Concorde...

[Charlie911]

Progress is progress but I cannot understand why Concorde could fly you over to USA or Aussie in no time but nowdays because of progress there is no Concorde and it takes blasted ages and ages and when flying to Australia I had to have a day in some god foresaken place. I just wanted to fly there asap!!

[VHG]

Concorde was noisy and was banned in some airports.

Concorde was small so could not take many passengers so had to charge more per passenger.

[Sqad]

VHG...yes I agree, the American´s banned it ostensibly for the noise, but I have my doubts. Excellent service from Heathrow to Washington 3.5 hours, but had to flu subsonic over the Carolinas to Miami.

Great aircraft, but after the French disaster it was doomed.

[Old_Geezer]

I suspect sour grapes was more to the point. Yes it was noisy, not as much as some would make out, but it was also gone a lot quicker.

I guess it isn't around today because there isn't the demand at the price that would be needed to be charged. One can not convince me that problems with the tyres and suchlike that led to the crash were insurmountable. It's like we have gone backwards with our tech.

Still maybe if we don't build the fast passenger planes any more, we looks as if we are going to concentrate on the massive planes. That must be something I suppose.

[jake-the-peg]

It had to fly subsonic most of the way to Australia
http://www.concordess...story/events/sia.html

And stopped after a few years because it couldn't make money.

Progress now is in the price

[benny3008]

What do you mean when you say 'subsonic', exactly how fast is this?

[jno]

Concorde and jumbos came out about the same time. Concorde was like earlier flying - elite and expensive, but much quicker. Jumbos were the new thing: cut prices and cram them in like sardines. The latter proved to be the new age of flying. Concorde had its uses flying over oceans but was banned over most countries, and it was too expensive for a mass audience.

[jno]

PS you should be able to get to Oz without a stopover, except a couple of hours for refuelling.

[Prudie]

Don't get me on Concorde! Most beautuful aircraft that I think should have been kept for that reason alone. Fact is it was too expensive and that's that. The Paris crash was just an excuse to finish it off (its first and only crash). Good job they didn't give up on first crashes with DC10s, 747s and Airbuses or you'd never get anywhere by air!

[237SJ]

The Americans banned Concorde in the beginning because they were peeved that Europe beat them to a supersonic aircraft and they used noise as an excuse. The way to go in the future is by size and environmental concerns rather than small and supersonic. Most modern aircraft fly at about 500mph.
Concorde would still be flying if Air France had not decided to ground them. The British Concordes had no choice but to call it a day at the same time. Difficulty in obtaining parts was sited as the reason Britian had to ban them but it was a French decision really. Other aircraft manufacturers wanted the licence to produce parts but Airbus (who Aerospatial the concorde makers became) wouldn`t hand it over.
There is talk of 15 million quid being raised to get the Air France Concorde flying again as a heritage aircraft but it may never happen

[craft1948]

Saw Concorde on the tarmac at Charles de Gaulle airport........beautiful looking plane, yet so dainty next to the other aircraft.

[Count-A-Strong]

I saw one land at Leeds Bradford airport and I've still got tinitus from the damn thing.

[craft1948]

Must admit Count I was at the British Grand Prix one year when Concorde did a fly past............I was in agony from the noise.

[sandyRoe]

Isn't there one at Heathrow airport?

[jg96]

Theres one at Manchester. Once on the M25 when Concorde took off from Heathrow the car sunroof was rattling when it went over

[sddsddean]

I visited the one that is a museum in Barbados last December and got my ambition of sitting in Concorde...even if it wasn't flying! As said it was tiny (as I knew). I'm 6' 3" and could just stand up in the aisle. Tiny windows, no in flight entertainment (by the time you had your 5 course meal you were approaching landing!), leather seats and the steward(ess)'s had instructions to keep the champagne topped up! Very small overhead lockers, no 'belly' storage for luggage...it all went in a special compartment in the tail so everyone was limited to one bag! How did some of the 'divas' manage?! Still the most beautiful aeroplane though. A crying shame Richard Branson wasn't allowed to keep just one flying for pleasure trips so we all had the chance to 'see what its like'.

[AlBags]

Concorde WILL fly again .. just like Vulcan did.
There were supposedly no parts left for Vulcan, yet loads were found and bought up.
Once a company is formed to resurrect Concorde, buy up parts and give it some flying hours, it will be back. I'm certain of that.

[jno]

there were 136 Vulcans but only 20 Concordes so it won't be so easy.

[VHG]

I was returning a hire car at Heathrow many years ago. I popped into a garage just outside the airport perimiter to refill the car with petrol.

All of a sudden I heard this almighty noise (I thought an atom bomb had gone off) and I turned round to see concorde taking off.

The noise lasted ages and I think it is still the loudest noise I have ever heard.

Beautiful plane though.

[Vagrant]

Benny - subsonic means slower than (about) 700 mph. Concord could fly at roughly twice this speed

[Meg]

I don't live far from Aintree. Concorde just to fly over bringing folks for the Grand National. Wasn't noisy, just a beautiful plane to see.
One year my son (6 at the time) came running in all excited, said he'd seen something smashing. "Did you see Concorde" I asked
He replied "Yes Mum, it was super, but there are 2 people shagging in the woods across the road"