History

In the late 1950s , aerospace companies British , French , American and Soviet want to build the first supersonic civil aircraft .

The French Sud Aviation and the British Bristol Aeroplane Company develop their respective Supersonic Super-Caravelle (in) and Bristol 233 . They are funded by their respective Governments, taking them to counter U.S. air dominance. In 1960 , both projects are well underway, but the huge cost of developing devices States to bring together the two companies . The development of the Concorde is no longer an international agreement that a Franco-British trade agreement between manufacturers. Cooperation Treaty, which discussions lasted about a year, was signed on 29 November 1962 . British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and Sud Aviation divided the cost of the device, Bristol Aero Engines (acquired by Rolls- Royce in 1966) and Snecma are also to develop the jet engine derivative of the Bristol Olympus 593 reference . The British wanted a model long-distance (transatlantic), while the French wanted a medium-haul. In the absence of any market research , the consortium has estimated the amount of orders over a hundred aircraft, went through major airline customers of the day: Pan Am , BOAC and Air France , which each command then six Concorde .

Other projects proposed supersonic airliner, it is only the Soviet project succeeds. The Tupolev Tu-144 was designed to carry 140 passengers at Mach 2. The Soviet prototype first flew on 31 December 1968 at the base of Zhukovsky near Moscow.

The Concorde made its maiden flight over Toulouse on 2 March 1969. The crew consists of Andre Turcat in command, assisted by Jacques Guignard , Henri Perrier and Michel Retif . The flight lasts 29 minutes. His first pass is the supersonic October ¹ of that year, Mach 2 was reached a year later. The flight test program was uneventful, the development version, called 001, began demonstrations intended for the general public on 4 September 1971. On 2 June 1972 , the second 002 prototype demoed the Middle East and Far East . They bring a significant number of orders for the plane, with 74 orders and options have been provided by sixteen airlines, including eight in North America .

However, from 1973 a combination of factors cause the cancellation of almost all commands. Among these, mention may especially be the first oil crisis , financial difficulties of the airlines, the lack of support for the project in North America, the accident at the Paris Air Show 's direct competitor Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 ^, and environmental problems such as noise from supersonic passage . Ultimately, Air France and British Airways are the only buyers.

The United States had launched their own supersonic transport project in 1963. Two competing designs originally: the Lockheed L-2000 that resembles the Concorde and Boeing in 2707 , the project technically more adventurous with a cell in titanium and a wing variable geometry. Boeing is withheld in 1966 by the U.S. Congress. Faster than the Concorde, "2707" must carry 300 passengers at a speed close to Mach 2.7. However, faced with major technical difficulties and strong political and environmental opposition, the project is canceled altogether in 1971 . Following this decision, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibits flights over U.S. territory at supersonic speed for the aircraft, which contributed to the cancellation of orders for Concorde by U.S. companies .

Sheds BAe Systems at Filton have been built where the British Concorde

Both European airlines begin flying demonstration and testing to various destinations from 1974 to have the support of the population. The test flights of Concorde recorded 5335 hours of flight . Toulouse , in France , and Filton in the UK are the only two centers of production equipment .

The original partners, BAC (later BAE Systems ) and Aerospatiale (later EADS ) are co-owners of Concorde. Responsibility was transferred to Airbus when the company that includes BAE Systems and EADS was founded ^{Technical Innovations}

Many technological improvements very common in current airliners were used for the first time with Concorde.

The Concorde is the first civilian aircraft to have the all electric flight controls and analog (fly-by-wire). This innovation is due to the lengthening of the fuselage in supersonic flight. The transmission cable would have been difficult. Always for the same reason, it has reactors connected in thrust-by-wire, ancestor of today's reactors controlled by FADEC.

Last flight: landing at Filton , 26 November 2003

An autopilot provides automatic power management (or self-stick), allowing control hands-free (or hands off) the plane of the climb to the landing. Electricity is generated on board by IDG (Integrated Driving Generator) , predecessor of the same technology as those fitted to the current aircraft ( Airbus and Boeing ). The Concorde has three hydraulic high pressure of 28 MPa or 4000 psi for lightweight components in hydraulic systems using liquid hydraulic oil synthetic (M 2 V) resistant to temperature.

For braking, the Concorde is fitted with a SPAD (anti-skid system perfected) slip control, that is to say the difference in speed between wheels braked and unbraked wheels. Compared to the control principle of the angular deceleration of the wheels braked, this system helps reduce stopping distances by 15% on dry soil and improve safety on wet surfaces. This system was taken by Airbus and military aircraft from the French Mirage F1. The braking system is controlled electrically. Command acts on a servo-valve interfacing between the electrical signal input and the size hydraulic (flow or pressure) acting on the hydraulic brakes. This system replaced the conventional hydro-mechanical controls heavier and more complex to install. This system is taken on the planes of Airbus and supplemented by the orientation of the front wheel on the A320. Of carbon brake discs ventilated offer a weight saving of 500 kg compared to steel discs and a better resistance to heat.

The rebalancing of the masses (management center) allows for optimal performance. During all phases of flight, the fuel is moved to better position the center of gravity from the center of pressure in the flight phase in question (centering subsonic front, center back for supersonic flight).

Parts are machined from a single blank (and not from an assembly), allowing to reduce the mass and nomenclature of the components. The rudders and elevons are made in composite materials. However, the aging of the material resulted in partial loss of rudder , especially management.

Some of these technological innovations were 20 years ahead. If development costs have been high, this has enabled aircraft manufacturers to remain French and English in the race with the United States, then create Airbus. Many of these improvements are now commonplace in today's airliners. In addition, Snecma started building engines for civil aviation with the Concorde, and it draws from the experience gives him the technical expertise needed to establish the consortium CFM International with General Electric , which occurs with successful engine CFM56 .

Concorde B

From the first commercial flight of Concorde in 1976, the Aerospace proposed to develop a version B to reduce the noise of the plane and bring its range of 6800 to 7 500 km (the French original draft, called Super Caravelle had a radius of 4500 km). This resulted in several changes:

• Aerodynamic: increasing the scope for increasing the sharpness, assembling the leading edge slats to increase lift and reduce the base of the aircraft at low speeds. The fineness is increased from 3.9 to 4.2 in the takeoff and climb from 5 to 5.5. In subsonic (Mach 0.93) it passed from 11.5 to 12.9, and supersonic flight from 7.1 to 7.7;
• Engines: internal modification to increase thrust at low speed, remove the heats ( afterburner ), reduce consumption in particular between Mach 1.2 and 1.7 (-20%), reduce the noise.

The program was never launched because of the lack of controls .

Commercial exploitation

Scheduled flights

History scheduled

Concorde taking off.

The first commercial flights begin on 21 January 1976 on the routes London - Bahrain and Paris - Rio de Janeiro via Dakar and Paris - Caracas via the Azores. The ban on the Concorde to land in the territory of the United States embarrassed companies who wanted to travel transatlantic.

When the ban was lifted in February the same year for supersonic flights over the waters, New York has banned immediately at the local fly Concorde. With little choice they had in destinations, Air France and British Airways began with the transatlantic Washington (District of Columbia) on May 24. Finally, in 1977 , noise that New Yorkers had to undergo left up to the advantages of Concorde and the Paris and London to the airport in New York 's John F. Kennedy begins on 22 November 1977.

