These aircraft is no more. And sorry…
Many people often ask why we do not fly at supersonic speed in civil aviation. The unequivocal answer to this partly rhetorical question, as this state of Affairs has led too many factors. Maybe supersonic will return to the lives of ordinary travelers, but while talking about him before. Even though the existence of designs that actually flew more than half a century ago, now it is what it is. It's all very complicated, but at the same time interesting. In this article we will talk about what was the aircraft that everyone knew. If anyone else is confused in the names and can't remember what model number was produced supersonic passenger TU, we «Concord» remember all.
About the middle forties of the world leaders of the time such as the USA, USSR, Germany (another Nazi), UK and France received the technology capable of powering drones with the help of jet thrust, not screws. Such technology has helped to create a fundamentally new generation of military planes that had every advantage in the air over a spiral analogues due to their speed and agility.
All of this led to a massive transition to jet thrust not only in military but also in civil aviation. In the end, all the aircraft began to fly faster, and after only 10 years, around the mid-fifties, began to appear the first aircraft that could fly faster than the speed of sound. Again, they were first small planes for the army, but the powers of the time never missed an opportunity to create a civil aircraft, which can fly, overtaking the sound wave.
The First supersonic plane is considered North American F-100 Super Sabre, which took its first flight in may 1953. Already in the autumn of the same year he entered service with the us army.
North American F-100 Super Sabre. The first supersonic aircraft in the world.
Super Sabre Speed was about 1.3 Mach. a Mach Number is the ratio of aircraft speed to the speed of sound in the data environment. Simply put, at the same altitude. That is, the Mach number can vary depending on the height and the same number of miles per hour will be at different heights to fit different Mach number.
If you do not complicate, then 1.3 Mach it is approximately 1550 kilometers per hour. Modern designs fly at speeds of up to 3,500 kilometers per hour, and the records in the special models rolled over 10,000 miles per hour.
The First passenger supersonic plane, both the TU-144, which took to the air on 31 December 1968. We'll talk in a separate article, which you can't miss if you sign up for our . Now let us return to the European supersonic.
The First project on creation of supersonic passenger aircraft, Britain and France hatched in 1956. Later they United their efforts and achievements to create a plane of dreams. In contrast to the current Dreamliner (Boeing 787), the name of which also translates as «airplane», Concorde was indeed a masterpiece and a breakthrough.
On the background of the Concord Boeing-787 does not «airplane».
First flight he made on March 2, 1969, and in may of the same year was presented at the international air show in Le Bourget. The aircraft was developed in two countries historical relations between which it is difficult to call smooth. Perhaps that is why it got its name, which in French means «Agreement».
Service ceiling: 18 300 m. the
Despite the initial success of the model and its revolutionary nature, it soon became clear that from an economic point of view, it is absolutely unprofitable. The plane was flying mainly on the route from Paris to new York and back. the journey Time only took three hours, but this time, the plane burned up to 8 tons of fuel per ton of payload. If crude, for delivery to the destination of 10 people with one suitcase each, took 8 tons of fuel.
8 tons of fuel to deliver onetons payload — the economy.
The aircraft require more expensive and . Concord worked in more difficult conditions than conventional ships, and except for normal maintenance, it was necessary to test the strength of the design, sometimes even with the use of x-ray equipment. All of this led to long delays and even the ground plane needed for the maintenance a lot of money. Not to mention the purchase cost of the Board, which was much higher than that of conventional jet aircraft.
Different time, a flight on Concorde cost different, but can be averaged to talk about the price of 10-11 thousand dollars. Many cost the ticket from Paris to new York and back. Even now, the amount seems very high. Then it was a fortune and not everyone can afford to regularly fly on such a plane. Many passengers take a ticket easy .
Flew in this handsome 10+ thousand dollars?
When the Concorde made its last flight, prices at the auctions rose to 60 thousand dollars.
The Ability to fly across the Atlantic in just three hours was achieved due to the fact that the aircraft was accelerated to a speed of about 2 200 kilometres per hour. He did it at altitude 18 000 — 500 meters 18. By flying at such a high altitude Concorde could afford not to zigzag through the air corridors, wasting time, and move on the shortest line.
A Movement at such a high speed would not be possible, while maintaining the traditional aerodynamic configuration. Since air resistance is proportional to the square of the speed, the design should be . As the speed increases almost three times, the resistance increases about nine times. Also the aerodynamics should not be in the form of drops, so that the air flowed around her, and in the form of a wedge, to literally pierce the air, creating the nose area of high pressure.
It is this form of a glider allows to overcome the speed of sound.
The Wings should also be more compact, since at this speed the lift force and so lacking. In the end, they were made in the form of triangles, shifted back. Speaking more on the technical side, such configuration of the aircraft is called «tailless» and it is made with a low-lying Delta wing arched form (intermediate between the cone and ellipsoid). So it turned out to make them more streamlined and more robust, but there was one serious drawback of this arrangement.
