Concorde release 30/3/22

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

1 hour ago, MarkW said:

@Ray Proudfoot - I was wondering this release would tempt you to buy MSFS and give us your expert opinion on the DC Designs Concorde!

Whilst these huge updates continue I’m not inclined to buy MSFS. And when I do I’ll only use it fir low-level VFR sightseeing. That’s where it really shines over P3D.

I continue to contribute to Concorde topics where I can. But you’ll be the real expert Mark and if you do make a video I’m sure it will be immensely helpful to other Concorde pilots

With this amount of discussion pre-release it’s going to be an interesting time.

I wonder how many will fly supersonic over land with a borderline download speed and never see the ground as it hasn’t had time to generate. 😁

[MarkW 1,479]

My video editing days are over Ray.  Too much time that I don't have today.  I will write up a short review here once I have had a change to fly it.  I am really rusty on Concorde so it will take some time to reacquaint myself with the aircraft.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

8 minutes ago, MarkW said:

I am really rusty on Concorde so it will take some time to reacquaint myself with the aircraft.

I flew it for the first time in a few months last week. Then you realise the workload you have after takeoff. Age is probably a factor. You know what you need to do but it does require regular flying to keep you sharp.

That’s why real pilots never switched back and forth from Concorde to sub-sonics. 😁

I’m sure whatever you produce will be very helpful. T-1 to supersonic flight in MSFS. 😁

[mwe_EDVK 69]

Released at JustFlight!!!

Downloading...

[eslader 1,774]

On 3/28/2022 at 2:58 PM, Ray Proudfoot said:

 

I wonder how many will fly supersonic over land with a borderline download speed and never see the ground as it hasn’t had time to generate. 😁

I've already had the F104 up to nearly M2 over land and actually it loads surprisingly well. I fully expected to outrun terrain loading and be flying over brown smudgy garbage, but it never happened.

 

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

2 minutes ago, eslader said:

I've already had the F104 up to nearly M2 over land and actually it loads surprisingly well. I fully expected to outrun terrain loading and be flying over brown smudgy garbage, but it never happened.

 

A very fast download speed perhaps.

[Bigmack 21]

On 3/28/2022 at 12:58 PM, Ray Proudfoot said:

Whilst these huge updates continue I’m not inclined to buy MSFS. And when I do I’ll only use it fir low-level VFR sightseeing. That’s where it really shines over P3D.

I continue to contribute to Concorde topics where I can. But you’ll be the real expert Mark and if you do make a video I’m sure it will be immensely helpful to other Concorde pilots

With this amount of discussion pre-release it’s going to be an interesting time.

I wonder how many will fly supersonic over land with a borderline download speed and never see the ground as it hasn’t had time to generate. 😁

I really enjoying MSFS in the freeware and pay ware Helos where I can enjoy the low and slow that the sim really shines on. Can't see going super sonic over the sweat and time I put in over the ground scenery I've installed. I may consider for PD3 OR FSX.

[Concodroid 84]

On 3/12/2022 at 4:27 PM, Doering said:

Excellent video quality for 1969!

 

Actually...

As it was recorded on (presumably) high-quality film, it would be... high quality. Take this movie, for example:

Grand Prix - 1966.

To me, this looks better than quite a few modern movies, and that's saying something. Something like that happened with 90's TV shows that recorded on film - they were preserved, and can be enjoyed in high quality today, as film had a resolution of something approximating 6k, but not really, as each and every single silver halide crystal that makes up film was a different size Essentially, it was analogue downscaling.

[Lord Farringdon 477]

Great discussion Team Concorde 🙂. 

Thanks @Ray Proudfoot  for chiming in with your evidently considerable sim experience of this iconic airframe. I imagine there have been many who have been moved by either sight or sound or actual touch of a Concorde when you consider their historic schedules, world tours and various destinations from time to time, along with the popular museums they currently inhabit. But seeing a Concorde in a museum is a bit like standing next to a stuffed mammoth. It's impressive and unforgettable but a somewhat cold and lifeless experience. Like many, I was never geographically or financially in a position to take a Concorde flight. Living in New Zealand, the first one I saw was on a world tour charter when it landed in Christchurch. At the time I had Air Force duty with the US Forces on Operation Deep Freeze located on the military ramp at Christchurch which is where the Concorde was parked. With the permission of  security team, and with the sound of the 'Remove Before Flight'  tags flapping in the breeze, we were able to walk around the airframe. Gazing upwards at this immense wing, while being careful not to trip on the static ground wires, you gathered a sense of the size and power of Concorde.  A gangly beast with its towering undercarriage and slipstreamed engine cowlings, I almost couldn't believe this thing could actually fly,  let alone at over 2000km/hour! I was desperate to see inside it but it alas it was all closed up. 