Until 1983 , the destinations for Air France are: Rio de Janeiro , Caracas , Dakar , Mexico , a href = "Washington_ (District_de_Columbia)" title = "Washington (DC)"> Washington, Dallas and New York. From 1983 , the company reduced its flights to one destination in New York.

Concorde of Air France Flight

The average flight time on either route is about half past three. Until 2003, Air France and British Airways have continued to have daily flights to New York. Additionally, Concorde flew to Barbados during the winter holiday season, and from time to time to destinations in Rovaniemi in Finland. On ¹November 1986 , a Concorde made the world tour in thirty-one hours and fifty-one minutes.

Other companies

During a brief period in 1977 , then 1979 to 1980 , British Airways and Singapore Airlines shared a Concorde for flights between Bahrain and the Changi International Airport. The aircraft, registered G-BOAD, was painted in the colors of the Singaporean company on the left flank and the colors of the British company the right side. The ride was stopped after the first three months because the Government of Malaysia complained of noise pollution: the route is reused when a new line that does not pass into Malaysian airspace was open. However, the India refuses the Concorde supersonic speed reached its airspace, so the route has since been declared unusable.

From 1978 to 1980 , the American company Braniff International leased two Concordes, one belongs to British Airways and the other at Air France. They will be used to make regular flights to speed subsonic between Fort Worth Airport to Dallas to Dulles International Airport in Washington DC , then continue flights over Europe ^{Other flights}

Charter flights

The Air France and British Airways tried, beginning in 1983, after the cessation of commercial flights other than to JFK, return of the aircraft (maintenance, crew).

Teams develop commercial flights to the demand for business but also for travel agencies round the world flights and related media events or otherwise. For example, flights are made to the football World Cup , the Olympic Games (carrying the Olympic flame for the 1992 Games in Albertville (France), Formula 1 Grand Prix , Rio Carnival , cruise liner complement , opening of Kansai Airport. Until June 1989, at meetings to promote aviation.

Round the world

These world tours last about one month .

Passengers on world tours are mainly American passengers. The main agencies are Kuoni , Missouri and intravascular TMR France (Marseille). Some years, in Air France , up to 6 rounds of the world are made.

In 1995, several political and diplomatic disputes confuse two world tours. One of these events is a wave of attacks in France and the other, the resumption of French nuclear testing in Polynesia. Stopovers are alternative Noumea with a transfer of passengers flying subsonic to Christchurch and Sydney and London instead of Paris.

A break was made in 1991 during the first Gulf War.

In September 1995, China gave permission to land in Beijing for British Airways and Air France. But the take-off noise causes the Chinese to ban the Concorde Beijing. Stopovers in China are in Tianjin , 140 km south of Beijing, by the sea

The presidential flights

On May 7, 1971, the Concorde carries the President of the French Republic , Georges Pompidou . This is the first time a head of state uses a prototype to make an official visit ^{Papal Flights}

During the travel of Pope , the rule is that the countries receiving the pope holds the outward journey to its next destination.

During the visit of Pope John Paul II on the island of Reunion on 2 May 1989 , a Concorde of Air France (F-BTSC) was chartered to carry cargo between Saint-Denis, Runion and Lusaka (via Gillot ).

Maintenance

The interview with the Concorde required constraints, flight safety, punctuality, regularity supersonic flight, can be likened to the maintenance of a Formula 1 so greedy in hours of labor and parts.

In comparison, maintenance of a Concorde is from 18 to 20 hours per flight hour, while that of a conventional airplane today is on average two hours.

On the other hand, the reduced number of flights leads to prolonged parking ground.

The arrival of Concorde leads a small revolution in maintenance since the circuits were controlled by electric and hydraulic, with some embedded tests to facilitate troubleshooting. He had to redesign the business mechanics and electricians to maintain Concorde electronics made its debut in all the circuits in control and monitoring.

Visits

Like other aircraft, the maintenance program was introduced by the airline. However, the two companies had two different philosophies in terms of maintenance especially in the use and occupancy of mechanics.

British Airways

The choice of British Airways is to create a department specifically dedicated to the Concorde maintenance.

Air France

From the beginning of the operation of Concorde, the choice is also to create a department Concorde, but the frequency of flights, the underutilization of mechanics and maintenance costs result in the creation of a European aircraft department. Initially in 1979 with the A300 in 1984 with the A310 , then in 1989 with the A320. From 1990, maintenance of Concorde is shared with only the A300 and A310. In 2001, after the accident at Gonesse, a department Concorde alone is recreated until 2003, end of operation.

This organization allows the engineers to occupy the time, but also to keep skills in new technologies.

In the scheduled stops, like JFK , a dedicated team is permanently on site. Since 1995, maintenance at JFK is outsourced to a company created by former engineers Air France , Mach 2.

In other calls, sent two engineers on site to ensure full and maintenance.

For tours of the world, a technician supervisor is always on board in flight, in addition to the Flight Engineer, and sent two engineers on site carrying out the maintenance in each stop. A lot of board ensures a quality repair for continued flight.

Accident Gonesse

Before the accident at Gonesse , the Concorde was never known to damage resulting in loss of life. No copy has been a problem on strictly "internal" to the aircraft.

The inquest that followed the accident involved the Achilles heel of the Concorde, the fragility of the tires. Dozens of cases of tire burst occurred since its commissioning, in many cases with perforation of a tank or a wing including Washington and Dakar in 1979 .

On 25 July 2000 , the F-BTSC's 4590 Air France flight , charter flights to New York with passengers nationality German , took off from the Paris-Charles de Gaulle and crashed two minutes after takeoff on a hotel in Patte d'Oie in Gonesse , killing 113 people: 100 passengers, 9 crew and 4 people on the ground .

The crash of 25 July 2000 was due in particular to an external cause, a metal strip left on the runway by the aircraft ahead: a DC-10 of Continental Airlines. The bursting of a tire would have caused a fuel leak greater than during previous incidents, the ignition of fuel have resulted in "pumping" (aerodynamic stall of the compressor blades) and massive loss of power on one engine ( The ^No. 2), then the other located right side ^(No. 1). The main cause chosen by the official version is that of "the metal strip found on the runway, however, detailed analysis of this accident by rigorous methods reveals that no less than fifteen different factors (causes) have combined to cause this crash.

The accident led to new changes on the Concorde. Electrical controls have been improved: anti-puncture Kevlar fuel tank (13 in number on Concorde), mounting tires more durable, supplied by Michelin who developed the tires "NZG", which also weigh 20 kg less than those previously used. However, the number of seats on board is reduced by ten, making the operation even more profitable . Both routes are reopened on 7 November 2001.

A new hypothesis is made public by the Special Investigative magazine on his show called Concorde - The crash of a myth, released on 22 January 2010 at 22 h 35 on Canal +. This new hypothesis is supported by numerous testimonials (firefighters, pilots, airport staff ...) who say that Concorde was already on fire near a mile before the track position of the disputed strip of investigation the BEA. The documentary says that the aircraft was overloaded by approximately 1.5 tons and a brace was missing for several days on which a landing gear tire blew. The break itself is due to a defect on the floor of the runway.

