Concorde at Heathrow

Anyone got any updates on BOAB? I had a visit to T5 the other day and they didn’t say anything about it although I forgot to ask.
Whilst T5 A & B are built there is planned to be a T5 C later on. Could it be that she will go there as per some of the original thoughts?

T5C is already half built. All the below apron substructure for T5C was built during the T5A and T5B construction.

T5C above apron is already designed and work on site will be starting in the near future. There isn’t enough space in T5A and B for all of BA’s heathrow operation, so the T5C programme has been brought forward.

I don’t think you’ll see BOAB anywhere near T5A,B or C, there is just not the space for it, BA don’t have enough space for their needs as it is without clogging it up with a redundant Concorde.

When I was on the T5 design team, just after BA announced it’s retirement, there was idle speculation that BOAB might get stripped out to a shell and get hung inside T5 from the roof beams above the check-in area. It would have fitted but the costs due to design changes and programme changes during construction put paid to that idea quite quickly from memory….:D

I’m certain nobody HERE could!! (all being aircraft enthusiasts!)- but somebody scrapped the last Hornet without batting an eyelid!!

If you look at the impact of the type on British aviation you have to seriously wonder if it’s actually worth preserving the number we have in the U.K.
It could be also argued that the costs involved in both housing and in some cases moving them by surface transport has been to the detriment of other more worthy aircraft that need either displaying or restoring.

While you might be right about the engineering effect that Concorde had on the British aviation industry, you have to remember what an iconic design that Concorde is, and how important that cache is on museum attendance.

As opposed to aviation nuts like us, most people do not visit museums to see Dragon Rapides or DeHavilland Comets. They go to see the items that are relevant to their lifetimes. Sadly this does not include older types as much as it once did. With each new generation the past achievements become less accessible. It’s a sad truth. Aviation is not the cutting edge field that it once was.

I was talking about this very issue with two curators from internationally recognized museums just a few days ago, and they expressed very similar sentiments.

I don’t have the facts in front of me, but I feel sure that museums which gained a concorde as an exhibit benefitted far more (in terms of visitors) from that one artifact than pretty much any other that they could put in. Having a concorde puts these museums in a special class, at least it does for the average person. It is such a beautiful design that even non-aviation minded people are drawn to it.

Museums that cater solely to the aviation enthusiast have a much harder time drawing attendees than those with a more broader appeal. It’s just the way it is.

Personally speaking, I am very glad that they did their best to save every one of the aircraft that they did. Who here could honestly admit to being willing to swing the first axe at one of these remarkable birds?

Richard

If you look at the impact of the type on British aviation you have to seriously wonder if it’s actually worth preserving the number we have in the U.K.
It could be also argued that the costs involved in both housing and in some cases moving them by surface transport has been to the detriment of other more worthy aircraft that need either displaying or restoring.

BA’s stated goal is for G-BOAb to be displayed down in the Terminal5 areas, but this will not be until after construction has finished. They need to know operationally how the the new ramp and taxi areaa works before a spot is chosen for ‘AB.

Failing all this, she could be shipped to a museum, like G-BOAA (East Fortune) or G-BBDG (Brooklands) were, but there really are not a lot of museums in the UK with the sort of funds required to do this work…even if BA were to help as they did with AA and DG, recently 30K was a struggle for the Bournemouth 1-11, to move Concorde would be a factor of 10 more expensive.

BA made a wise decision in 2003 to keep all their 8 Concordes. They could have scrapped the historically significant G-BBDG and offered G-BOAA to Brookands with G-BOAB going to East Fortune, but you have to agree that they did the right thing. Their biggest problem was 8 Concorde’s but only 7 interiors!

