Concorde, take a bow –
the Duxford Aviation Society revealed newly-restored features on its
supersonic prize asset before an audience of invited guests on the 11th
anniversary of the iconic plane’s last commercial light.
The
event at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford last week was the
culmination of 18 months of painstaking restoration work, and the
Concorde, which now features fully-functional cockpit lighting, is the
only one in the UK with the ability to operate the nose mechanism.
Concorde came into land at a steep nose-up angle and the droop nose was developed to enable the pilot to see where he was going.
Duxford
Aviation Society chairman David Garside said: “It is 37 years since
Concorde G-AXDN was flown to IWM Duxford and since the hydraulic and
electrical systems were last in operation.
“The restoration
projects have required the servicing and overhaul of many intricate
components and considerable patience and determination over a two-year
period.”
Heritage Concorde, a group of ex-Concorde engineers and
enthusiasts who gave their time and expertise. has been closely involved
in the restoration project.
Graham Cahill, who heads the
organisation, said: “G-AXDN is one of the most important Concorde
development aircraft – it was the fastest and was the first to be fitted
with the clear glass visor that we see on all the following Concordes.
“It
was a pioneer of the digital age, having the first digital computers
ever fitted to a commercial aircraft, to control her intakes – one of
the most important features of Concorde.
“We thought it was
appropriate that it should also be the first British Concorde to have a
fully-operational nose since Concorde’s retirement in 2003.”
The
Duxford plane is now joined by a six-metre-long model of a production
Concorde, in British Airways service livery, which graced the foyer of
the airline’s HQ for many years.
The model has cutaway features so that visitors can see the minute detail of the interior, including the seating.
Veteran
Concorde pilot John Hutchinson recalled: “It was quite an extraordinary
feeling. You had no sensation of speed at all. Other aircraft looked as
if they were going backwards. You were hanging motionless, suspended in
space, it was Mother Earth doing all of the work. It was magical,
beyond any words I can use.”
A program of public Concorde droop
nose demonstrations is now being organized and will be featured on the
IWM Duxford website when ready.
- Source: http://www.royston-crow.co.uk
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment