Concorde reanimation: how to lift in the sky the written-off plane

The supersonic passenger Concorde airliner again want to lift in air – after a 12-year break. Such plans are how realistic? The correspondent of BBC Future tried to find out it.

On November 26, 2003 one of the legendariest heads in the history of aircraft was closed.

This day made the last flight of supersonic Concorde – one of planes of the British Airways company landed in Filton’s airfield nearby to Bristol then any car of this type did not rise in air.

The completion of operation of Concorde meant that air passengers cannot travel with supersonic speed any more (though, it is necessary to recognize, tickets for this plane always were so expensive that they were presumed to themselves only by very prosperous people).

Concorde became one of only two civil planes for all history of aviation, capable to fly quicker than a sound. The Soviet Tu-144 outwardly similar to it was the second.

Whether there is a game of candles?

For 12 years which have passed since that moment, as British Airways and Air France stopped Concorde flights (and for more than 25 years since the last commercial flight of Tu-144) around the world it was not created any new supersonic airliner.

However in September of the current year the consortium under the name Club Concorde declared that to it was possible to bring together 182 million dollars on acquisition законсервированногоConcorde and restoration him to a condition of the flight validity.

The consortium also is going to get one more such plane and to establish it in the form of a tourist attraction near a huge big wheel of London Eye in London.

The plan of renewal of flights of Concorde is how realistic? How it is possible to lift again in air the plane which has spent years in a museum hangar (and furthermore open-air), and what for this purpose it is required?

According to the writer and columnist Bi-bi-si Johnathan Glensi, desire of group of enthusiasts again to see Concorde in the sky it is quite explainable.

For many of us this airliner with a deltoid wing was a symbol of magnificent life, and a deafening roar with which it flew up from the London Heathrow, was familiar to everyone who lived in airport vicinities in the second half of the last century.

"It is most elegant of ever created planes – a miracle of design thought and an aerodynamic masterpiece", – tells Glensi, whose book Concorde: the Rise and Fall of a Supersonic Airliner ("Concorde:взлет and falling of a supersonic airliner" – an edition) leaves in October.

"Concord gave youth the 50th, 60th and 70th opportunity with half an eye to glance in the future of which all dreamed but which, in fact, so never and did not come. Leaders of the British trade unions, members of the French Communist party and policy of various colors with pleasure flied onboard Concorde, but even those who never could allow to buy to itself(himself) on it the ticket, all the same loved this car", – the writer emphasizes.

Глэнси continues: "No wonder that about Concorde remember with nostalgia – in the same way, as Spitfire (the British fighter of times of the Second World War), Lancaster (the British bomber of the same period) and Vulcan (the British jet strategic bomber of times of cold war)".

"In horizontal flight on big range and at cruiser height of Concorde could overtake practically any military plane of that time. So, if it was possible to lift again it in air, from potential passengers there would be no release".

Sound blow

But only one desire again to force to fly the preserved airliner, certainly, it is not enough.

Though Concorde also looked for the time proryvny plane in comparison with models of traditional configuration of production Airbus and Boeing, but by that moment as it took out of service, it any more did not represent long ago the last word in aircraft industry.

At the heart of a design of an airliner the decisions fulfilled on prototypes of the 1950th lay; extremely successful French fighter Mirage III – the first European aircraft, capable to gather twice exceeding speed of a sound became speed by one more plane constructed by results of those researches.

So many technological decisions embodied in a design of Concorde, were tested for the first time in far the 1950th.

In particular it concerns Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus engines established on it – extremely noisy and gluttonous.

As Jim O’Sallivan, in the past the leading engineer of British Airways, in interview газетеScotsmanв told 2012, it is simple to taxi from the terminal on a runway, Concorde was required more fuel, than to the uzkofyuzelyazhny Boeing 737 airliner for flight from London to Amsterdam.

Many believe that the exit of Concorde to pension was accelerated by accident of one of cars at take-off from the Parisian airport in 2000 – unique for all history of operation of this type.

However much more serious role played huge cost of maintenance of park of these liners in operation, and also a number of the factors connected with its impact on environment.

So, when overcoming by plane of a sound barrier there is a sound blow which when flying over a land can lead to very unpleasant consequences on the earth.

For this reason for crews of Concorde it was authorized to reach the cruiser speed of flight corresponding to number of the Move 2 only after the car appeared over the ocean.

"From the technical point of view the plane should be capable to rise again in air, but it will be at first necessary to obtain permit from Department of Civil Aviation, – tells Glensi. – As to its influence on environment, the one and only noisy plane it is not too terrible".

"Eventually, for many of us does not represent a problem a roar of racing cars, and even more people adore noisy fireworks. Here if in the sky it was full of supersonic planes, then it would be another story altogether".

