Hatton Cross Concorde

Saw her today too wet to get a decent pic

Saw her today too wet to get a decent pic.

G-BOAB has definitely moved from near Hatton Cross Underground Station between Eastchurch Road and Viscount Way as mmitt stated.

G-BOAB is currently (today Thu 07 March 2013) certainly clearly visible from the Southern Perimeter Road or Great South West Road and obviously Myrtle Avenue.

In fact anyone looking out from aircraft taxiing to get on to 27L or taking off or landing on 27L will get a nice look at her.

Even though reportedly temporary it is a better location than her previous one.

As has been reported on this forum and elsewhere, Alpha Bravo was one of the two BA Concordes that were not returned to flight for the post-Paris relaunch. Instead parts were used from her to help the five flyers – in particular AB never received the fuel tank liners, so she won’t be flying again come what may. She was used for trials of the new interior for the relaunch, but never fitted with a full interior and the trial fit was removed. While most of the aircraft systems are still relatively intact, the fuselage is a stripped out shell.

When the rest of the BA fleet were dispersed to museums, AB was deliberately kept at Heathrow. When Terminal Five was in the design stages there were plans to mount AB on the roundabout outside, much as the model Concorde had been at the entrance to the Central Area tunnels, only rather more imposing! Somehow the design of the roundabout got changed so that a road went underneath and by the time anyone realised that the revised design would no longer support the weight of even an empty Concorde construction was too far advanced to do anything about it without major cost implications.

Alpha Bravo seems destined to remain rather ‘nomadic’ within the airfield boundary for a few years to come. Various plans have been mooted for more permanent display, but so far none have come to anything. Wherever it goes, it will very likely stay around the BA maintenance base as that means the cost of parking it is much smaller.

Thanks for this – I shall try to get a decent shot of her

I understand that she has been move to a site visible from Myrtle ave at Hatton Cross. In a car park there
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/426061_10200164455907476_1923288196_n.jpg
LHR wanted to make more room for aircraft to park where she was. She is planned to stay there for about 12 months.
She has little interior as it was stripped out for replacement which was stopped when the retirement was announced.
mmitch.

Hi mmitch
Thanks for this update.
Now that the weather is marginally better I shall try to get a decent pic. of her. (I shall skulk around Myrtle Ave until I see her);)
Wonder what happens to her after 12 months?
Best regards
jay

The glider seems to be a new idea for apprentice training; though I’m not sure how restoring a wooden glider helps in airline engineering;

It’s to teach hand skills. it doesn’t matter what it is as long as it teaches young people how to file, bend and shape material.
I helped build an electrical car. It taught me **** all about mending aircraft but it taught me how to hold a file and to drill a hole (reasonably) straight.

Rgds Cking

I work at BA and have it that the Concorde is stripped out internally. She was recently painted and moved.

Grounded for 10 years now- can’t believe it 🙁

Blimey, yes you’re right. Had passes into BAE Filton to watch the final flight, which was very sad (and bloomin’ cold and ‘wet’ with a hail storm at one point).

Have a few choice bits of Concorde cockpit in my collection, my ‘prize’ being an undercarriage indicator (quite unusual design as it shows FOUR sets of gear not the usual three) which was in the bottom of a misc box of bits I bought from the Dovebid sale. Also have a G/Incidence strip gauge, a ‘Landing & Warning System’ indicator, a nice early alt and a few other bits and bobs. Is anyone is interested i’ll post a few pics when I get time….

Grounded for 10 years now- can’t believe it 🙁

I understand that she has been move to a site visible from Myrtle ave at Hatton Cross. In a car park there
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/426061_10200164455907476_1923288196_n.jpg
LHR wanted to make more room for aircraft to park where she was. She is planned to stay there for about 12 months.
She has little interior as it was stripped out for replacement which was stopped when the retirement was announced.
mmitch.

G-BOAB has moved again (2nd time in a few months)

G-BOAB vanished from oppos. Hatton Cross Underground Station a few months ago and re-appeared only to vanish again more recently (ie a few days ago).

Anyone have any up to date info as to what the latest is or the whereabouts of G-BOAB?

Part of the EASA pt66 / part 147 includes wooden structures…. also, its damn good fun being able to play with dead aircraft and resurecting old dead ones!

Several aircraft were open for the families day, but not the Concorde, so no way of knowing how it looks inside, though the outside looks very smart.

Two de-icing platforms were providing up-and-down rides.

The glider seems to be a new idea for apprentice training; though I’m not sure how restoring a wooden glider helps in airline engineering; I understand they may have acquired two or three more similar gliders at the same time. . .

Great pics! Was you able to go inside Concorde? What was the big platform thing that kept going up and down? A de icer or paint sprayer?

That’s interesting about the glider! Is that something they do often restore old a/c? Where will it go when finished?

Pics of the Concorde today, and the BA balloon (G-CDJY) being cold-inflated. . .
Only other historical item was Slingsby Eagle BGA 880/BDF, recently acquired for restoration by BA engineering apprentices.

It looks like the engines are in her for sure

Any truth to the rumour that she’s a shell with bundles of old BA Inflight magazines shoved forward to keep the nose down ?

The hot air ballon in BA colours has been taken down already, it must be some sort of family day as I saw a few youngsters near conc, I hope she is here to stay at hatton x for good, I drove past quite close and she is in cracking condition, well done to whoever looks after her.