The trial of the accident was opened February 2, 2010 at Courthouse Pontoise. On 21 May 2010 The prosecution has requested :

• The conviction to a fine of 175,000 euros from Continental Airlines which will result in civil liability.
• Eighteen-month suspended prison sentence against his mechanic John Taylor and Stanley Ford, his team leader.
• Two-year suspended sentence against Henri Perrier , 80, program director at Concorde Aerospatiale (now EADS) from 1978 to 1994. "He is the one who was aware of the risks, what to do. He could have prevented the accident, "said the prosecutor's remarks.
• The release of Hrubel Jacques, 74, chief engineer of the program from 1993 to 1995, and Claude Frantzen, 72, a senior leader of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) from 1966 to 1994.

6 December 2010 the Justice gives its verdict and ordered Continental Airlines and fined two hundred thousand euros and to pay one million euros in compensation to Air France (five hundred thousand euros for "moral injury" and the same sum for "damaging the image"). Continental Airlines , speaking through his lawyer Olivier Metzner me , decided to appeal this decision. Boilermakers John Taylor was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, suspended his crew chief, Stanley Ford, who was acquitted. The three other defendants (Henri Perrier, Jacques and Claude Hrubel Frentzenont) were released.

On December 16, 2010 Air France decided to appeal because the remarks after the verdict was announced by Continental Airlines ("absurd decision," "French authorities' determination to divert attention from the responsibility of Air France, which belonged the state at the time of the accident "). The appeal hearing could take place in 2011 or 2012.

Withdrawal from service

On 10 April 2003 British Airways and Air France simultaneously announced the withdrawal of their Concorde for the following year. The reasons are the decline in passengers since the accident at Gonesse on 25 July 2000 and the high cost of maintenance.

Meanwhile Sir Richard Branson has the sum of a pound to buy a unit to British Airways who have served in the Virgin Atlantic , but this offer is refused. He later wrote in The Economist (from 23 October 2003 ) that the final offer was five million pounds and he wanted to use the Concorde for many years. This offer was probably intended to advertise for Virgin Airbus has in any case refused to continue to supply spare parts for Concorde.

Air France

Concorde F-BVFF presentation on the airport of Roissy 49 00 '39 "N 2 33' 12" E / 49.0107, 2.5534

The last commercial flight of Concorde Air France taking off from the JFK airport in New York (New York last scheduled flight to Paris) and Roissy (last supersonic loop) and landed at Roissy on 31 May 2003. The final Concorde to land in commercial service should be the Sierra Delta from New York, but a problem on the ^No. 4 engine delays of 45 minutes off the Fox Bravo, responsible for conducting the last supersonic loop over Atlantic, and then finally landed the FB the last 30 to 18 h while Sierra Delta arises at 17 h 45 (arrivals were originally scheduled at one minute intervals). Trucks firefighters doused the aircraft as usual on the runway at the airport John F. Kennedy while at Paris, 15 000 people were waiting for the last two Concorde.

The end of the adventure with Air France Concorde is marked for Fox Bravo, with a flight over the Bay of Biscay at supersonic speed. Back from his loop over the Atlantic, Fox Bravo flies Orly Airfield Lognes, then passes vertically Roissy before landing. Many vehicles (ground vehicles, police cars and fire engines) escort the last two Concorde after their respective landings. Both aircraft are a long walk on the taxiways at Roissy, among other stops outside the headquarters of Air France and to the thousands of people attending the last two Concorde landings in commercial service.

An auction was also held at Christie's in Paris on 15 November 2003. 1 300 people were present to buy items and photographs of important moments in the life of the Concorde. Among these objects, some have their value multiplied by ten (or more) compared to that expected.

British Airways

Concorde over Bristol during his last flight

The last British Airways Concorde took off from Barbados on 30 August 2003.

The last week of demonstration flights of the Concorde takes over Birmingham on 20 October at Belfast on 21 , Manchester on 22 , Cardiff on 23 and Edinburgh on 24. Each day the plane leaves the city of Heathrow and goes to the cities involved flying at low altitude flying subsonic. There were about 650 people who won a contest and invited 350 people who flew in Concorde.

Elizabeth II agrees to inform the Windsor Castle for the evening of 23 October 2003 , for the passage of Concorde over the castle after takeoff from London. It is, for the Concorde, a supreme honor, because only a few planes of the main heads of state are entitled to that privilege.

British Airways formally withdraw the aircraft the following day, October 24. This final release is done with one of the Concorde which left New York with a fanfare similar to that experienced by his counterpart, Air France, while, simultaneously, two other planes parade, one above the Gulf of Biscay for Air France and the other over Edinburgh for British Airways. The three planes were granted special permission to fly at low altitude. Both Concorde (which were towers) lands at 16 and 16 h 01 h 03 at the time British and one from New York to 16 h 05. All three aircraft then passes 45 minutes taxiing around the airport before landing the last passengers of a civilian supersonic flight. The pilot of the flight from New York / London Mike Bannister (fr) , who is also the pilot of the first commercial flight of Concorde in the colors of British Airways, which took place in 1976.

Among the passengers of that flight across the Atlantic there is, as often, many celebrities and entertainment business, executives or directors of major international companies but also a very lucky passenger who had booked a year ago a ticket for that journey without knowing, of course, that would be the last trip the aircraft.

There was a subsequent auction of Concorde parts of British Airways , which took place on ¹ December 2003 at Olympia Exhibition Centre in Kensington, London. Items sold are heterogeneous and included a Mach meter, the nose cone of the pilot's seat of Concorde passenger chairs and even cutlery, ashtrays and blankets used on board the aircraft. Approximately 1.129 million euros have been collected, of which 752 720 are given to the association 'Get Kids Going! " which gives disabled children and young people the opportunity to play sports.

The Concorde Key dates

Launch

• 25 October 1962 , Sud-Aviation and British Aircraft Corporation to provide respective French and British governments a program of revolutionary supersonic civilian aircraft ;
• 29 November 1962 , signing of the Franco-British agreement for the manufacture of a transport plane supersonic ;
• 13 January 1963 , French President Charles de Gaulle suggested that the Franco-British supersonic aircraft is dubbed "Concorde" ;
• 24 October 1963 , a first scale model of the "Concord" (without "e") is presented in Bristol. Ensuing controversy over the name of the aircraft ;
• 19 November 1964 , after British general elections, the new Labour government announced that the United Kingdom withdrew from the project "Concorde", but will do an about-face two months later ;
• April 1966 : final assembly of the prototype of the supersonic Concorde 001 ", begins to Toulouse ;
• 11 December 1967 , out of warehouses for the first prototype F-French WTSS in Toulouse ;
• 19 September 1968 , output of the first British prototype warehouses G-BSST to Filton .

Tests

• 2 March 1969 , first flight of the F-WTSS with Andre Turcat orders, with a duration of 29 minutes ;
• 9 April 1969 , first flight of G-BSST with Brian Trubshaw commands ;
• ¹ October 1969 , Concorde 001 passes the sound barrier during its ^45th test flight ;
• 4 November 1970 , Concorde 001 passes Mach 2 ;
• 12 November 1970 , Concorde 002 passes Mach 2 in turn ;
• 28 April 1972 , BOAC (later British Airways ) spent his first orders of 5 units ;
• 6 December 1973 , first flight of Concorde's first series.
• 26 March 1974 , Speed record set at Mach 2.23 (about 2 368 km / h) with Concorde 101 ;
• 10 October 1975 , the Concorde received its airworthiness certificate .