Can anyone remember Concordes display at DX about 20 years ago.
With a full compliment of passengers, he flew very low down the runway, stood it on it’s tail and applied full reheat, climbing into a wingover, I thought he was going to barrell roll it, the noise made the Vulcan sound like a pussycat.
On the other hand I was on a cross channel ferry to Cherbourg when the captain warned us that Concorde was approaching and to be prepared for the sonic boom. You could see it coming from miles away but the actual noise was no greater than a double pistol shot.

Wasn’t at DX for that but I do remember as a lad living in the village next to Brands Hatch, seeing one of the BA Concorde’s display from a flat roof on the front of my parents house over Brands at an early ’80’s Formula 1 GP when part of the day was a flying display which always had some fine aircraft flying. I remember it did a low n’ slow pass over the circuit (and village!) with U/C, nose and flaps down and engines wound open! I could feel the whole house trembling, fortunately the NIMBY’s weren’t buying properties next to racing circuits, airfield/airports, church bell towers etc. and petitioning to close/stop them like they do now. On family holidays in Cornwall a regular bit of evening entertainment was hearing the kitchen window ‘flex’ when the sonic boom occured!

Anyone got any updates on BOAB? I had a visit to T5 the other day and they didn’t say anything about it although I forgot to ask.
Whilst T5 A & B are built there is planned to be a T5 C later on. Could it be that she will go there as per some of the original thoughts?
Can’t see her going in to LHR East when it is built as there will be nothing in that for BA.
Could also put a B777 sim in there for interest. I know where a realistic cockpit might be going spare at the moment!
Have used the real B777 sim in the past and would recommend it if you get the chance of an invite.

For those of you that may have been around for the evening take off at EGLL, the noise factor associated with Concorde could not really have been described, only felt, One of the few time I saw her leave Heathrow was from the confines of a display stand when a mid day departure, probably one of those tour bus flights passed over head, at the time I took a look around at various stands in sight and too a man every single person there was looking up as she passed low overhead direct Ockham, but the sound was the striking thing about it, building through the background noise from the city to announce her departure, Concorde could be heard long before she was ever in sight, something to savour everytime you heard it, and when you finally did, the only thought you could ever have was British Aviation Engineering at it’s very best.

Can anyone remember Concordes display at DX about 20 years ago.
With a full compliment of passengers, he flew very low down the runway, stood it on it’s tail and applied full reheat, climbing into a wingover, I thought he was going to barrell roll it, the noise made the Vulcan sound like a pussycat.
On the other hand I was on a cross channel ferry to Cherbourg when the captain warned us that Concorde was approaching and to be prepared for the sonic boom. You could see it coming from miles away but the actual noise was no greater than a double pistol shot.

Noise Pollution Indeed.

For those of you that may have been around for the evening take off at EGLL, the noise factor associated with Concorde could not really have been described, only felt, One of the few time I saw her leave Heathrow was from the confines of a display stand when a mid day departure, probably one of those tour bus flights passed over head, at the time I took a look around at various stands in sight and too a man every single person there was looking up as she passed low overhead direct Ockham, but the sound was the striking thing about it, building through the background noise from the city to announce her departure, Concorde could be heard long before she was ever in sight, something to savour everytime you heard it, and when you finally did, the only thought you could ever have was British Aviation Engineering at it’s very best.

Just imagine for a minute if the guys had got their hands on one of these beautiful birds!!! Anyone who has been to one of the absolutely superb LPG days or the Cold War Jets open days will know the experience Bruntingthorpe provides!! It is amazing!! I went yo the CWJ day in 2005 and I was blown away by the sight of these historic A/C, although consigned to ground, how noisy and generally, in those days, no body give a f*ck about noise pollution!! Two EE Lightnings, in pairs, no more than 15 metres from you winding up, and then lighting the burners and disappearing into the distance. Deafness Guaranteed!!! I never saw Concorde taking off, only landing. Was she really that loud?? As loud as two Lightnings reaching for the sky??? Would she have competed at Bruntingthorpe with Englands finest jet fighter??? And Englands finest commercial aircraft??

