Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Will the Concorde Fly Again?



   On September 26, 1973, an Air France Concorde flew non-stop from Washington, DC, to Paris.  This was the first nonstop supersonic flight flown by an airliner.   A few short years later, Air France and British Airways put the Concorde into full service, with daily flights from France and Great Britian to the United States.   Unfortunately times do change, The Concorde was retired following a much-publicized catastrophic crash in Paris in July 2000, after nearly 30 years, the Concorde became impractical to maintain.
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     After ten years since the Concorde was retired, the jet, many still remember the spectacular experience of flying on the Concorde.   "The world’s only supersonic passenger plane could return to the skies, with a group of aviation enthusiasts raising more than $400 million to see the Concorde fly again."   A group of aviation fans in England have raised $400 million in a bid to see the aircraft fly again – however the plane, which once flew from Paris to New York in a record two hours and 52 minutes, is unlikely to be given the green light from aviation regulators.

     “The shape, and of course the performance of the aircraft – it’s an amazing aircraft, both inside and outside,” Nathalie Plan, from the Aeroscopia Museum.
However, Ms Plan said she did not believe the plane would ever fly again.
“No, unfortunately not – it’s not possible anymore.
The Concorde flew a maximum speed of twice the speed of sound.


     This is an important part of commercial aviation history, it would be excellent to see this bird fly again.  It fits right up there with the "Blackbird" as far as truly advanced technology in aviation.  If you should make it to Barbados, there is one of these planes in their museum on the airport.

     "In the Museum, you get the opportunity to fly the Concorde yourself. It is a simulation, of course, but so realistic it gives a tingle to your nerves as you guide the plane along the runway on the screen in front of you, pull back on the throttle and see it rise gradually and gracefully into the air and then guide it on its journey – to wherever you wish around Barbados. You can do with it things which most people have only been able to read about or imagine, making the plane dive, climb, loop and so on and, if you are careful enough and have not crashed it, you can have the immense pleasure of landing it on the same runway from which it had lifted off under your own guidance and piloting. It is an experience to be long remembered."