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This will be worth going to see!
Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2003 10:14 am
by mf_dolphin
It's a shame that they won't be flying anymore. A truely unique airplane!
Concorde Finds a New Home at Smithsonian Museum
Fri June 13, 2003 10:56 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After 30 years of flying passengers at twice the speed of sound, the Concorde is joining the Wright flyer, Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis," and other aviation treasures at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
An Air France Concorde roared into Dulles airport in suburban Virginia on Thursday and headed for its new home at the museum's companion facility adjacent to the airport. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center opens in December.
The French airline officially retired its Concorde fleet in May, while British Airways -- the only other airline that offers supersonic flights -- will end its service in October.
Although Concordes fly at 1,300 mph (2,100 kph) and can make a transatlantic trip in three hours, the demand for Concorde service has fallen in recent years while the costs of operating the fleet have risen sharply.
Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2003 10:25 am
by breeze
Some folks who had gotten used to flying the Concorde will
be readjusting to longer flights, now. I didn't realize that
British Airways would be dropping the service, as well. It
is like taking a step backward...
Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2003 12:11 pm
by azsnowman
I don't quite understand the huge difference in maintaining a Concord vs. a conventional 747????
Dennis
Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2003 12:44 pm
by wx247
They showed a pic of one coming in on the news the other night. Apparently it was the last one. Anyways, they had firetruck on three sides of the front of the plane spraying water over it so that that a rainbow arced over the plane. It was a neat sight to behold.
Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2003 12:59 pm
by mf_dolphin
Everything about the airframe is more critical when going supersonic. Any minor flaw causes extra drag and therefore heat. Not a good thing when you're going faster than the speed of sound.
The other side is purely financial. The SST's can't carry much cargo or as many passengers. Even though they charged an arm an a leg for Concorde flights, every time they took off is was a money loser. I'm sad to see them leave the air though
