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CONCORDE
Introduction Concorde - to-date the world’s only supersonic commercial aircraft, is both a work of art and a triumph of mechanical engineering. Concorde’s unique style incorporating its marriage of aesthetics and sophisticated engineering, its reputation for comfort and unfaltering efficiency, have assured its landmark status. Indeed its unprecedented ability to sustain a cruising speed of mach 2 for up to three hours remains unchallenged. But for all its technical superiority, Concorde’s position as the flagship of the British Airways fleet rests predominantly on its service. Performance Concorde takes off at 220 knots, compared with 165 knots for most subsonic aircraft. The extra power required for take off is produced by its four engines giving more than 38,000 lbs of thrust, equivalent to 3,000 family saloons, that’s 0 - 225mph in just 30 seconds. This power is gained by using an engine reheat, where fuel is pumped into the jet pipe and set alight to give extra thrust. Concorde also has to reach its take off speed quicker than subsonic aircraft, so uses higher acceleration, which is why passengers feel a slight ‘push back’ in their seats. The four Rolls Royce/Snecma olympus 593 turbo jet engines also enable the transition of Concorde to supersonic flight, cruising at 1350 mph. She takes her passengers through the sound barrier at twice the speed of sound. Concorde flies at up to 60,000ft , over 11 miles high, compared to the 42,00ft at which the highest subsonic aircraft flies. At this height the curvature of the earth is clearly visible. Concorde flies on the edge of space, in the layers between the stratosphere and their lonosphere, where there is no weather, although cruising altitude can depend on atmospheric conditions and passenger loads. Cruising at Mach 2, Concorde stretches 6 inches from its normal 204ft length, due to the heating of the airframe. She reaches 127 ° C at the nose and trailing edge, but the special ‘ high-reflectivity’ white paint helps reflect and radiate heat. Its reflectivity is 80 out of 100, compared to the rating of normal white paint of 45-50 out of 100, Concorde is re-painted every three years. The skin temperature regulates the speed, Concorde couldn’t fly any faster without getting too hot, indeed her interior is warm to the touch, whereas a subsonic aircraft is cold. This is because the insulation of Concorde is keeping the hot air out, rather than in subsonic aircraft, keeping the cold air out. Concorde’s characteristic droop nose is designed to penetrate the atmosphere with minimum amount of resistance. It can be lowered to compensate for the high angle of incidence on landing, allowing flight crew maximum visibility. Passenger Profile Over 2.5 million people have flown on Concorde, and since British Airways does more supersonic flying in one year than all the world’s airforces, a regular passenger can say they fly supersonically more than a jet pilot. 80 percent of Concorde’s passengers are male, 43 per cent of those are managing directors or senior managers and the average age is 43 years old. Cabin Crew Cabin crew are specially selected and trained to anticipate the needs of Concorde passengers. Originally Concorde cabin crew came from longhaul and became permanent Concorde crew, there are still 50 core cabin crew, but a new sytem is in operation now. Cabin crew put their name on a permanent list open to cabin crew worldwide. Every quarter a number of applicants are chosen for interview, through these interviews 12 are selected to replace12 of the current crew. Cabin staff only work for a maximum of 3 years, this is to give as many people as possible the chance to work on Concorde. The selected crew are given an extra 5 days customer service training and 2 days SEP training. Each Concorde flight has at least 6 cabin crew, with at least one Purser and there are approximately 220 Concorde cabin crew. Service Flying by Concorde, passengers receive a seamless, unprecedented quality from start to finish. Passengers travelling with hand baggage only, can go straight through fast track to the lounge. And with a dedicated check-in, travelling with luggage is also made easy, indeed you can check- in up to 30 minutes before departure. Concorde’s exclusive lounges offer comfortable surroundings to relax or catch up with last minute business, including telephones, fax machines and secretarial services for the passengers’ convenience. An abundance of complimentary snacks and beverages are available, while passengers also have the luxury of direct boarding from the lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport and New York’s John F Kennedy Airport. The passenger cabin of the aircraft is as streamlined as its graceful exterior, it is designed in elegant shades of grey leather and soft fabric. Whilst Concorde is pushing the boundaries of space and time, her passengers can sit back and enjoy the exquisite Concorde cuisine, where award winning menus offer light meals and superb dishes from around the world. Each dish has been created by our British Airway’s specialist chefs, often in collaboration with some of the world’s best-known names, and served on Royal Doulton bone china. Canapes are served with aperitifs, and there is a selection of complimentary fine wines and vintage Champaynes are available, specially selected for the Concorde cellar. The Concorde menus change every week, and the wines list every month. When a passenger flies westbound, he will arrive in New York before he has left London. Concorde maximises your time, and reduces the effects of jet lag. With a cabin altitude pressure maintained, you step off Concorde fit and ready to go. And with the Express Suiter Service your overnight bags will be delivered within eight minutes of arrival. Ultimate Gift Passengers can enjoy the ultimate day trip to Barbados. Jetsetters can enjoy bacon and eggs at home in the UK, a dip in the Caribbean sea and a rum punch in the sun before returning home. Leaving London Heathrow at 9.30am, arriving in Barbados at 9.45am. Returning to London on the 11.45am flight arriving at Heathrow at 8.00pm. Concorde Room The most exclusive "flying club" in the world opened in December 1998. CD partnership, Sir Terence Conran’s architecture and design practice, were commissioned to transform the Concorde Room at New York’s JFK airport for the ultimate jetsetters. The lounge is a design classic, like Concorde itself. Every piece of furniture is a celebration of 20th century design from the Corbusier chaise longue to the Matthew Hilton armchair, the Eileen Grey Bibendum chair to the Charles Eames lounger, including furniture and hand tufted rugs by Sir Terence. Seating is grouped by designer and mood. A series of photographs of Marilyn Monroe by Eve Arnold continue the theme. Two wall drawings have been commissioned from distinguished artist Sol LeWitt. These are placed at either end of the room. Glass panels run down the full length of the room allowing spectacular views of Concorde at the terminal gates outside. A mobile by Richard Smith shimmers in air currents behind the panels on the remaining side. There is a new work by young British artist Fiona Rae in another area of the room. Classic and luxurious materials are used throughout including travertine marble, green marble, walnut, oak, sycamore and marble mosaic. A fully staffed bar offers continental breakfast or light brunch, fresh espresso, champagne and other refreshments. Interesting Facts
"Concorde has an ‘e’ for excellence, England, Europe and entente cordiale" - Tony Benn "Birds think it’s a goose" a 2 yr US study Key Milestones
Famous Passengers
take-off runway visual range 150 metres
Routes Served British Airways Concorde - Flight Schedule
Day return to New York - £6046 + tax Return to New York with stop over - £6290 + tax Single to New York - £ 3521 All costs are approximate
and exclude tax. Web-site A dedicated website was launched in March 1999, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Concorde. Supersonic surfers can ‘fly’ the aircraft from London to New York and experience the thrill of flying through the sound barrier on Mach 2 with their feet firmly on the ground. As a reminder of the ultimate experience, or as a means of keeping in touch, users can send a supersonic electronic postcard featuring Concorde via email. The site is also useful for those who just want to learn about the unique engineering aspects of Concorde, clicking onto different areas of the aircraft to understand how it works. It was designed by Agency.com
who used advanced Macromedia Flash technology to ensure the best quality
animation and sound. It can be accessed via the British Airways award
winning website at www.britishairways.com/concorde End Communications Department Up-dated December 1998 Edited may 13th 2004. |
