Concorde flies again one year after crash
By Paul Marston
(Filed: 18/07/2001)
A
BRITISH Airways Concorde took to the skies yesterday nearly a year after one
of its French counterparts crashed claiming 113 lives.
The future of the supersonic aircraft had looked bleak but the flight to test
modifications could be the first stage of its return to service.
More than half an hour before the scheduled take-off hundreds of staff at
Heathrow lined the tops of offices, passenger terminals, multi-storey car
parks and cargo warehouses to catch a glimpse of the restored flagship of the
national carrier's fleet.
Undeterred by the gusting rain, they reached for their pocket cameras as the
19-year-old Alpha Foxtrot emerged from its hangar and slowly manoeuvred along
the taxiway to take its place in the departure queue for runway 09R.
After
four lesser beasts had set off, the venerable but still undisputed king of
the aviation jungle swung into position. For the next five
minutes, a rare stillness descended as Captain Mike Bannister and Jock Reid,
the Civil Aviation Authority's chief test pilot, conscious of
the moment's importance, double and triple-checked their instrument
readings and air traffic information.
Then,
almost diffidently, Concorde began to edge forward. Gradually it picked up
speed until, two thirds down the runway, the "reheat" of the four
Rolls Royce engines kicked in and at 250mph, the unique pencil-point nose
lifted from the runway. Serene as ever, the airliner climbed
away with its tail's Chatham Dockyard Union flag reinforcing the thrill that
led one BA-jacketed spectator to punch the air in delight.
As
some watchers put on ear protectors, the aircraft roared above the airfield
perimeter heading toward London before banking into a long, gentle turn to
take up its normal westward track toward the Bristol Channel and Ireland.
Rod Eddington, the chief executive of British Airways, described the occasion
as "a moment of great pride".
He
paid tribute to the designers, engineers and maintenance crews who have
worked for Concorde's return since the grounding order was issued last August
after the Air France crash, near Paris, on July 25.
On
board Alpha Foxtrot, a team of eight engineers monitored the new fuel tank
liners, which have been designed to minimise the risk of the kind of fuel
leak that led to last summer's disaster.
Ground
tests have suggested that the Formula One racing car-style Kevlar-rubber
compound liners are highly effective in withstanding poundings from tyre
debris. That was what happened in Paris when the French aircraft
suffered a burst tyre during take-off after running over a strip
of metal debris on the runway.
Yesterday's
three-hour test flight simulated a transatlantic run at speeds of up to
1,350mph, twice the speed of sound at altitudes of 60,000ft.
It
will provide information on the effects of the new fuel tank liners on the
aircraft's performance. In particular, the safety authorities are interested
in the impact on Concorde's fuel efficiency, the accuracy of flight-deck fuel
gauge readings, and the ability to switch fuel between tanks.
After
flying out to mid-Atlantic, then turning north to join a UK-bound track over
Iceland, Alpha Foxtrot landed safely at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire,
where it is expected to remain for a few days while the data is analysed.
After
the flight Captain Bannister said: "It was absolutely fantastic to get
back behind the controls. I have been flying Concorde for 22 years but this
was the best flight ever."
He added: "I always thought
Concorde could fly again and now I am even more confident that we shall see
it flying again in the near future."
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