# Concorde may fly again



## CHamilton (Sep 18, 2015)

Concorde may fly again by the end of the decade



> Concorde, one of only two commercial supersonic jets ever created, may take to the skies again if an ambitious and dedicated crew of enthusiasts is successful in bringing it back from the dead. Club Concorde, as the group is called, is comprised of former pilots and frequent Concorde fliers and charterers that have kept the spirit of the plane alive over the years. The group now thinks it has enough cash in the bank from private investment to both open a Concorde tourist attraction in London and restore another Concorde for use in air shows and for private charters,


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## Bob Dylan (Sep 18, 2015)

Inyeresting, thanks for sharing Charlie! I'm one of the fortunate ones that got to ride on the Concorde (when Braniff was patterning with. Air France) but instead of Europe to JFK we flew DFW to Mexico City!( sub-)sonic

The plane was very narrow and the seats weren't that comfortable but the food, drink and stewardesses were World Class!


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## jis (Sep 18, 2015)

I have two friends who flew by the Concorde trans-Atlantic supersonic. Their comment was that the real thing that the Concorde had going for it is the supersonic part. Otherwise it was a quite cramped and uncomfortable plane to fly in even when compared to today's commercial offerings in domestic first class. And today's international Business and First class is miles ahead of anything that could ever find its way onto a Concorde, but then again they may not be necessary if your longest flight is around three hours.


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## Devil's Advocate (Sep 18, 2015)

Having read numerous articles and having watched numerous documentaries on how the Concorde was developed, why it was operated, and what lead to its decommissioning, I would put the possibility of future flights at very long odds.


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## trainman74 (Sep 18, 2015)

jis said:


> Otherwise it was a quite cramped and uncomfortable plane to fly in even when compared to today's commercial offerings in domestic first class.


I went in the Concorde at the Museum of Flight in Seattle a couple years ago -- the cabin dimensions and seating reminded me of a CRJ-200.


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## BCL (Sep 18, 2015)

jimhudson said:


> Inyeresting, thanks for sharing Charlie! I'm one of the fortunate ones that got to ride on the Concorde (when Braniff was patterning with. Air France) but instead of Europe to JFK we flew DFW to Mexico City!( sub-)sonic
> 
> The plane was very narrow and the seats weren't that comfortable but the food, drink and stewardesses were World Class!


I remember hearing about several chartered Concorde flights out of Oakland. They were basically two hour joyrides out and back to the same airport, but they could actually go Mach 2 over the Pacific.

I found an article on this from 1986, although they were probably doing this well until the crash. There were a lot of different charters leased from Air France, but apparently both Air France and British Airways found the charters profitable compared to their own routes.

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/29/business/some-fanciful-flights-on-concorde-charters.html


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## railiner (Sep 18, 2015)

I was one of the fortunate few that took advantage of 'interline' rates to ride BA's Concorde flight from LHR to JFK in 1998. It was an experience that I will cherish forever.

Mach 2 at 60,000 feet was incredible. We landed at JFK 'before' we took off from Heathrow. And everyone on the 100 passenger aircraft was invited to take a tour of the flight deck enroute. Most of the 'regulars's' were blase about it, but for us enthusiasts, it was great. We saw the famous 'panel gap' between the flight engineer's station and the cabin wall, caused by heat expansion from air friction. We could see the curvature of the earth on the horizon, and the deep blue high altitude overhead sky.

While the 100 all-first class seats were nowhere as roomy as those on contemporary wide-bodies, they were very comfortable and made of very high grade material.

And the flight attendants offered world class service and cuisine. I have a nice souvenir pouch with various Concorde goodies, including flight certificate, signed by the Captain, some titanium baggage tags, a Concorde pen, and a pair of pewter napkin rings. The Speedbird I flew on, G-BOAD, is the one now on display next to the Intrepid Air and Space Museum on the Hudson.....


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