Little did I know that after being posted to a C130 Hercules crew position I would one day find myself doing an embassy run to Washington. The task was to change over some NZ embassy staff while carrying essential stationary and other administrative support items including diplomatic bags.  However the largest part of the load we carried on that day was, unsurprisingly,  a whole pallet of fine NZ wine!! 🙂.  We finished unloading and were just tidying up the aircraft, when I heard this jet engine sound coming through the open para door.  Dulles is a very busy airport as many of you will know so while hearing a jet was not unusual in itself, the whine of this bird seemed different. When I poked my head out the door, it was an Air France Concorde and it was being marshalled alongside us. The passengers seemed to unload fairly quickly and they were still unloading bags when myself and the FE couldn't resist taking a closer look. We walked over to the baggage handlers who were removing bags from the rear hold using what seemed like a massively tall baggage handling machine necessary to reach the height of the Concorde's holds.  Shortly afterwards, a flight deck uniformed crew member turned up and asked if we were from the C130 which we said we were. He was the FE and he asked if we 'd like to come aboard. We didn't need to be asked twice and soon found ourselves at the business end of a live Concorde.  I say a live Concorde because as any aviator knows there is something anticipatory about a powered up aircraft with the altimeters vibrating, the air con humming and the smell of warm avionics. This was not your stuffed mammoth! This was an aircraft that had very recently been flying at supersonic speeds, was still warm and still wafted of the delicacies the passengers had eaten on their near space journey. Now, as it was being turned around for its return leg, this marvel of aerospace engineering laid resting while it allowed us to admire it.

The Concorde FE's panel is indeed complex but right in the middle of it was C of G gauge that reported in large text. (Did not see this on DC's model?)  The FE explained how C of G management was critical for supersonic flight and to remain within the required limits fuel was constantly moved between wing tanks and fuel tanks located in the tail. We moved into the cabin and were struck by the slimness of the fuselage and of course the extremely small windows.  We noted the trash left behind by no doubt wealthy passengers and noted that if this had happened on our aircraft the passengers would have been given a rubbish bag and required to clean it up before they were allowed to leave the aircraft!   

We took turns at sitting in the passenger seats (which weren't that comfortable to be honest) and noted the large air speed readout on the bulkhead which signaled to passengers that they had broken through the speed of sound. Not to overstay our welcome we exited Concorde and after walking down the equally tall passenger stairs turned and took a final look at this amazing bird before we trundled back to our somewhat more frumpy Hercules and the waiting crew transport.  

It's an awesome aircraft, an aviation icon, an aerospace marvel. Hopefully, discussion in this thread and the recounting of experiences that many of us have had, will pique the interest of readers who until now had little association with Concorde. Maybe you will even buy it.  I know I will.

 Cheers

 

Terry

Edited April 1, 2022 by Lord Farringdon

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

@Lord Farringdon, great story. I'm glad you managed to get onto the flight deck and see just how different it is to modern computer-controlled bland aircraft built for economy, not speed.

I'm waiting for the first person to watch the sun rise in the west. How is this possible I hear you ask?

Setup a flight from Heathrow to JFK and depart 1 hour after sunset. Once Concorde reaches Mach 2 south of Ireland it is flying faster than the Earth rotates. You will catch up with the sun and see it rise in the west. By the time you land in New York it will still be above the horizon. Have fun!

[Beagle12 137]

Working with AirServices we saw the first Concorde arrive in Sydney. Capt Brian Trubbshaw (I think but I probably haven't spelt his name correctly).

Some time later, again in Sydney, we saw the Concorde with a broken tail fin. I think it happened in NZ yet it was able to be flown to Sydney.

Don't ask me for dates !!  It was a long ago in the mists of time 😊

Edited April 1, 2022 by Beagle12
Update text

[Lord Farringdon 477]

18 minutes ago, Beagle12 said:

Working with AirServices we saw the first Concorde arrive in Sydney. Capt Brian Trubbshaw (I think but I probably haven't spelt his name correctly).

Some time later, again in Sydney, we saw the Concorde with a broken tail fin. I think it happened in NZ yet it was able to be flown to Sydney.

Don't ask me for dates !!  It was a long ago in the mists of time 😊

Ah that brought back some memories.  As you say a long time ago. I do remember it was on the news but that's all I remember.  A bit of a search on the net, and it seems it was on departure NZCH to YSSY April 1989 and happened about 25mins after takeoff. They were trying to set a leg speed record and lost a 9 foot section of the tail.  Obviously landed safely in Sydney.

 

Cheers

 

Terry