Concorde at Brunty

The way that lot work at raising the dead it would not surpise me one bit, imagine one tooling up and down the runway…… :dev2:

I still reckon one should have gone to Brunty for the open days…:diablo:

I wonder is NASA will adopted the same policy when the Space Shuttle is retired. Based on BA’s thinking, I expect to see a SS on display in China!

The BGI hangar has been repaired with Concorde back inside for 18 months.

Work with 2 local and 2 Canadian companies to put on a special exhibition is at an advanced stage. Opening was scheduled for Nov 06, but will now be spring 07….pace of life in the Caribean is not what it is elsewhere!

Read recently that the Barbados government bodies responsible for the upkeep of AE had finalised their dispute with the US company “Everlast”, they built the enclosure for the airframe that suffered damage to it’s roof and walls by employing a local company to refurbish the structure using materials that would withstand a CAT 3 storm after which the airframe was to be moved indoors and prepared for public display, Friends were there two weeks ago and work was well underway but reported that untill completed it is to remain out side and only exterior walk rounds are permitted.

Any recent news and or photographs of ‘AE at Barbados?

I took a trip on BOAB in 1996. Sadly never to be repeated.
If you look on Google Earth you see two Speedbirds docked at T4, one with a catering van in attendance!
Not sure about having three a/c on the runway at the same time though!

Its the salty atmosphere in that area that gives cause for concern. She needs to be isolated from it

A few points

BA engineering look after the a/c, certain steps have been take to preserve the airframe.

Aircraft appearance team clean here pretty regularly

She was used to store out of hours engines in here bays before they were given to museum, hence the ballast in the front hold….its plastic sealed hi-life mags!

No Concordes have any significant fuel in them, Filton have 3T of ballast in forward hold. Cofg is only and issue with 4 engines fitted.

G-BOAB will move to T5, but airside, when it opens.

G-BOAB had the majority of her interior removed in 2002 for the Project rocket upgrade in 2002 (New toilets,galleys, wardrobes etc..), new fitting were in the process of being fitted when the work was halted pending Concorde’s retirement. Part of her pre-project rocket interior is now fitted inside G-BBDG at Brooklands.

BA’s retirement plan was to use G-BOAB as a marketing device at LHR and G-BBDG as a publicly accessible Concorde in the south east in a Museum environment. they had 8 Concordes on the books, but with only 7 interiors….and you could not expect any museum to restore G-BBDG without being able to fit an interior that allowed public visits and therefore a revenue stream.

The Concorde that need an eye kept on is G-BOAD in New York!

Saw G-BOAD on its barge last week, the plans for the new Pier 86 is to have the Concorde actually on the pier alongside the Intrepid when it returns from its ‘leave’ over in New Jersey in 18 months time, all this info from the display boards onboard the Intrepid

A few points

BA engineering look after the a/c, certain steps have been take to preserve the airframe.

Aircraft appearance team clean here pretty regularly

She was used to store out of hours engines in here bays before they were given to museum, hence the ballast in the front hold….its plastic sealed hi-life mags!

No Concordes have any significant fuel in them, Filton have 3T of ballast in forward hold. Cofg is only and issue with 4 engines fitted.

G-BOAB will move to T5, but airside, when it opens.

G-BOAB had the majority of her interior removed in 2002 for the Project rocket upgrade in 2002 (New toilets,galleys, wardrobes etc..), new fitting were in the process of being fitted when the work was halted pending Concorde’s retirement. Part of her pre-project rocket interior is now fitted inside G-BBDG at Brooklands.

BA’s retirement plan was to use G-BOAB as a marketing device at LHR and G-BBDG as a publicly accessible Concorde in the south east in a Museum environment. they had 8 Concordes on the books, but with only 7 interiors….and you could not expect any museum to restore G-BBDG without being able to fit an interior that allowed public visits and therefore a revenue stream.

The Concorde that need an eye kept on is G-BOAD in New York!