Was Originally supposed to be three options for layout of the interior of the Concord — from 108 to 144 passengers. In the end, the certification it received for the transportation of 128 passengers, but this arrangement has never been used. All aircraft initially had a capacity of 108 people, but exploited their British Airways and Air France led to the fact that there were exactly 100 people.
That's so modest was the interior of the Concorde.
More it was not fit, as the width was only 2,62 meters. It's even less than that of the TU-134. In the end, the left and right of the aisle in each row had only two seats. The pressurized cabin of the Concorde took 85% of its total volume.
Construction of the bow of a supersonic passenger aircraft to make such beauty. Lowering the nose has a very important function. Only because it is impossible to land the plane.
Including due to insufficient wing lift of the aircraft at low speed before landing we had a very high perk. In that case the pilots could not visually monitor the approach to the runway. To sit in the blind, too, was a bad idea, and so out.
the landing was supposed to be that way.
During taxiing and take-off nose cone fell only five degrees. That was enough. During landing and landing, he was rejected by 12.5 degrees. Still have extra Windows. It was raised in the main flight configuration at Mach numbers greater than 0.8.
Flip the nose helped to make it so that the nose cone does not overlap the review of the pilots. In addition, it was possible to make so that they were looking at the band through the more vertically positioned glass. Because of this, there is less distortion and security becamemuch higher.
In the end, the nose was down when it was not needed. aircraft in this version left much to be desired, but all were corrected when the nose was raised. He gave the design the desired shape and made the shape of the cockpit more streamlined.
That's why it was called the Heron.
Having said that supersonic aircraft are already more than half a century, many have asked why the aircraft can not fly faster. Not to mention supersonic aircraft, do you can't just make a regular plane to fly faster?
You Can, and they are able to overcome those 800-900 kilometers per hour, which often become a cruising speed of conventional ships. Really makes no sense. The cost will increase significantly, and the journey time will be reduced literally for 10 minutes. Especially if the flight is not far.
About Concord even wrote books, but he was not what people need.
All because of the fact that the aircraft is not flying at maximum speed from the off. He is gaining speed gradually as takeoff and climb. Only the train speed is approaching that, which is the maximum on this flight. Before boarding she also gradually begins to be discharged. In the end, flying with more speed you can compare to standing in traffic for 10 miles, in the middle of which there is a small free piece. Not so important, you're there to travel at a speed of 90 or 100 kilometers per hour.
Some flights, however, planes rolled over 1 000 kilometers per hour and even rise to higher echelons, up to 12,000 metres, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Usually flying jet passenger aircraft are at an altitude of 10 000 — 11,000 meters and at a speed of 850-900 km / h.
The TU-144 even though he was in many ways better than the Concorde, but it quickly ”weed”. About it I will tell in a separate article. The project on the organization of the Boeing supersonic passenger transport and has not reached its implementation. Concord just became useless.
Boeing also tried, but failed.
In fact, the demand for it may have been, but airlines are increasingly losing patience on transport, often just don't ocupy them. In the end, the end of history the most famous supersonic passenger aircraft resulted in a tragic circumstance.
Only today (it is unlikely that they will again begin to fly) crash of the Concorde occurred on 25 July 2000 — 20 years ago. As a result of the incident, the aircraft caught fire and fell on the hotel, which was near the airport.
it looked like the only disaster of the Concorde.
The Investigation found that the accident occurred because of a piece of the wheel, which remained on the runway after takeoff, the DC-10. This piece struck the wing of the Concorde, which was on the rise and as a result, a fire broke out, the plane ”lost” two engines and was unable to provide a sufficient thrust to takeoff mode. Although, she would still not saved, considering the fire.
The crash killed 100 passengers, 9 crew members and 4 people on the ground. Crash is even more crippled the already uncertain future of the aircraft, and by 2003 the operation of the aircraft finally stopped.
The Concorde was an iconic aircraft, which in 23 years of operation carried worldwide about 4 million passengers and disgracefully to retire, he just could not. The last flight for many has been what is called ”with tears in his eyes.” Now these aircraft can be found only in museums and on pedestals.
Even now, few people can go into the cabin of the Concorde, and it was interesting for its time.
In All there were 20 Concorde and all of them, except for two, are in museums or special sites. Did not get to see only on Board with serial number 211, which was dismantled for parts for other Concorde, and in-flight 203, which crashed in Paris.
About two-thirds of the aircraft were operated until 2003. Now the ”youngest” aircraft is in the Imperial war Museum (Desford, UK). His RAID is only 632 hours (1971 to 1977). The most ”traveled” Board is in the Museum of Sea, Air and Space Intrepid (NY, USA). The coating of the plane was 23 397 hours during the period 1976 to 2003.
Concord at the airport of Charles De Gaulle. He still wants to fly…
One of the most famous exhibited Concorde now welcomes travelers with in the airport Charles De Gaulle in Paris. And the first Concord released March 21969 number 001, was flown only 812 hours and costs in the Aerospace Museum in Le Bourget, France.
