. Arnold Hall )
The First meeting on Supersonic concept held in 1954 and that report was submitted in 1955. From then"Sud-Aviation (French company) and British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) "worked together for almost 13 years, the first supersonic aircraft came out in the year 1969. They named it Concorde because it means agreement, Union harmony describing the agreement between French and British to make the supersonic aircraft.
The First flight of supersonic aircraft was held on2nd Mar, 1969and it lasts for 27 mins. Concorde can fly at Mach 2.04( i.e, 1,354 mph or 2,170 kmph) Which is almost twice the speed of sound( speed of sound is 1,234.8 kmph )with 128 seats. To catch this speed Concorde used to fly at the altitude of 60,000 feet. " Rolls Royals Olympus 593 Turbojet "engines are used for Concorde. Concorde went through the 5000 hours of testing for flyer certification and making the most tested aircraft in aviation history. It also has a tail strike bumper ( a small tire also said as 4th landing gear ) fixed at the tail to avoid the tail strike.
( Concorde seating arrangement )
( Tail strike bumper )
( Concorde Facts: Concorde flights have a special device called "Mac meter" that measures the speed of the aircraft with the speed of the sound. )
At first 74 Concorde aircraft were planned to build because of huge response and orders from many airlines. But, due to the Concorde crash happened in Paris Air show 1973 which led to 6 deaths, Many airlines canceled their orders. Only 20 Concorde's were build. Among this British Airways and Air France each added 7 Concordes into their fleet(Fleet is the Aviation term used to describe the total aircraft of particular airlines).
( Footage of Concorde Crash at Paris Air Show 1973 )
Jan 21, 1976, first Concorde service flight took off. The ticket price of Concorde is almost 30 times higher than the price of normal flight tickets that's the reason it called as " Rich people Flight ". Concorde is also used to transport human organs, diamonds, and currency. Concorde consumes more fuel and the maintenance cost also much more higher than any other aircraft.
Concorde's Nose Positions:
Concorde nose can be moved into 4 different positions.
Up Position: Also called a heat shield position to protect the cockpit and making very streamlined for high speed.
Visor down position: This position is used to clean the windshield after landing the aircraft.
5-degree position: This is for taxing, takeoff, initial climb, and Approach.
Fully down position : After releasing the landing gears for landing. In this position, the nose is kept in a 12.5 degree down position.
( 4 different positions of Concorde nose )
Concorde generate 1,52,000 (lbs) of thrust for take-off due to this high thrust Concorde take-off sound is terribly high. check out the below video to experience the take-off sound. observe the kid closing his ears. we can understand how loud the Concorde is....
( Concorde Facts: Concorde's outer skin is capable to bear up to 127 degrees. At Mach 2 speed Concorde outer skin temperature reaches up to 120 degrees.)
On July 25th, 2000 Air France flight 4590 crashed in few seconds after the take-off at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris killing all 113 people (100 pax, 9 crew on board, and 4 civilians on the ground ). After this crash Concorde services were stopped temporarily. 71 million were spent on the Concordes and upgraded them hoping not to see any more disasters. In Nov, 2001 Concordes came back into service but it didn't last long. Not only about the crash but also the increase in the fuel prices made airlines difficult to maintain Concorde. Due to this On April 10, 2003, both Air France and British Airways announced they are removing Concorde from their fleet. Last Concorde service is took off on Oct 24, 2003, from New York to John F. Kennedy Airport.
( Air France 4509 Crash )
( Concorde Facts: Concorde can travel from London to new york in just 3 hours while the modern aircraft take 8 hours. It also still holds the reward for fastest transatlantic flight by a civilian aircraft )
Today Concordes are displayed in the UK, France, U.S.A, Germany museums. 18 among 20 flights are still in good condition. Brooklands Museum in England provides the opportunity to fly the Concorde simulator.
Conclusion :
In Aviation Industry Concordes can be said as an engineering miracle. Most advanced commercial aircraft till date. Even though its been almost 16 years to see a Concorde in skies it always holds a special place in aviation. It is an aircraft that created wonders. The whole Aviation Industry hopes Concorde may spread her wings once again and the world is waiting for the day.
Thank You, Concorde for 26 supersonic years.
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THANK YOU
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