Commercial exploitation

The F-BVFA who inaugurated the commercial department at Air France flying between Paris , Dakar and Rio de Janeiro

• 21 January 1976 , the first commercial flight between Paris , Dakar and Rio de Janeiro ;
• 24 May 1976 , two special Concorde flight between Paris , London and a href = "Washington_ (District_de_Columbia)" title = "Washington (DC)"> Washington DC with an overflight and landing parallel to the International Airport Washington-Dulles ;
• 25 July 2000 , crash of a Concorde with 109 people on board at Gonesse , near the Paris-Charles de Gaulle ;
• 7 November 2001 , resumed commercial service Concorde Air France and British Airways.
• 31 May 2003 , the last commercial flight of Concorde in the colors of Air France ;
• 24 October 2003 , the last commercial flight of Concorde, the colors of British Airways ;
• 26 November 2003 , the very last Concorde flight operated by the G-BOAF with landing at Filton .

From the stop flights

• 16 March 2006 , Concorde won the Great British Design Quest , a survey organized by the London Design Museum and the BBC ;
• 13 April 2007 , opening of the exhibition hall Faster Than Sound on -Grantley Adams International Airport , the Barbados. Concorde G-BOAE is present in a multimedia exhibition.

Description Technology

Airframe and Fuselage

The Cockpit

Cockpit of the Concorde

The entrance to the cockpit is through a low corridor (1.75 m high) with a length of 2 meters. In electronic cabinets on each side, are disposed computers used for autopilot, navigation, communications VHF , navigation, battery, air conditioning, driving motor. The upper panel is for circuit breakers.

Three seats to electric operation are arranged in the cockpit , the two pilot seats (CBD and OPL ) with dashboards similar right and left (navigation).

The central part, driving motor, and autopilot control tower (navigation and communications) is common. In the upper part, above the windshields, a central panel with alarm levels based alarm lights of different colors. The top panel, flight controls, the fire handles, the exterior lighting (lights and headlights).

The position of the FE , the seat is adjustable to the panel or forward position (takeoff) behind the OPL , is equipped with many switches and indicators: air conditioning, electricity, fuel indicators, additional motors, starter panel, controls and water intakes. The panel, ceiling to floor, is equipped with guidance and controls. On the left wall of the cockpit, still breaker panels.

Two seats observers can be used as needed, one behind the CBD , the other in the aisle behind the FE

Due to its slender shape necessary to have good performance for supersonic flight , the pilots generally had a very bad visibility forward. This does not cause problem in cruise flight, but a bit more in the phases of takeoff and landing. This explains why the pilots were to lower the nose of the Concorde for these phases.

The interior cabin

Cabin layout with British Airways

The unit is separated into two cabins, 40 passengers for the front cabin and 60 passengers to the rear cabin, toilets, changing rooms and central doors for separation between the two cabins. The seats are installed in rows of four, separated in two by a central span.

At the entrance to the front cabin, a galley with oven is installed for the service. Food preservation is done with the dry ice. The same type of equipment is installed in aft cabin.

There is no video or film projection during flights, but a selection of music available at each seat.

Three toilets are installed, one in front for passengers and crew cabin forward and two between the two cabins.

Each seat has a luggage rack on top of lockers and coat racks are installed at the end of each cabin.

In the galley back, computers, air intakes, long-range communications (HF) are arranged on each side with access from the galley. Basically, access leads to the aft compartment, but can not be opened on the ground.

Bunkers

Two bunkers can accommodate passenger baggage, one under the forward cabin, the other behind the galley back. Each compartment has a separate entrance. Baggage compartments have a volume of 19.74 m ³ and are not broken. Thus, transport of live animals is excluded.

All remaining parts are available for equipment used: inertial and radar in the front bunker hydraulics , cargo compartment air conditioning.

The droop nose

The delta wing is very little bearing at low speed, forcing the aircraft to have an angle of incidence rate during the phases of takeoff and landing. The forward visibility is greatly reduced during takeoff and approach phase.

In response to this problem, the Concorde (like the Tupolev Tu-144 ) is equipped with a nose and a visor mobile recliners for better visibility at low speeds and better penetration into the air at high speed . The entire nose visor can take 4 positions:

The apparatus of pre-British series is the first to own a real canopy on the nose.

• 5 tilt during phases of ground operations and takeoff;
• inclination of 12.5 degrees on landing;
• nose visor raised and lowered in subsonic flight (in practice, the visor is raised from the initial climb phase completed);
• nose and visor raised in supersonic flight and when parking (parking).

Materials used

The fuselage and wings are built Concorde alloy of aluminum , known as the reference RR58 in Great Britain and AU2GN in France. This alloy has been developed to provide the best compromise between weight, resistance to deformation and temperature resistance (friction heating in supersonic flight).

The wing

Essential and specific to that plane: Wing suited to supersonic flight. The concept of delta wing (triangular) is modified to have better performance at low speeds. This change in the wing of the Concorde carries a specific name: the Gothic wing. Indeed, if we look at the plane of the wing, we see that the planform is pointed, hence the name Gothic.

The work of the Onera , in the 1950s showed many assumptions. The increase in the deflection at the root (apex) allows an increase in lift, thanks to the vortex lift. A longer rope root provides more volume for shells (a key point of the project). Concorde's wings have leading edges double curvature, thus there is an increase of the surface at the wing tips. The flight controls are multifunctional, the elevons are both ailerons ( roll ) and the elevators ( pitch ). There are no spoilers (useless on a delta wing at high drag), or component spoilers or flaps still leading edge and trailing edge. Because of its low elongation (by 1.83), a delta wing is little bearing ( Cz _max 1), the aircraft must have a high angle of attack during takeoff and landing, which greatly hinders Visibility from the cockpit.

However, there are many problems of lift for low speeds.

• At takeoff, the lift design is done in three ways:

Vortex lift, which increases the Cz 20%

Ground effect that increases the Cz by 12% during taxi, low height,

The vertical component of thrust, very strong with the afterburner. For 70 t thrust is obtained from 16 to 20 t lift (of 185 t ) at a pitch angle of 13 to 17 .

A total lift coefficient of about 0.65 for a mass of 170 t can take off around 200 kt (360 km / h), a top speed of 50 to 60% that of an airliner subsonic (between 125 and 135 kt).

• On landing, we lose the component of thrust, but the plane is lighter (he used 80 tons of kerosene ). The landing speed is about 280 km / h.

Engines

The Concorde is a four. The reactors are arranged in pairs.

The great difficulty of design and development of the reactors was that the plane was flying in subsonic and supersonic , while the air velocity inside the engine had to be less than the speed of sound even supersonic. For this, the engine manufacturers have shared in three parts:

• inlets;
• the engine itself;
• the nozzle.

These three parties had their command and control individuals.

Air intakes

Photograph showing the air inlets of the Concorde

The purpose of air inlets is to get the air speed at a rate consistent with engine operation (around Mach 0.5). Hinged panels, called "ramps" provide this function. These ramps are operated by twisting tubes, themselves driven by a hydraulic motor. These engines are two in number: one normal and one backup.

