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Aviation History
1986
1986 - 0218.PDF
minimal, thanks to European standards of treatment and to the fact that supersonic heating keeps the structure dry. Maintenance: Both Air France and British Airways are treating Concorde as just another aircraft to maintain. In both airlines the original "dedicated" teams have diversified; but Concorde main tenance is still different in many ways. In both airlines the engineers and pilots are on close personal terms, debriefing after every flight. "It's a family, a wartime squadron atmosphere", says BA chief Concorde engineer Sandy Sells. "Our people will work all hours to fix a Concorde problem", says Vitrac of Air France. "They love the aircraft. It is more to them than a job". "We work together for this aircraft", says Capt Edouard Chemel of Air France, talking about the pilots' faith in the engineers. "We all love it". Don Craig, BA chief engineer quality and services, adds: "Concorde is a super flag and market leader, and it makes a profit as well. So we forgive it when it makes life difficult. The aircraft is a great staff motivator across all departments. It is the most complicated package of flying machine in commercial service, and we send it off on schedule four times daily plus charters. It's hard work for our engineers but wonderful for our cus tomers." The BA engineers who work on Concorde do not hand over to the ramp crews, as on in other fleets, but "depart" the aircraft themselves. Alain Varini, senior vp technical for AF, says: "Concorde is a plus for Air France. It is a fantastic aircraft. I cannot imagine the company without it". Spares prices Spares may yet cause a Concorde crisis. One BA engineer thinks that prices could ground aircraft before structure limits do. But short runs of high-value complex parts are factory-stoppers, and suppliers charge accordingly. Examples: Undercarriage strut Combustion chamber Compressor blade Carbon brake disc Seal (fuel controller) VHF aerial Double chair Undercarriage door £250,000 £172,000 £2,100 £3,800 £660 £35,000 £4,000 £90,000 Both operators have cannibalised aircraft for spares. One of Air France's three grounded Concordes will probably never fly again, though the others could be made serviceable with a few weeks' work and at some cost. Aircraft 202 could also be reactivated to increase the BA fleet to eight. The spares problem can only become more difficult, but suppliers are proud to be on Concorde; all have reputations as credible vendors and none wants to be responsible for a grounding. Fuel-trimming: As Concorde's centre of pressure moves aft with Mach number, fuel is pumped into a trim tank in the tail to avoid the drag of cruising with up- elevon. The system is triple-redundant to ensure that it can be brought quickly back into the subsonic range in an emergency. Transatlantic charter packages with Cunard's "QE2" are proving very popular (though the RAF Red Arrows escort might cost extra) This facility has been used, but never in a panic. The soft transfer pipes bulged in the early days, and the hydraulic motors which pumped the fuel hammered and pulsed. This was fixed by a modification (one of 340 since Concorde entered service). The primary electrical transfer is now standby. There have been no more problems with this potentially critical system, which increased confidence in the recent first use of fuel-trimming by a subsonic airliner, the A310-300. Concorde's unique cockpit indications of e.g. could become a feature of future subsonic aircraft. Centre of gravity is also displayed on Concorde's Machmeter. Flight operations: As a flying machine, Concorde combines high performance with excellent manners. "One feels the enormous power and acceleration—just what pilots like," says Capt Walpole. "The controls are superb, responsive and precise in all areas—pitch, bank, speed, autoland. It is demanding. You've got to know a lot about the aircraft technically, and understand how it thinks. You've always got to be thinking ahead of its 1,300 m.p.h.". The flight engineer has to be exceptionally competent. Both airlines operate Concorde with two pilots and a flight engineer. Converting a pilot from, say, a 747 or 757 or A300 takes about six months. BA uses the Filton simulator, AF the one at Aero- formation Toulouse. The highest dropout cause, in one airline at any rate, is the very demanding automatic flight control system (AFCS). As a pilot puts it, "pushing the wrong button is one thing, but can he get himself out of it?" Concorde has fitted into the air traffic control system without preferential treat ment. "We have never asked for it, and never would, except in an emergency," says Walpole. Air France's Capt Edouard Chemel agrees: "All controllers are very understanding and try to make Concorde f arrivals as easy as possible. They could make things as difficult as possible, but they are very enthusiastic and we are always welcome." Sympathetic ATC Walpole appreciates ATC's recognition of Concorde's fuel-burn curve, which goes up from 5gal/n.m. at Mach 2 to 45 gal/n.m. on finals at 165kt. Concorde pilots like to keep speeds up in terminal areas, holding at a 12gal/min 300kt if possible. ATC not only sympathise with this, but American controllers can often be heard telling other flights: "If you look up to your 10 o'clock you should be able to see Concorde." Noise abatement has not been a prob lem since the great New York environ mental controversy. Concorde is noisy, but it does not cause complaints, thanks to what Walpole describes as "our proud record of considerate throttling times and turns", worked out for every airport. "We are the most socially aware pilots in the world, and we have never not been invited back anywhere." He says that Concorde noise violations at New York and Miami have been 2 per cent, compared with 3-4 24 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 25 January 1986
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