are fulfilled already 20 años of úlast commercial flight of the famous planeón supersónico Concorde, one of the legendary aircraft más important of the history of aviationón. Foto BAE Systems
The 24 October 2003, a Concord of British Airways took offó from New York a London in its úlast commercial flight. The era of super transportationóonly commercial roomíhas come to an end.
The Concorde was a planeón revolutionary in many ways. It was the first avión supersóonly commercial in the world, capable of flying at Mach 2,23 (2.405 km/h). Spaghettién was one of the planes más expensive in history, with a production costón of some 200 millions of dólares in that élittle, now almost tripleíat its value.
History and úlast flight of the Concorde
The Concorde it was an avión supersósingle passenger car developed by a Franco-British consortiumáonly formed by Aerospatiale, British Aircraft Corporation y Rolls-Royce. the grandfatherón madeó his first flight 2 march 1969 and enteredó in commercial service 21 of January of 1976, botháplaying the game at that time alsoén supersónico Túpolev Tu-144, the soviet competitionétics of the Concorde, that came inó in passenger service 1 November 1977, but I couldn't eitheró the ésuccess.
For it to take off, the Concorde beganó as a project 1962 as a joint effort between France and the United Kingdom. The goal was to create an avión supersóonly one that could fly between London and New York in about three hours.
It was a complex and expensive project., which until the díToday has prevented new supers projectsóonly ones get to take off, despite the múmultiple projects that are being developed such as the so-called Boom Overture. the grandfatheróIt was not designedñdesigned to withstand the high speeds and pressures that occur at super speedsóunique. Spaghettién teníto comply with strict safety regulations.
Air France and British Airways were the úaerol nicasílines that operated the Concorde. the grandfatherón voló between London, París, New York, Washington D.C., RíJanuary's, Tokyo is included Caracas, all in r timeécord.
The Concorde was a écommercial success during its firstñthose of service. Nevertheless, Its operating cost was high and the aircraft was susceptible to problems técynical. On 2000, a Concorde accident in Paríto challengeó the death of 113 people.
After the accident, Air France and British Airways They retired their Concorde planes shortly afterés. the airíFrench nea removed itó formally of service the 30 May 2003 with a úlast flight between New York and Paris, but so be itó making some final farewell flights for a few months más, until finally putting it on the ground 27 from June of the same toñO.
The úConcorde's last commercial flight took placeó the 24 October 2003 between New York and London, after a farewell tour by British Airways through Norteamérich and some cities in the United Kingdom. Is Día British dejó on land in a formal manner and always passes to the místico supersónico.
Finally, the Concorde madeó are úlast formal flight 26 November 2003, departing London Heathrow Airport and landing in Bristol, England, where he was received by a large crowd as witnesses of the úlast flight of a avión supersónico passenger.
The Concorde was a sísymbol of luxury and glamor given the prices of a round-trip ticket on its más famous route that overpasses $7.500 dóhomes (today in Día más de $14.000).
¿Becauseé wateró to fly the Concorde?
The Concorde leftó to fly by a combinationón of factors, including:
- The accident of 25 July 2000. The flight 4590 of Air France se estrelló in Gonesse, France, killing the 113 people. The accident was caused by a ruptured tireámain landing gear attic, that provocativeó a fire in one of the engines.
- The accident givesñó la reputationón of the Concorde and carriedó to a decreaseón of demand for tickets.
- Rising operating costs. The Concorde was a grandfatherón expensive to operate. Their engines were powerful, but alsoén consumeístill a lot of fuel. Además, the grandfatheróIt was subject to special restrictions for noise and pollution emissions.ón.
- Competition from wide-body aircraft. In the añthose after the accident, wide body aircraft, As the Boeing 747, they became más efficient and cómodes. These pod planesícan fly long distances without reaching super speedsóunique, what made them más competitive in técost terms.
Characterísticas téConcorde songs
Let's talk now about his characterísticas téconicals that turned them into an avión úunique and special:
- Type: Avión comercial supersóonly passenger
- Maker: Franco-British consortiumáonly formed by Aerospatiale, British Aircraft Corporation y Rolls-Royce
- Períproduction odoón: 1965-1978
- Quantity produced: 20 (más 6 non-commercial aircraft)
- First flight: 2 march 1969
- Introduce usón in service: 21 of January of 1976
- Withdrawal from service: 26 November 2003
Dimensions
- Length: 62,66 meters
- Wingspan: 25,60 meters
- Height: 12,20 meters
Pesos
- empty weightíO: 78.900 kg
- Pesos máximo at takeoff: 186.880 kg
- Propulsionón
- engines: 4 X turbojets burned from the backón Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 Mk 610
- Pushing force (per engine): 14.217 kgf (169.000 N)
- Fuerza con postquemador: 4 x 38.058 pounds
Performance
- Speed máxima: Mach 2,23 (2.405 km/h)
- cruise speed: Mach 2,02 (2.179 km/h)
- Scope (MTOW): 6.667 kilómeters
- Ceiling máximo: 18.300 m (60.000 pies)
- Rate of rise: 25,41 m/s
Characterístatic úunique
- aerodynamic fuselageámonkey with a retro noseáUseful to reduce air resistance and given the álanding angle be able to see out.
- refrigeration systemóspecial to prevent passengers from being burned by the heat of frictionón of air.
- Protection systemón anti-noise to reduce noise emissions at super speedsóunique.
Concorde Legacy
The Concorde wateró a lasting legacy in aviation historyón. the grandfatherón demonstratedó that it was possible to fly at super speedsóunique safely and efficiently. The Concorde tooéno helpó to promote the development of technologyíthe aeroáutica, and his innovations continue to be used in modern aircraft.
This legendary avión remains until díToday an icon of aviationón, and its withdrawal from service was a significant event for the industry. the grandfatherón is a reminder of engineering achievementsíto human, and his legacy will live oná for many toños, and we can enjoy it form isáethics in various museums and airports around the world.
