Rare Concorde Photo's

I was just being mischevious :diablo:

Nah….don’t believe that…not you 😉 😀

Wasn’t really what I had envisaged,

Me neither. I was just being mischevious :diablo:

IMHO the best possible use would have been as the ‘Queen’s Flight’ Carrying HM (And presumably President Tony) on trips abroad.

Would never get it past the ‘republican’ left these drab days.

Shame.

Moggy

If Concorde had become a tanker too….

Aah I see……. 😮

Wasn’t really what I had envisaged, not really any point in that I would have thought, especially with the ‘civilianisation’ of the future AAR role.

I was thinking more along the lines of a high altitude high speed recce role would have been more logical, especially with no Canberra and SR-71 replacements on the horizon….a sort of half-way house between the 2 really.
And it’s been proved time and again you can’t alway rely on satellites.

Hi
Anybody know when this was taken and were, given to me by a friend.
Dont know who the pic was taken by.
Phil. 🙂

Thanks MMitch and Christian..!
Yes she is 002 as in the first pic you can barely make it out but on the upper fuselage above the first 3 cabin windows it says “2ND Prototype 002”

VC-10’s and Tristar’s arn’t that fast Moggy :confused:

Even a flying flickknife can cope with AAR from them with a bit of burner now and again……. 😉

Quite so.

The VC10s and Tristars became tankers.

If Concorde had become a tanker too….

Moggy

RAF Year Book 1971

RAF Year book 1971.
Obviously somebody was taking it seriously.
Phil. 🙂

Hi
Phil
that’s exactly the picture I was thinking of in my earlier post.
I’m glad you found that.
Thanks
Andy

RAF Concord.

RAF Year book 1971.

For better or worse the somewhat-smaller Concord is a fact, and a very expensive one. We must hope that it will be accepted internationally for
commercial service, despite the environmental problems. In any case, as
the aircraft has been brought to a practical stage, at such cost, it would
seem sensible to recoup some of the outlay by adapting it for military use.
There are tasks for which a small number of Air Support Command Concord
transports would be valuable, even in the light of Britain’s deminishing
international commitments. They would provide RAF aircrews with
experience of flying large aircraft for long distances at twice the speed
sound, and so act as a stepping stone between the aircraft of today and
the really high speed machines that will perform future transport roles and,
probably, restore the deterrant from its present, rather stupid place under
the sea to its righful location in the skies.
John W R Taylor
Editor of Janes.
Obviously somebody was taking it seriously.
Phil. 🙂

Because none of the aircraft they were refuelling could have kept up, Silly.

VC-10’s and Tristar’s arn’t that fast Moggy :confused:

Even a flying flickknife can cope with AAR from them with a bit of burner now and again……. 😉

BA should have given them to the RAF last year…… 😀

After all they passed on the VC-10’s and Tristar’s so why not the ‘pocket rocket’…….. 😉

Because none of the aircraft they were refuelling could have kept up, Silly.

Moggy :p

Photos

Peter,
The photos are 99% certain of 002 (look at the tail).
It’s NOT the formal roll-out, but at some stage in the assembly the aircraft was turned round in the Brab hangar.
Top and bottom photo are clearly of the same aircraft and taken at the same time.
It’s definitely not a production aircraft (short tail). In theory it could have been AXDN, but there is a photo on the concordesst.com forum showing DN at exactly the same stage in the assembly, and there are minor differences visible.
I have no explanation for the blankets on top of the fuselage.
They could have been to keep the rain out of the still open aerial holes, but then the wings would have been covered as well. Maybe bird poop protection: the Brab hangar always had a lot of sparrows, and the odd pigeon.

Christian

Would it have been actually feesable to operate in this role? Wouldn’t have a somewhat limited capacity due to the small cabin diameter? But i agree with the comment that they should have offered the RAF at least one airframe to keep operating now… let alone then.
But as atransporter… wow… we can only wish.
BARNOWL

“I remember an artists impression appearing in a RAF yearbook of Concorde in Transport Command markings so yes, there were plans for the RAF to operate a number. Apart from that I know nothing about the details or even how serious the plan was. It was in an era when just about everything was being cancelled that had wings so it probably never stood a chance.
I’m sorry Peter feels his thread didn’t get the respose he hoped. It did get a lot of people viewing it. We also all know by now that almost everything is subjected to ridicule etc once posted on this site. I think it’s part of the charm myself. Just a personal opinion.
Andy”

I don’t know how serious it was but there wasn’t an interceptor that could have got close without running out of fuel!

of course the a/c could be G-BBDG the first production a/c that did all the route proving certifying ect for the production concorde’s along with its french counterpart.

Thanks for the reply G BSST. So presumably it would be G-BOAA or later? I note the drawing of the missile equipped Concorde is credited to Arthur Gibson. He was the photographer who took the Red Arrows and Concorde flying over the QE2. I wonder if he was commissioned by the Concorde PR people to try and get someone interested?
mmitch.

I have found this thread throught the SST fourum and everyone on there says that they have never heard of RAF interest in the concorde. The forum has ex-concorde engineers ex-BAC employees ect. and none of them have heard of this elusive RAF concorde.
So where can i find more info on this mysterious plane.
p.s the aircraft in the first pic is a production standerd aircraft

This thread has now been cross linked with one on the Concorde SST-General Discussion forum.
mmitch.

I remember an artists impression appearing in a RAF yearbook of Concorde in Transport Command markings so yes, there were plans for the RAF to operate a number. Apart from that I know nothing about the details or even how serious the plan was. It was in an era when just about everything was being cancelled that had wings so it probably never stood a chance.

Found this in the RAF Golden Jubilee Souvenir Book 1918-1968

Concorde with Blue Steel 😮

Peter, There is a website/forums called Concorde SST. It has former Concorde engineers etc among its members. Perhaps they can confirm that the photos are 002. This was the first British built prototype and is now at the FAA Yeovilton Museum.
Concorde SST are also providing practical and financial help on the Concorde now at Brooklands Museum. G-BBDG was the near production aircraft that BA bought as a spare and kept at Filton. The website is here: http://www.concordesst.com/
mmitch.

Good photos Peter.
Thanks for posting them.

I second that without hesitation.
So what happened to that particular airframe, was it eventually completed and flew with the others ?