gordoRight people, time to put your money where your mouths are and PLEDGE money for this project
http://www.vulcan558club.com/pledge_form.asp
We all want to see this succeed and pledging does not mean that you give them the money now, they will only be back to collect it when they know it will be going towards the project not wind down payments.
So lets start system on this thread “I’ve pledged” and make a difference
I’ve pledged another £100 to the project.
gordothanks
A lot of that stuff was duplicated (correctly) above, so could be deleted.
gordoslight shame about the numerous typo’s contained in the text,
that’s cause i can’t spell!! Please let me know the ones that bug you and i’ll fix!
Seriously guys, thanks for all your comments, its been a real team effort. I hope you find the time to visit.
The restoration work continues over the coming years with the elevons and buckets waiting to be fitted, plus treatment and painting the underside of the wings soon to get underway
gordoshe opens to public for tours on Aug 1st
We’ve got a fantastic AV sequence in forward cabin that takes you an a virtual flight….just don’t look out the window
in the Aft cabin is a custom designed exhibition and video telling the story of G-BBDG
gordoThe attitude of Gordo and his chums on ConcordeSST.com, is typical and if you look at their forum – despite reminiscing about life and times at The Green Man
Don’t think we’ve had a get together there for a while, last get together was a fantastic weekend in Edinburgh.
As for their Concorde – its not theirs!
Of Course its not silly. Its BA owned. About 1/3 of Brooklands Concorde Volunteers are members on the SST forum. Next biggest chunk is former Concorde engineers who worked Concorde for 27 years or longer!
if they were as to up to date on their facts and if they claim to know the people well enough as SCG do then they would know that most of the senior ex-Concorde personnel see no technical reason why the plane could not fly.
See Answer above. Nothing is impossible, but highly unlikely. As you know in 2003 BA did nothing to the actual 5 serviceable Concordes that would prevent them flying again, as for the support infrastructure thats gone!
gordoAll he did was just sit there and did nothing as I took his photo.
There are 2 buttons on the front of the barrier that “start him off’ Its pretty clever technology that evolved a bit since this one was installed.
Glad you enjoyed your visits, spread the word about a fantastic day out with something for everyone….for only £7!
gordoAircraft outside do not last!
Exactly.
Fortunately for Concorde, BA gave them to Museum with medium term plans for buildings to house them inside.
When the aircraft long agreementrs come up for renewal in the next decade then the status of such undertakings can been looked into deeper. If the establishments wish to continue housing the aircraft, but have not yet got them undercover then changes might be made.
gordofrom todays Scotsman
Looks like a very good home has been found for the aircraft:
[QUOTE]
BRITISH Airways has donated four more planes to the Museum of Flight following the success of the record-breaking Concorde Experience.
A Scotland-based passenger plane built in the 1950s and one of the planes credited with launching the US aviation industry are among the aircraft to be handed over to the museum.
Bosses at BA are said to have made the gift after being delighted by the hundreds of thousands of visitors who have flocked to see its supersonic jet since it was unveiled to the public last year.
The donation includes a British Aircraft Corporation 1-11 plane, which was used on flights to Europe from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports and is said to be one of only two of its kind in the UK. Visitors will be able to board the 15-metre-long front half of a US Boeing 707 jet – the airliner credited as starting the jet age – and peer into the cockpit from the cabin, in a tour similar to that of the Concorde Experience.
The 1959 Vickers Viscount plane, called Scottish Prince, which was based at Glasgow’s Prestwick Airport and worked on Scottish domestic flights to destinations such as Stornoway and Aberdeen, has a well-preserved interior, with string hand baggage holders above the seats.
And a cockpit of a short-haul airliner, the Hawker Siddeley Trident, will also be displayed in a hangar where visitors can view the inside through a Perspex screen.
Alastair Dodds, principal curator for transport for the National Museums of Scotland, said: “This acquisition really strengthens our airliner collection and builds on our relationship with BA.
“BA have been over the moon about what we have done with Concorde and because of that they thought of us when deciding what to do with these aircraft.”
He said the planes, which are all rarities in the UK, would be displayed as part of an exhibition charting the history of passenger flights, to be unveiled in a £10 million ten-year masterplan for the museum in July.
He said: “We like to have as many real things that would have been on the planes as possible – it really brings them to life.”
The planes have previously been on loan to the RAF Museum at Cosford in England.
The East Fortune museum is the only Scottish attraction long-listed for the prestigious Gulbenkian award, Britain’s biggest arts prize.
Mr Dodds added: “I think this acquisition will strengthen our bid for the Gulbenkian. If we have the support of an organisation like BA, we are obviously doing something right.”
Geoff Want, director of ground operations for BA, said: “The museum has provided an excellent home for one of our Concordes and will no doubt give the same levels of attention to these aircraft as well.”
The Boeing and the Viscount will arrive at the museum in May and the remaining two planes in September.
gordoBump 2!
Really enjoyed the abuse Mr Speedbird threw at me a few pages back, can’t understand why, I was only stating the facts as explaned to me by people in the know. With the Brooklands project I’ve been working closely with BA, RR and Airbus as well as engineers who still work in BA and know the score.