Three phases of operation :

1. Speed from 0 to Mach 0.5:
   The airflow through the vents is not enough to Mach 0.5. An additional air damper located at the bottom opens because of the pressure difference between outside and inside the air intake.
2. Speed of Mach 0.5 to Mach 1.2:
   The additional air damper closes. The ramps are in position.
3. Speeds exceeding Mach 1.2:
   Flying supersonic , a shock wave is created from the edges of the air intake. When air passes through the shock wave, its velocity becomes subsonic. As compensation (this is in fact the observation of conservation laws in compressible aerodynamics) the pressure increases. Air is drawn into the compressor and at a suitable speed (about Mach 0.5) and higher pressure. The position of the shock wave is crucial and must be controlled according to the speed. The ramps are positioned to adapt the geometry of the inlet air speed of the aircraft. These intakes were controlled by computers air inlet (AICU), two per engine, located in part of the avionics galley back. Information from air pressure, temperature and Mach number fuel calculators.
   In supersonic flight, the air drawn by four small panels located in the upper and lower corners at the entrance of the clean engine helps cool the engine nacelle. These flaps are closed in subsonic and in case of fire or overheating engine by pressing the fire handle.
   Inside the entrance, a temperature sensor and four pressure sensors allow the settings of the air intake.
   The position of flight engineer, an indicator for air intake helps to continuously monitor the pressure ratio (IPRE: Indicator pressure ratio error).
   The air intake system is equipped with an embedded system test for testing and troubleshooting maintenance.

Driving

The Concorde is powered with turbo Bristol / Snecma and Rolls-Royce / Snecma Olympus 593 afterburning , the same engine fitted to the Avro Vulcan. Significant changes have increased the pressure and reduce consumption in the subsonic regime. The final version was the Mk IV.

Air intakes engines electronically controlled variable section are used to reduce the speed of the air entering the engine. A gas outlet variable section increases the speed of the exhaust air. The icing of the wings and engine inlets is fully electric either continuously or in cycles, limiting the air pipes. This specificity is not included on today's aircraft.

Design (difficult), the realization and development of air circuits upstream and downstream from the heart of the reactor have been supported by Snecma. (Moving parts, ramps, etc.. Specify).

However, there is no APU requiring the presence of electric and air independent in each stop. A project was considered but abandoned (prototype APU to the MFA , gift of Mr. Chevalier). The Boeing 727 is the first civilian aircraft to have GG built for the engines are started.

French Concordes are powered by identical engines on Concorde English, but assembled by Snecma.

Constitution of the engine

Single stream, double body (low-pressure compressors (N1) and high pressure (N2)), annular combustion chambers, high and low pressure turbines. A system of post-combustion (or heat) is added. A variable area nozzle (AJ: Area Jet) is positioned at the rear.

An accessory relay, driven by the high-pressure N2, allows training vario-alternators, hydraulic pumps , pumps fuel high and low pressure.

Regulation of the thrust is carried through the high-pressure N2 (Unlike today motors that regulate the N1). The latter (N2) reacts to changes in fuel flow controlled by the throttle associated with the engine. The low pressure coupling N1 is controlled by the primary nozzle (AJ), mounted at the outlet channel heats (afterburner). The N1 is fitted with N2. The speed ratio of the two compressors must remain within a range of compatible operation. The regulation of N1 does not interfere with that of N2 as a saturation phenomenon (or cap) is used to separate the two. Specifically, a sonic throat is present in the provider of the LPT. Parameters upstream variants do not affect those downstream and vice versa. It is a peculiarity of this engine. This system allowed to bypass valve discharge.

The crew adjusts and controls the thrust by the rotation speed of the high pressure (N2) using two computers thrust (TCU) for engines, the other an alternate in case of failure. In cockpit indicators needle and drums to control the parameters of engine speed, fuel consumption, pressures and temperatures.

The afterburner (also called heats) is used for takeoff and to pass the sound barrier , from Mach 0.97 and up to Mach 1.7. It provides an extra boost of about 18% during these two phases, but at the cost of consumption is very high (80 tons / hour to take off instead of 20 cruise). The afterburner is performed by a pump and a controller sending high pressure fuel in the fuel exhaust of the engine. It is controlled by the pilot using a switch located behind the engine thrust levers through an electronic computer.

The afterburner is lit on all four engines at the same time but symmetric, first the engines 1 and 4 (outboard motors, furthest from the fuselage) and engines 2 and 3.

A ring of sensors measuring temperatures in gas turbine (TGT) is placed in the tail cone of the engine.

The nacelle

Housing is located where the engines. It is made of steel and materials resistant to high temperatures. Thermal protection panels are installed on the ceiling. Fire detectors are installed.

The nozzle

This part of the engine located behind the engine is made of a steel tube high temperature of about 1 m in diameter and 2.50 m in length.

The tube part is in fact a chimney for exhaust gas turbine outlet. It is terminated by two devices:

• The nozzles 14: a ring of small components called "AJ" to their motion to amend the section of the nozzle exit. This device is intended to increase pressure to accelerate the gas velocity, thus increasing the speed of the aircraft especially supersonic. These components are controlled by actuators pneumatic whose order of opening or closure is issued by the computer thrust (TCU) through an electric motor (NTP) controlling a servo gas (PNC).
• The nozzles 28: two shells moving on each engine are installed at the end of the nozzle. These are the thrust reversers used as a backup system to the braking of the wheels and speed reducer as in the return phase in subsonic. It was one of the few aircraft to use the reversers in flight. These shells were also used to modulate the flow reactor. These switches are actuated by a pneumatic motor controlled by the thrust reverser lever located in front of the thrust levers in the cockpit.

The landing gear and brakes

The right main landing gear of the Concorde at Le Bourget Museum

Landing gear

Tail cone of Concorde, one can distinguish the tail.

The landing gear is a train called "tricycle" means a main gear under each wing plus a front in the front cabin. The command is electric, it controls the solenoid valves that send in a fluid cylinder hydraulic. The output, as the return is normally hydraulic, but in case of emergency, after manual release, each gear is down by gravity.

The nose gear folds forward and the two main landing gear, after shortening fold laterally, in their dwelling located partly in the fuselage. Once the gear up, doors closed housing.

A wheel called "tail" shrink is installed at the tail cone to protect the fuselage in case of impact too high for takeoff.

Brakes

The disc brakes major, number 8, one for each wheel, are made of carbon to reduce the weight of the aircraft. This key point of conception is adopted only as from the aircraft 102.

The Concorde has three braking options: normal braking with traction control , braking "PTT" and braking.

The front wheels are braked by a brake disc for braking in the landing gear only.

A pedal position transmitter power control hydraulic power for normal and alternate braking. The braking system is fully hydraulic, brake pedal brakes. Fans provide cooling accelerated brakes.

A temperature sensor brake is installed on each brake and transmits the temperature of each brake in the cockpit.

Wheels

There are four wheels on each main gear. The tires are inflated to the nitrogen to limit heating of the wheels. There is no pressure transmitters in the tires as on current airplanes, but, following an incident in Washington in 1979 , a system for detecting under-inflation has been installed on each main gear. It involves measuring the constraints of the bogie due, for example, a wheel deflated or punctured by sensors glued effort on the truck. The signal is sent to the cockpit lights on the front panel and the panel OMN .

The test system is a daily alarm and tire pressure while taxiing back to the parking required for verification. Furthermore, verification of pressure of the wheels is done before each flight. The orientation of the front wheels is made using a wheel for each pilot. The signal generated by the flywheel is sent to a computer. A cylinder hydraulic electrically controlled direct the nose according to the instruction received.

Circuits

The power generation

Power generation is the same principle as other contemporary modern aircraft ( Boeing 747 ) ( three-phase 115/200 V and 400 Hz with paralleling of alternators 4). They are driven by motors through the casing accessories. There was an IDG (Integrated Driving Generator) per engine.

