THE CONCORDE TESTING TIMES AHEAD FOR BRITISH-FRENCH AIRCRAFT

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31564, 29 December 1967, Page 6

THE CONCORDE TESTING TIMES AHEAD FOR BRITISH-FRENCH AIRCRAFT

(By

NIGEL MUIR,

writing to the “Sydney Morning Herald” from London.)

(Reprinted by arrangement.] It is not hard to imagine the svelte, pencil-thin Concorde 001 bursting into the air, cruising at twice the speed of sound or shattering the peace of country villages with its sonic boom. But it is difficult, indeed, to be certain that Concordes will ever be regular users of the international air routes.

In the freezing temperatures of Toulouse recently the hopes of French and English project engineers were irrepressible and some were even conjuring up images of holiday week-ends in Sydney for sun-starved Londoners. Yet the Anglo-French Concorde programme is still very much in its pre-natal stages and the white 001 only a prototype.’ Within the next 12 months the question whether this multi-million dollar supersonic airliner is going to be a business proposition will be finally resolved. Now the wrapping paper has been peeled off, the Concorde faces a series of exhaustive ground tests before the first crucial flight, at present scheduled for February 28 next year.

The 16 airline companies, including Qantas, who have bought options for 74 aircraft, are expected to receive a final detailed specification of the aircraft shortly before this date.

First Flights

Against the specification, the companies will measure Concorde’s performance and economics during the intensive flight trials. What will happen during the first flights nobody is prepared to say, not even how the aircraft will feel in the bands of its pilots is known. As the initial test results come in, the risk of cancellation will be at its highest and these months will be a crucial time for both countries. By Christmas, 1968—when the options are. due for ratification—the British Aircraft Corporation and Sud Aviation will have learned if their efforts and 578.5 million dollars have been wasted. Although the decision to go into full production has already been made, it is entirely in the hands of the airlines whether or not it will proceed. It is quite conceivable the companies will not be satisfied and will be prepared to remain subsonic until they see what the Boeing factory in Seattle produces.

8.0.A.C.’s Faith

If a major design snag shows up during the tests, the odds of the project surviving will be extremely slim. However, firm orders and demands for contracts could be pouring in by early 1969 if all goes according to plan and Britain, in partnership with her cantankerous neighbour, may finally break back into the aviation industry. The possibility of commercial supersonic flights in 1971 —because of British and French know-how—is an attractive prospect to a Britain at present downhearted. 8.0.A.C.’s faith in the programme and anxiety to possess the world’s first supersonic passenger jet have

already led it to plot its future routes to New York, Japan and other world capitals.

As I watched the long, white body, splashed with ribbons of red and blue paint, hauled from its hanger at Toulouse, an 18-hour flight from London to Sydney seemed a lot closer. But not everyone was convinced. A representative of a I German aircraft company sus-1 pected the economics of the' delta-winged monster. “Just I show me if it can fly, how it can fly and that it will be worth every Deutsche mark we are thinking of paying for it,” he muttered to me. “Then I’ll tell you if we will buy it” The German's attitude is not uncommon and evidence enough that the Concorde is not yet an accepted fact of the future. I Jules Verne Creation On paper, the capabilities of the Concorde read like a Jules Verne creation. With a cruising speed of 1350 miles ( an hour at an altitude of 60,000 feet, the fragile aviation records will inevitably tumble with the flight times. Less affected by wind conditions than subsonic aircraft, its 140 passengers will find themselves delivered in New t'ork or Sydney right on schedule. Technologically, it is virtually a push-button job with television, computers and satellite assistance for navigation. Apparently insurmountable problems—such as the aircraft's skin reaching a temperature of 130 degrees centigrade (water boils at 100 degrees centigrade) during flight—have been solved. The danger of cosmic radiation has been foiled by the installation of special instruments which keep a permanent check on radiation levels. And, the designers claim, there will be no need to lengthen existing runways because the Concorde will land and take off in less distance than the present workhorse. the Boeing 707. Sonic Boom Effects Millions of words have been written about the effects of the sonic boom, but until the Concorde actually flies nobody knows definitely what effect its shock wave will have on people and their property. 8.0.A.C. believes that, while the boom carpet will spread over about 30 miles, it can reroute its aircraft to pass over sparsely populated areas. It has already proposed a polar route to Japan via the Aleutians. [ But there is a less rosy side

to the programme. The research and development bill for the Concorde, when the contracts were signed by Britain and France five years ago, was more than 1000 million dollars. Certainly it has risen now, but both Governments are remaining tight-lipped as to the exact increases, particu’.arly those brought on by devaluation. It is the economics of the Concorde which will be the prime killer if the programme is aborted. Airline companies will pav about 15 million dollars for each aircraft, a “supersonic surcharge” can be expected on the fares, and the cost of actually running the aircraft will not be small. Problem Of Fares Exactly how great the fare increases will be cannot be Judged until the capital cost Sand running costs are (assessed. So far the only i guarantee which 8.0.A.C. and i Sud have offered their (customers is that Concorde I will carry a 25,0001 b payload .from Paris to New York with a cruising speed in excess of Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound). Maintaining this guarantee has led to recent increases in the weight of the aircraft and the thrust required by the engines. This is the factor which will be most closely watched during the tests. But, along with the subsonic Boeing 747 (Jumbo) jets, it is the Boeing 2707 supersonic transport, now four years behind the Concorde programme, which is in the back of sceptical buyers’ minds. It will, Boeing says, be bigger, faster and able to carry greater loads. It is the competitor most dangerous to the Concorde, and the airline companies may be prepared to wait for its appearance. On a more minor scale, but threatening to steal the Concorde’s most saleable quality of being first, is the progress of the Russian Tupolev 144 Concordski Remarkably similar to Concorde—it has been nicknamed the Concordski—it is rumoured that the TUI44 may be able to take to the air for its first flight some time in January. While the Soviet Union is unlikely to attempt sales on a world-wide scale, it would be a bitter blow to British and French prestige if they were beaten by only a matter of weeks. The Concorde 001 now stands in its Toulouse hangar while construction work continues on its sister 002 in Bristol. Both have an ugly appendage awaiting removal ... it is a question-mark