i am mostly watching

[gwh200]

a programme about concorde's last flight, detailing the passengers,the pilots and cabin crew..even the weirdy plane spotters who gather for a communal hand shandy at the end of the run way....sad its gone though

[Gaspode]

Concorde was the most incredible feat of engineering ever seen, even NASA said that compared to getting Concorde to fly putting a man on the moon was a doddle, the stresses of supersonic flight are so massive they practically had to re-write the laws of nature, and it was done by men with pencils and wind tunnels, its a shame that kind of innovation is largely lost, things are run by fecking accountants these days instead of engineers, between them and the scourge that is the Health and Safety Executive, nothing gets done.

It was a huge step backwards when the Concords were mothballed.

However all is not lost, the Bugatti Veyron shows we can still do it!!


--------

[Apache]

Wow! Someone who shares my views on the decline of British engineering!

However, flying to the moon and back was much more difficult than supersonic flight (flying to the moon relies on hypersonic flight for one, and orbital mechanics was a pretty arcane science in the 50s!), which requires no bending of the laws of physics, merely an understanding of transonic aerodynamics which was a young science back then.

Agree shelving Concorde was a great loss, but it is largely economic decision rather than a technical one. There is nothing wrong with Concorde's design, an excuse used to put a few nails in it's coffin. Concorde's crash was mainly due to procedural problems, human failings, and a lack of proper equipment.

Wonderful aeroplane!

[Gaspode]

Wow! Someone who shares my views on the decline of British engineering!

However, flying to the moon and back was much more difficult than supersonic flight (flying to the moon relies on hypersonic flight for one, and orbital mechanics was a pretty arcane science in the 50s!), which requires no bending of the laws of physics, merely an understanding of transonic aerodynamics which was a young science back then.

Agree shelving Concorde was a great loss, but it is largely economic decision rather than a technical one. There is nothing wrong with Concorde's design, an excuse used to put a few nails in it's coffin. Concorde's crash was mainly due to procedural problems, human failings, and a lack of proper equipment.

Wonderful aeroplane!

While the moon shots were a great feat of engineering to be sure, they only had to do it once, Concorde had to be able to take the stresses of supersonic flight in the upper atmosphere every day of the week for many years, it would expand by seven inches during every flight, thats more of a stretch than knicker elastic!!



---

[MattF]

thats more of a stretch than knicker elastic!!

Not if you're doing it right it ain't.

[Apache]

While the moon shots were a great feat of engineering to be sure, they only had to do it once, Concorde had to be able to take the stresses of supersonic flight in the upper atmosphere every day of the week for many years, it would expand by seven inches during every flight, thats more of a stretch than knicker elastic!!



---

50 odd thousand feet isn't the upper atmoshere. It's still pretty low. The stresses are easy to deal with if properly designed in, and aerodynamic stress is lower up there than where lesser planes operate cos there's less air, and no weather to speak of. I'm not belittling the amazing feat of running a passenger service at mach 2 - it is indeed a hell of an achievement - but it really doesn't compare with the complexity of spaceflight.

Check out YF-12, SR-71 performance levels - designed earlier than Concorde, and X-15 performance levels - around Concorde era. Supersonic (and hypersonic-ish, in the case of the X-15) flight wasn't difficult. Costly, yes, but not technically difficult anymore.

What I find impressive about Concorde, and something that only one or two other aircraft have been able to achieve, is mach 2 without the use of afterburner. That points to pretty slick engine design, and a very slippery wing design.

I have a radio controlled version which nearly took a finger off once

[Bogus]

Looks like the anoraks are being donned ( Thanks Graham)

Whilst Im not a total conspiracy theorist I would suggest that Gaspode is careful when mentioning the HSE Taleban. They,ll get you.

Bogus

[Apache]

Looks like the anoraks are being donned ( Thanks Graham)

Whilst Im not a total conspiracy theorist I would suggest that Gaspode is careful when mentioning the HSE Taleban. They,ll get you.

Bogus

Remember the oft used phrase <don's anorak> ?

Wonder if Don ever got any of his anoraks back?

[BioHazard]

I have a radio controlled version which nearly took a finger off once

You tried doing that in Wales

[RodLeach]

I am mostly watching the milk in my bowl of wheetos turn brown..

[Apache]

You tried doing that in Wales

Oh, you remember that then

Beer and RC planes dont mix!

[gwh200]

Well not being to versed in the technical wizardrey that is undoubtably concorde,i can only really appreciate its asthetics. When i lived near southampton (and members there will verify this) you used to hear a boom in the early evening..that was concorde getting jiggy !!

I was lucky enough to see it take off and land at both Heathrow and JFK ...an (quite literally) earth shattering experience.

so i just thought of a little ode....


So cheerio then concorde
you did fly awfully high
was it twelve miles up
in the dim and distant sky

even when you were up there
it must be hard to explain
faster than a bullet
whilst you slowly sipped champagne

but all good things
must come to an end
with blowing whistles and bells

im just glad
that the very last flight
didnt land on a hotel










































(i'll get me coat)


i fang u

[BioHazard]

Oh, you remember that then

Beer and RC planes dont mix!

But we hadn't started on the beer then

[Sancho]

I was watching 'This is England' on Film 4, then I was standing around attached to a snowboard moulding some custom insoles. Party time in North London.

[gwh200]

Its just as exciting on the south coast. I am now waiting for death...hopefully not to soon like,but none the less im waiting...

besides all the other threads are talking about computer software and matf is talking mammary glands...two things quite connected in his life...cyber tits