Concorde was the novelty of the electric generators that we had to gain weight, combined the two functions, regulation of frequency and electric generator in one device called IDG . Weight gain is about 40 kg per generator. This technology was taken by manufacturers of equipment for modern aircraft from the Airbus A310. All aircraft are now equipped.

Commands and controls voltage and frequency for each IDG are managed by an engine, said a computer Generator Control Unit (GCU). These parameters could be verified by the Flight Engineer (FE). Voltage, frequency and temperature of the cooling oil. Push a button and a light synchronization to facilitate the parallel alternators, which was normally automatic (same tension, same frequency and same phase rotation).

In case of failure, the flight engineer was mechanically disconnect the IDG from the cockpit. The flight continued with three generators. In addition, to comply with the regulations, an emergency generator driven by a hydraulic system was also installed. As a last resort, a static converter dc / ac was providing AC power from the batteries edge. Both batteries cadmium / nickel ensured the final relief in 28 V. Recharging the batteries and power supply were performed by continuous transformer-rectifier 115/28 via charge controllers.

On the ground, engines shut down, the aircraft was powered by a fleet of at least 90 kilowatts of power.

Lights

The Concorde offers many insights. The lighting controls are located in the cockpit, just above the windshield to be accessible to both pilots. Two retractable landing lights of a power of 600 W is located on the lower surface near the leading edge, near the junction between the wing and fuselage. Two lights, taxi and takeoff are also retractable beneath the fuselage. In front of the cockpit, at the bottom of the fuselage on each side, are two cornering lights. Three navigation lights are included in either the wings or the tail cone, to avoid additional drag. Three anti-collision lights to flash red are located on either side of the fuselage at the beginning of the junction between the wing and fuselage and one at the rear end of fuselage.

At the rear, the light housing of navigation is common with the beacon. The setting of this fire will be strengthened to guard against degradation due to vibrations in this part of the aircraft. The housing undercarriages were lit to the floor for inspection.

The hydraulic

As the Caravelle and Airbus today, the Concorde has three hydraulic systems. Normal channels called green and blue and yellow emergency system called. The liquid is Oronite, a synthetic liquid-resistant flight operating temperature is 120 C. These circuits are fed by reservoirs in the hydraulic compartment under the rear cargo bay.

On the ground, engines shut down, pressure is generated by two electric pumps, one for the green channel and one for the blue circuit, powered by three phase. The yellow system can be used by one or both electro-pumps subject that has driven the switch to yellow. These pumps are controlled by switches located on the flight engineer panel. All equipment can be controlled by hydraulic pressure delivered by these pumps.

In maintenance situations, groups of hydraulic parks are used for extensive tests including tests back to train so that when the engines started, the hydraulic pressure is delivered by pumps driven by motors.

The hydraulic control landing gear (retraction / extension, brakes), flight controls and nose rocker.

As a last resort in case of loss of three hydraulic systems, propeller (RAT, ram air turbine ) located under the left wing can be removed from the cockpit. The propeller, driven by the relative wind -related displacement of the plane, drives a hydraulic pump to maintain a minimum flight controls and brakes in emergency braking (no traction) and generator backup. During the life of the aircraft, the emergency equipment was never used. Only tests in maintenance ensured the smooth operation if needed in flight.

The circuits and fuel tanks

Thirteen reservoirs containing a total of 95.8 T of kerosene , about 119 500 L (density 0.8) allow to feed the reactors. These reservoirs are located in the wings, the tail cone behind the luggage compartment and the fuselage bottom forward of the main landing gear. The reactors are supplied from four tanks called "nurses". They are filled during the flight by transferring fuel from other tanks.

The transfer of fuel:
A: off
B: cruise
C: back to subsonic

Fuel consumption may vary depending on wind, load (passengers and baggage), the estimated waiting time on arrival including CDG to JFK , an additional amount of fuel can be added by adding approximately 1600 L in the upper parts of reservoirs (overfill).

The fuel quantity to the United States is the full full full load is 95 tons with about 13 tonnes remaining on arrival (the table shows characteristics of 7 tons). The return to the Europe does not require complete full (favorable winds). The amount for the return is about 78 t with a 13 t remaining. The remaining amount can be used in case of failure of air conditioning or engine, and release in case of unavailability of the call arrival.

In addition to the power reactors, the fuel serves two other functions. It is used for centering . After crossing the sound barrier , the aerodynamic balance is changed, the center of pressure moves back. To compensate, engineers have been able to use the deflection of the elevators, but this system was not acceptable because it would have produced a significant increase in drag, which would have resulted in excessive fuel consumption, greatly reducing the autonomy of the aircraft. The solution to counter this phenomenon is to move rearward center of gravity of the device. Concorde / I>, the only movable mass is fuel. The transfer of fuel is front to back for supersonic flight and the opposite for the return to subsonic. Three tanks in the fuselage, two front and one rear mainly served this function. The transfer is driven by two so-called "main gallery" between the three reservoirs. During these transfers, the movement of fuel is heard in the cabin. At Mach 0.93, transfer to the rear of the fuel at around Mach 1.2, the beginning of the forward transfer. During refueling , the sequence of loading the fuel can not "ask" the plane on the tail. A table of tank volumes can know the distribution of fuel. On this aircraft, fuel is also used to cool air conditioning of the cabin.

The air conditioning

Depending on the speed, maintaining the temperature in the cabin can be done in two ways. In subsonic flight, the cabin is heated by the air bleed on stage high pressure compressor. For supersonic speeds, air conditioning is made difficult by the heating of the cell due to air resistance. Cooling occurs by exchange with the fuel levy of kilocalories. Overconsumption of fuel may force them to go subsonic earlier than planned to maintain an acceptable temperature in the cabin.

Four groups of air conditioning are used, but increased monitoring of temperature by the Flight Engineer is required to avoid an increase in cabin temperature is not compatible with passenger comfort. The cabin pressurization is performed by four valves (valves ouflow) controlled by a pressurization controller. The FE ^{The emergency oxygen system}

The Concorde has 2 circuits spare oxygen.

The tour included a pilot oxygen gas cylinder that powers five oxygen masks in the cockpit. The circuit passengers consisted of three bottles installed rear cargo masks that feed passengers and six per cent personal business.

Portable cylinders are installed on board to allow personal trading to move into the cabin with an oxygen mask if necessary.

Flying

Navigation

Speed and altitude

Like other aircraft of the same period ( 747 , A300 , DC-10 ) Concorde has two air data and an emergency circuit. Stations, located in the entrance of the cockpit, capture their information in many settings. Speed is obtained through pitot tubes located one on each side. The altitude is measured using static ports located on either side of the fuselage behind the front door. The temperature is measured using sensors in the nose. The temperature was very important for calculating the Mach number. The information is distributed through hoses and rigid beneath the cabin floor and cockpit except for temperature (electrical information).

There are the traditional instruments but doubles as used in electric mode (normal) and emergency (air) on each panel. These indicators are the altimeter for altitude, airspeed to the speed relative to air. The Machmeter indicated the speed of Mach Number. To calculate it, it is necessary to know the ambient air temperature and speed. The variometer were used to determine the altitude variation. There were also indicators of temperature. Information received by these instruments are information calculated by the air data originating pressures taken by the pitot and static ports. Probes impact and slippage, two in number each, complete the aerodynamic device. Two sensors are also installed defrost. All probes are defrosted in subsonic.