Many believe that and British Airways – the unique airlines maintaining Concorde – too early sent to Air France it on rest.

"The unique true reason of a conclusion of Concorde from operation was political, and it is the unique obstacle in a way to renewal of its flights», – Ben Lord, the representative of initiative group "declared in BBC interview in 2013 we Will rescue Concorde" (Save Concorde Group).

Revived Vulcan

One more group of the British enthusiasts very much well knows, what it – again to lift in the sky the written-off plane.

The jet Avro Vulcan bomber was on service of the Royal Air Force from 1956 to 1984, and initially it projected for delivery of nuclear warheads.

But the glory to it was brought by a series of fighting departures on record range during the Falkland war with Argentina in 1982. Then as a result of bombings the Port Stanley airport was put out of action. And in 1984 of Vulcan wrote off from service.

In 1997 Robert Pleming, in the past the expert in the field of information technologies and the inveterate fan of aircraft, lit up idea to bring one of legendary bombers in a condition of the flight validity – in 13 years after a type conclusion from operation.

The plane with board number of XH558 up to 1992 participated in air programs of an air show then it exposed as an exhibit in one of the British aviation museums.

The Pleming created trust fund Vulcan To The Sky Trust, to which needed 10 years on collecting the sum necessary for repair of this plane and its raising "on a wing". The first flight made the updated Vulcan in October, 2007.

Return to the sky of the plane, similar Vulcan, – difficult business. It is necessary to check carefully everything – from durability of a glider to operability of engines and a conducting condition.

"As we were convinced on a personal experience, on the similar project more time and means leaves twice, than is initially planned, – tells Pleming. – Finally we spent for restoration of the flight validity of the plane of 26 months and 7 million pounds sterling".

Vulcan was not the most high-speed plane – its maximum speed made about 1030 km/h, that is speeds of a sound or less than a half from cruiser speed of Concorde are slightly lower.

Thus, problems with sound blow was not. Besides, the bomber managed to be lifted again in the sky thanks to that in Britain there are the separate norms regulating operation of planes, removed from military service.

Much more rigid requirements as this car from the very beginning intended for transportation of passengers are applicable to Concorde.

Before returning to the sky, it will need to pass anew in full volume the program of certified tests that will be much more expensive, than 7 million pounds, notes Pleming.

Besides, it is necessary to consider that, unlike subsonic Vulcan, Concorde was on an edge of an aviation engineering science of the time therefore represents much more difficult aircraft.

Each detail of its design without an exception – from glider elements before conducting of central air of air – should be checked carefully and, if necessary, to replace.

Resource details

To team of the engineers working over restoration of Vulcan, it was lucky also that it had an access to several copies never earlier used Bristol Olympus engines.

The resource of jet engines is not infinite, it is reduced with each business hour of the power plant, and regular maintenance is obligatory.

Installation never used engines essentially increases earlier a plane resource as a whole. However new engines for Concorde not to find any more and no other spare parts for this type can be got.

The last flight of Concorde made 12 years ago, but since that moment as these planes laid off in Britain and France, passed nearly 40 years.

The experts who were taking part in construction of Concord, or long ago on pension, or on a cemetery.

"The most part of technical documentation which is required for plane reduction in a condition of the flight validity, too not to find any more", – adds Pleming.

Its team managed to find a complete set of documentation on Vulcan, but it appeared not so simply: "One of documents on the chassis, for example, eventually was found overlooked in the fire-resistant safe in Vulverkhempton".

Even if the glider of Concorde will manage to be brought into a condition of the flight validity, there is even more serious problem.

The aviaproducer of Airbus who made in due time a large number of details for Concorde, in 2003 made the decision to stop postselling support of park of these planes – that also accelerated a conclusion of this type from operation.

Airbus did not do any statements of that will agree to give technical support to the single copy of the plane.

Because of the termination of engineering support from the BAe Systems Vulcan XH558 company will stop flights in October of this year – in spite of the fact that the resource of a glider would suffice for few years of participation in aviation shows.

Thus, on a way of return of Concorde to the sky there is a number of serious obstacles.

By the way, its Soviet analog – Tu-144 – rose again in air in many years after the completion of commercial operation. In the late nineties repaired one of these planes, equipped with more modern engines and any time used as flying laboratory in interests of the American NASA space agency.

Глэнси notes that money which would be required on attempt to reanimate Concorde, it is much more expedient to spend for development of more modern sample of a supersonic airliner.

"Now there is a number of offers on creation of supersonic administrative planes (business джетов), however rather serious achievement for scientists, engineers and aviaproducers there would be a creation of the quiet supersonic aircraft", – the writer considers.

"It is possible, it sometime will occur, but at a distant day. But, anyway, Concorde is an important part of aviation history and mythology. Many would rejoice to its return to the sky not less, than to Spitfire return".