Concorde
The Concorde is an aeroplane supersonic jet that was exploded at length of commercial form. It was built by the European manufacturers BAC (British Aircraft Corporation) and Aérospatiale. It has been the second commercial supersonic aeroplane, since the first was the one of manufacture sovietica Your-144 (that salio some months before that the Concorde and interestingly taenia a similar form, result to be a bad copy). Al same time that France and England joined to do the project of the Concorde, United States also had his own supersonic project, the Boeing 2707, but never arrived to realise by the high costs of production and few probabilities of sales.
History
The companies Sud Aviation of France and Bristol Aeroplane Company of England build respectively the Super-Caravelle and the Bristol 233. Both companies received economic helps by part of his respective governments, that wanted to affirm front to the American aeronautical domination. In the years 60 the two projects found in a quite advanced phase, but the high cost of the devices did that they asked the collaboration of the governments. Therefore, the project of development of the future Concorde was more a frank state agreement-British that a commercial agreement between the constructors.
The French and the English arrive to an agreement
The agreement of cooperation, whose discussions prolongaron during more than a year, was signed the 29 of November of 1962. BAC (Bristol Aeroplane Company) And Sud Aviation delivered the costs of the device in himself same; to the equal that Rolls-Royce and SNECMA to build the derivative reactor of the Olympus British and baptised Olympus 593. In reality the English worked in the model that would use for the flights trasatlánticos, whereas the French factory would work with the destined to half stretches. The consortium received asked for the manufacture of more than one hundred aeroplanes of this type. The most important clients were the main aerial lines of the period: Bread Am, BOAC and Air France. Each one asked six aeroplanes Concorde.
The Concorde realised the first proof of flight on the city of Toulouse the 2 of March of 1969. The length was of 29 minutes. It achieved for the first time supersonic speeds the 1 of October of this same year, arriving a year later to the speed Mach 2.
Since the program of essays of flight of the version of development 001 advanced safely, the 4 of September of 1971 began the destined demonstrations to the general public. The 2 of June of 1972, the second prototype (002), did his demonstrations in the Half and Extreme Orient. These ocasionaron an increase of requests of manufacture of the aeroplane, since 16 aerial companies, of which eight were American, asked 74 aeroplanes.
The 21 of January of 1976 initiate the first commercial flights in the routes London–Bahrain and Paris–Laugh of Janeiro.
However, a combination of factors that included the crisis of the oil of the years 1970, the financial difficulties of the aerial companies, the accident of the Soviet competitor Tupolev Your-144 and even environmental problems, as the sound of the «bum» supersonic, did reluctant to the American authorities to allow the landing of these devices in his territory (the market more rentable). In spite of that later United States authorised the supersonic flights of passengers the evil already was fact and companies like TWA or Bread Am cancelled his requests. Air France And British Airways turned into the only buyers.
End of the Concorde
In May of 2003 and after 27 years of history the Concorde left to fly. Coinciding with the centenarian of the flight inaugural of the brothers Wright, Air France put end to the supersonic flights of the Concorde.
The aeroplane left to be in service due to the fact that the flights were expensive and also the maintenance of the aeroplane. Besides the 25 of July of the year 2000 to a concorde of Air France despegando ignited him a tank of the wing when stepping with an of the wheels a sheet that there was on the track, doing it jump and strike it strongly, what did that estrellara against a hotel; there was 113 dead. The accident, and the fact that the flights went out too expensive, finished with the Concorde.
The collectors have done his offers and all the world pretends now a remember of the famous model of aeroplane. British Airways has benefited by means of the auction of the desguace controlled of his devices.
However, Air France has considered that these supersonic aeroplanes form part of the «aeronautical heritage of the mankind», and has donado four of his five devices to distinct institutions that will conserve them and will show them to the public.
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 9
- Capacity: 92-120 passengers
- Load: 11.340 kg ()
- Length: 62,10 m ()
- Envergadura: 25,55 m ()
- Height: 11,40 m ()
- Surface alar: 358,25 m² ()
- Empty weight: 78.700 kg ()
- Useful weight: 111.130 kg ()
- Maximum weight of despegue: 185.070 kg ()
- Plant of power: 4× turborreactor Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593
- It push normal: 140 kN (32.000 pounds) of push each one.
- Push with postquemador: 169 kN (38.050 pounds) of push each one.
- Fuel:
- Total capacity: 119.500 l (95.600 kg)
- Consumption: 25.629 l/h
Performance
- Operative maximum speed (Vno): Mach 2,23 (2.405 km/h) record established the 23 of March of 1974
- Speed crucero (Vc): Mach 2,02 (2.179 km/h)
- Scope in flight: 6.200 km ()
- Ceiling of service: 61.000 feet (18.300 m)