The emergency circuit is fully pneumatic probes indicators. The pitot is formed by the tip of the nose boom and the static port is located on the outer part of the boom nose.

Two recopies Machmeter installed in front of the front and rear cabin allows passengers to track the Mach cruise.

A test board controlled by two switches located behind the tower to simulate the speeds and altitudes to the ground.

Cap and artificial horizon

Three Inertial will garner the horizon and heading information independent of terrestrial systems. These plants, located in electronics bay under the cockpit with access via a separate door, were each coupled to a battery of small capacity to help supply power plants in case of loss of mains.

To read and use a heading, the plants were coupled to a coupler compass. This coupler could correct compass heading given by the central geographical inertia to obtain a magnetic heading. Two flow valves on the roof of the plane to retrieve magnetic information. This information can be read on-board instrumentation on each side. But heading information and attitudes are distributed on each plate of different origin to facilitate the detection of faults or errors of indications.

The alignment time and heating power of inertia was about 18 minutes. These plants were used to perform the navigation waypoints. These benchmarks were inserted one by one by the crews. Information stations were used for heading, altitude ( artificial horizon ), corrections of speed and altitude, the calculation of speed over the ground and climbing speed, and for the autopilot.

Coupled to the autopilot, the plane can reach its destination automatically without any further supervision of the audit portion of waypoint.

Radionavigation

Support systems for navigation by radio were installed on Concorde. There were two VOR radio navigation VHF , consisting of two antennas, two receivers and control boxes, and indicators for RMI VOR and HSI automatic line for manual chain. VORs are coupled Inertial for registration positions. Two DME allowed to calculate the distances of the aircraft relative to ground stations. THEY were two systems used for guiding precision approaches. These systems use the same flight instruments that VOR. The Concorde was equipped with two ADF whose antennas are mounted on the roof of the fuselage and which the receivers are installed in electronic cabinets located in the galley back. Two ADF RMI allow viewing of the indications of directions of the stations. Two radio altimeters allowed to read the approach altitudes (below 2000 meters) with accuracy ( up close). The antennas are located under the fuselage up to the forward cargo compartment. The transceivers are installed at the bottom of the forward cargo compartment. There were two weather radar systems that allowed detection of cloud areas in flight. The dual antenna, installed in the nose radome, the information sent by using a waveguide to the transceiver electronics bay located in front. Cloudy areas will be visible on two screens Monochrome, located at the front left and right drivers. Two ATC systems, to send information to the location and altitude control centers in flight. Two in-flight collision avoidance systems were installed in 1998 following the installation requirement for flights to the U.S. initially.

The autopilots

The Concorde has two autopilot / flight director, to facilitate the conduct of the flight the pilots during flight . The control panel was located, as with other aircraft on the panel located above the engine indications. It can hire the various modes AP / DV.

PA calculators are located in the avionics bays located on either side of the entrance hall of the cockpit. Embedded test enables the detection and troubleshooting of PA. Binding PA / flight control is via the relay jack located under the floor of the cockpit. At the front of the thrust levers, a panel with control buttons can be upgraded in PA said manual. Moreover, in PA, rods effort to pilot the plane mode PA said "steering clear" from the sleeve upon the pilot effort. The signals of force transmitted by the rods are processed by the PA computers before being sent on the flight controls.

The Concorde is certified all-weather landing said CAT 3 A decision height 25 feet.

Radio communications

The Concorde is fitted with the traditional systems of radio communications.

It has two VHF radios 350-km range. VHF transceivers were located in the file cabinet located in the entrance to the cockpit. The antennas are located, one on the roof, the other under the fuselage. One under the fuselage had to be double feature (VHF and VOR ).

There are also two long-range radios ( HF ) for routes over the ocean and desert parties that made mandatory the permanent use of HF. Concorde was the novelty of using an HF antenna structural located in the lower edge of the vertical stabilizer (all modern aircraft are now equipped in this way). Both HF chord boxes are located in the thickness of vertical tail (oval door to the left). Guarantee the functioning of the system required an essay by maintenance before each flight.

No aircraft has been equipped system satellite phone and ACARS (telex).

Security

The fire and smoke detection

At startup, the engine fire detection was performed with detectors so-called "flame". Cells arranged in the engine nacelles, engine-three doubles, were responsible for detecting flames and smoke. Too sensitive and unreliable, difficult to maintain (very difficult access) these detectors were then replaced by conventional detectors at the time called "capacitive".

Fire detection and smoke tanks was the most classic. There were two types of detectors, 'mood' and detectors 'levy'. The detectors 'mood' analyze ambient air through photocells. Detectors "removal" analyze the air ducts discharge air ventilation equipment.

The flight recorders

Like all other aircraft, two data recorders equipped the Concorde. There was a recorder says (FDR), which is statutory. It was located in the lower part of the furniture Avionics galley back. Another said QAR recorder is available. It was located in part of the cockpit avionics. This recorder has initially a cassette, then an optical disc easily replaceable, the aim quick access to parameters by the company for control of trajectory and maintenance under conditions defined by the company.

As the airliner, the Concorde was equipped with a voice recorder. It was located in part of the galley aft avionics allow the recording of cockpit conversations from the pre-flight crew until the end of the flight. It is also equipped with a beacon transmitter diving.

The altitude is high, a detector of cosmic radiation was installed on board. One measure would allow the crew to constantly monitor the level of cosmic rays.

List of aircraft and their history

Only twenty Concordes were built, six for development and fourteen for commercial flights.

There was thus:

• two prototypes;
• two units of pre-production;
• sixteen production equipment including:
  • the first two, who never served in the commercial (development is not complete)
  • fourteen others made commercial flights and nine were still in service in April 2003.

All but two are preserved, which represents 90% of units produced that are, for now, not destroyed. This is very rare in aviation.

Cultural impact, political and economic

This aircraft remains a powerful symbol of ultra modern technology, despite its 40 years, and many people who love their sculptural forms. There is also a symbol of national pride for many people in the United Kingdom and France - are generally regarded in France as a French plane, and the United Kingdom as a British aircraft.

Concorde and diplomacy

The speed and time of Concorde (starting at 11 h of Paris-Charles de Gaulle arrived at 8: 45 pm Airport to John F. Kennedy) have facilitated some diplomatic negotiations. In critical times for peace in the world ( Yugoslavia and war in the Gulf ), diplomats and of course, Kofi Annan , former Secretary General of the UN used the Concorde in both directions.

Moreover, the shift of the Heads of State and diplomats in Paris to take Concorde was during a visit to the tenant of the Elysee Palace before flying to their final destination.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Mountbatten down the Concorde to Bergstrom Air Force Base in 1991

In 1991, Franois Mitterrand used the Concorde to go to Saudi Arabia a few days before the Gulf war to meet the king and support the French troops stationed in the Kingdom.

Taking into account the views

The reaction of residents against the prospect of significant noise due to theft has also been a significant social change. Before the first test flight of Concorde, the new civil aviation industry were largely accepted by democratic governments and their constituents. Popular protest (especially on the east coast of the United States) against the noise of Concorde marked a breaking point policy. Subsequently, scientists and engineers from various fields have begun to consider more seriously the environmental and social impacts of their innovations.