I think the post by Camlobe sums it up fully.
If anyone hears of SCG turning up at an Airshow this year I suggest you bring them to the attention of the organisers to investiage actually what they are doing the the money they are raising.
If anyone here sees them, suggest you challenge them on the spot about their plans (or lack of them)
I would be the first person to support any Concorde return to flight, but know the full story of why it can’t happen ever (unless My Gates decides to throws a rather chunk of his personal fortune at it.).
When BA, AF, AB and RR decided it was not possible the Concorde support chain was disbanded…it was over in the Summer of 2003.
Its time this crap was put to bed.
gordoAs someone a little in the know can I post some answers:
No Design Authority – Type Certificate returned by Airbus.
No Engines – and no overhaul facility either, or spares parts for that mater. There are 4 overhauled engines held by RR, but they are not now rated for passenger flight as the type certificate for the engines was returned too.
No Access to the (still Classified) intake control technology – not quite true, it was secret for a while, but it was so antiquated and specific for Concorde nobody cared in the end..BA sold the “computer” in one of the auctions if you wanted to own a piece of history. The even left them fitted to the a/c in Seattle!. But what is gone is the test equipment and resources to keep the 1960/70 state of the art avionics working
No Money – HLF have said they would not fund any more aircraft return to flight programmes
No way of making money – well not the 50M you would need for a 5 years programme
No backing from the CAA – They have categorically told SCG that the only people that they would see support Concorde was the joint Airbus UK / Airbus France group that hled the type certificate previously. A permit to Fy can’t be issued for an aircraft that has held or could hold a CofA, which needs a type certificate
No spares – every last part was ordered up of our stores. Key parts were used to ensure G-BOAA and G- BOAB (the Hangar Queens) were structurally complete, the remaining significant parts were shipped to Brooklands along with 202, the rest either going to Auction, or scrapped. BA and Af held the main spares for Concorde not Airbus, All in one place the filled a hangar at LHR…some nice real estate you want to claw back from stores.
And a final one from Me : NO AIRCRAFT – All the aircraft are on 10 years loan agreements to the museums, where they work them hard to generate revenue in a safe display environment, where they have been modified for safe public access and long term preservation.
Everyone would have loved to see Concorde still in the air, but in the grand scheme of things for her to fly for 5-8 years at significant cost really was a task too much. BA looked at the figures and it was a non starter. to fly 20 flight a year had essentially the same ballpark support cost as to fly the pre-accident average of 2000 flights a year.
With spiralling fuel prices the 2003 bizz plan for a Concorde heritage flight operations could now not even be met.
My sadness with this SCG group is that although of of us here know Concorde will never again take to the sky, they build up false hope in a lot of people, many of whom Concorde had a place in their heart….in 2003/4 10 out of 10 to them for giving it a go, hell I and other offered them advice and things to look at, but What they are doing now is sadly now just plain wrong…..Its time for them to stop before the damage the legend that was Concorde.
gordoI would like to make 3 points
G-BOAF is not rotting away: a repair was made in 2001 to a leading edge, that piece of filler fell out a few weeks ago. A proper make good was planned for G-BOAF’s planned 2003 inter check, but the fleet was retired before that time.
G-AXDN at Duxford was outside and looked after for nearly 25 years without any major issues on the airframe being found
Save concorde group are a laughing stock with BA, Airbus and anyone else associated closely with Concorde. Sadly the supply and spares chain, which was absolutely unique, were disbanded in 2003. Any engineer at ba who worked with the aircraft right up to the end will explain to you why she can today can never fly again. The CAA have made it plainly clear to this group that only BA and Airbus could operate Concorde in a heritage role, but BA don’t want to do it and Airbus don’t want to do it…why not, maybe the probable cost of upwards of 50+million to even get the aircraft in the air before the extortionate running costs are considered…try selling that idea to your shareholders!
The aircraft are museum exhibits now, lets all work to ensure that they are ALL here for future generations, so we can tell the story of when Britain and France built an aircraft that could take you to New York in around 3 hours, when today it takes 7 (and probably will do for a long time, but thats a different story for a different forum)
gordoI never realised it was possible to take concorde into that many bits.
its not!
but seriously if you close to Brooklands, pop in an see Concorde over the next few months, as when we get to the summer you will lose the change to see under the skin, so to speak, as the cabins all start to get fitted out.
Intakes were re-fitted on Tues 24th Jan.
gordoI know I’m going to get shouted down here when I say this but here goes:
For 99% of the the UK public, the icon of Concorde symbolises British Aviation, Making sure that we go out of our way to open these up and put them on display in our museums ensures we get the chance to education these members of the public on other important areas of our aviation heritage, who otherwise would never be in a position to be taught.
As an example take East Fortune. a small, not very well know museum with some fantastic exhibits, put in a Concorde and you put the place on the map with massive visitor numbers, allowing future investment in the interpretation of our heritage.
gordoBrooklands’ is still in a lot of pieces
Not last time I looked :
gordoHappy Birthday to the Hurricane from Seattle.
Wish I could be at Brooklands to celebrate a this key milestone in aviation, one which helped shape our History.
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