From this point of view, the great leap forward technique embodied by the Concorde was also a leap forward for public awareness (and media) conflict between technology and natural ecosystems that are still relevant. Many current aircraft produce less particulate pollution and noise, and this may be part of the legacy of Concorde. The use of noise barriers along the lines of the TGV would perhaps not have been so developed without the protests of the 1970s about the noise pollution from planes.

Concorde at the Queen's Jubilee, with the Red Arrows in 2002

A ticket on a regular Concorde was a privilege for the rich. However, some charter flights circular Loops (supersonic) or one way (with return by car, train or boat) were organized and accessible to enthusiasts were less fortunate.

The Concorde also appeared at royal events in the United Kingdom, sometimes flying in formation with the patrol of Red Arrows. He also participated in numerous air shows and was accompanied by the Patrouille de France.

A stamp was published in France in his image, copy a picture as F-BTSC. A seal first supersonic mail also existed for the first service to Rio de Janeiro by mail on the Concorde (which would not, however, continued).

The future supersonic

In 1992, Aerospatiale Aircraft has submitted a preliminary draft supersonic "Alliance" said ATSF for Supersonic Transport Aircraft of the Future. This project was carrying 250 people on 10,000 km at a similar speed ( Mach 2 ). With an elongation larger (2.2 instead of 1.56) the aerodynamic efficiency (the ratio of lift / drag) would have been 10 instead of 7.3 for the Concorde, the specific consumption (relative to the thrust) remaining the same, 1.1 instead of 1.2 kg / daN / h, consumption per passenger per 100 km would be lowered from 18 to 13 L. The current values (in 2010) for subsonic aircraft are the most efficient of about 2.5 to 3 per passenger L/100 km ^, .

In November 2003, the company EADS , which codtient Airbus (with BAe Systems ) announced that it was working with Japanese airlines to develop a larger aircraft and more than twice as fast ( supersonic ) and Concorde .

Concerning state aid to research, the network "Research on Supersonic Aircraft" created in 2000 by Executive Technology (Ministry of Research) was closed in 2004.

A cooperation agreement between the group of French manufacturers of aerospace and space (Gifas) and his Japanese counterpart SJAC was signed at the Paris Air Show 2005 . The Franco-Japanese supersonic successor to Concorde could carry 250 people expected between Mach 1.6 and 1.8 to 23 000 m altitude, 13 000 km. Its first flight could take place in 2017 .

Projects "hypersonic" is more futuristic than realistic set aside, it appears that supersonic aircraft "possible" would have a speed of about Mach 1.6 , and turbofan engines without reheat with the best possible performance in subsonic. The issue of aerodynamic efficiency, much lower than that of a subsonic aircraft, remains open.

The British company Reaction Engines Limited is engaged in a research program called LAPCAT , 50% funded by the European Union via the ESA. This project aims to explore the possibility of an airplane powered by hydrogen and carrying 300 passengers, A2. The hypersonic plane would be able to fly between Brussels and Sydney at Mach 5 in 4.6 hours.

References

Source table of Concorde

• (In) This article is partially or entirely from the article in English entitled " Concorde "(see the list of authors )

Notes

Related articles

• List of civil aircraft
• Tupolev Tu-144 airplane comparable
• Differences between the Concorde and Tupolev Tu-144

External Links

• Concorde in the press, from 1965 to 2003 (over 700 documents)
• (In) ConcordeSST, the reference site on all aspects Concorde
• Another reference site with photos and videos Concorde
• F-blog WTSS Concorde side slide from a former maintenance technician on Concorde
• attempting to collect data every Concorde flight from flight logs tendered by personal flying or soil
• (In) Records held by Concorde

Bibliography

• (En) (fr) Dergel Xavier and Jean-Philippe Lemaire, Concorde Passion, LBM, 2009 ( ISBN 2-9153-4773-5 and 978-2-9153-4773-9 ).
• Edouard Chemel, signed Concorde Skies, Seven 7: Album DVD, 2006 (ISBN F-0148-3612-2).
• Michel Fraile and Frederick Beniada, Concorde, Epa Editions, 2005 ( ISBN 2-8512-0617-6 and 978-2-8512-0617-6 ).
• Peter Marlow, AA Gill and Mike Bannister, Concorde, the last summer, Thames & Hudson, 2006 ( ISBN 2-8781-1283-0 and 978-2-8781-1283-2 ).
• Pierre Sparaco, Concorde, the real story, Lariviere, et al. "Docavia, 2005 ( ISBN 2-8489-0111-X and 978-2-8489-0111-4 ).
• Xavier Masse, Plane Concorde New Latin editions, 2004 ( ISBN 2-7233-2045-6 and 978-2-7233-2045-0 ).
• Edouard Chemel, The Life of Concorde F-BVFB, Le Cherche Midi, et al. Skies of the World, 2004 ( ISBN 978-2-7491-0311-2 and 978-2-7491-0311-2 ).
• Jean-Pierre Mithois, "Concorde: 20 Years Ahead - The key to success today," Aerospace Journal , ^no off-set 20 years of Aerospace, 1990.
• Germain Chambost Mithois and Jean-Pierre, "Testing of Concorde - No time to be afraid," Aerospace Journal , special issue ^No. 20 of Aerospatiale, 1990, excerpt from The drivers of the same authors, Editions Presses de la Cit , 1976.
• Claude Carlier and Gatan Sciacco, The Passion of the conquest, EADS Aerospatiale, 1970-2000, Editions du Chene, 2001.
• Peyrat-Andre Armandy, transport aircraft and modern future.
• Andre Turcat, Concorde - Tests yesterday, today's battles, Le Cherche Midi editor, 2000 ( ISBN 2-8627-4820-X and 978-2-8627-4820-7 ).
• Alain and Gerard Ernoult Jouany, Concorde - The legend flying, Editions Du May, 2002 ( ISBN 2-8410-2079-7 and 978-2-8410-2079-9 ).
• (En) (de) Wolfgang Tillmans, Concorde Publishing Walther Knig, 1997 ( ISBN 3-8837-5273-8 ).
• (In) Christopher Orlebar, The Concorde Story: 21 Years in Service, Osprey Publishing, 2004 ( ISBN 1-8553-2667-1 and 978-1-8553-2667-5 ).
• (In) Peter March, The Concorde Story, Sutton Publishing, 2005 ( ISBN 0-7509-3980-X and 978-0-7509-3980-5 ).
• (In) Brian Calvert, Flying Concorde - The full story, Crowood, 2002 ( ISBN 1-8403-7352-0 and 978-1-8403-7352-3 ).
• (In) Gunter Endres, Concorde (Airliner Color History), Motorbooks International, 2001 ( ISBN 0-7603-1195-1 and 978-0-7603-1195-0 ).
• (In) Kev Darling, Concorde (Crowood Aviation Series), The Crowood Press, 2004 ( ISBN 1-8612-6654-5 and 978-1-8612-6654-5 ).
• Henry and Houmaire ARSHRF, Roissy-en-France 1900-2000 - Memory of a Century edited by the municipality and Mr. Heinz Gloor, 2003.

Transonic or supersonic civil aircraft
Aircraft products	Concorde Tupolev Tu-144
Proposed or abandoned	2707 Boeing Boeing Sonic Cruiser Tupolev Tu-244 Tupolev Tu-444 Lockheed L-2000 Reaction Engines A2 Leopard WJR1 Skylon
Aircraft fiction	Carreidas C-160

• Aviation portal