Concorde Refurbished for the 21st Century

During pre-production rig testing in Farnborough, a pre-production airframe was subjected to 20,000 cycles, with 5000 hours of flight tests and 18 years’ commercial service attesting to the aircraft’s unmatched design integrity. By the time Concorde had entered service on January 21, 1976, the aircraft had undertaken the most gruelling certification programme in commercial aviation history. Yet its unique combination of yesterday’s and tomorrow’s technology has created unrivalled requirements for the many support roles that keep Concorde flying. The aircraft is two and a half times more labour intensive to maintain in operation than a 747-400 and the sheer cost of British Airways’ ongoing ownership of the seven strong fleet of Concordes are factors simply outweighed by the aircraft’s extraordinary performance, unmatched market appeal and significant annual contribution to Ba’s revenue.

Each of British Airways’ Concordes now flies around 1000 hours a year, principally on the staple North Atlantic services between London Heathrow and New York’s Jfk. “In aeroplane terms it is still quite new,” Jock Lowe says, comparing Concorde’s annual utilisation to that of a Ba 747-400 which is typically up to 5000 hours. The company’s lead Concorde (G-Boaf) has now reached 6000 cycles, and although this is less than one third the number of cycles reached in rig testing, the aircraft has been subjected to an intense engineering examination which will ultimately determine the steps necessary to keep the aircraft airworthy and economical to operate in the longer term until a replacement supersonic transport enters service.

“I think, as part of the life extension work, we will see that the aeroplane is still as good as it was originally, and that the deterioration is following the same pattern as the test rig.” As each aircraft has cycled for its 12,000 hourly maintenance checks and overhaul, extensive inspections have been undertaken throughout, including areas that were identified in pre-production rig testing as worthy of closer scrutiny. Indeed, initial tests prove that theory, since there has been ‘no significant deterioration’. Though the recent examinations have revealed hairline cracks of 25mm to 90mm in the aft wingspar webbing, the affected areas are in non load-bearing locations, enabling the aircraft to continue flying safely until modifications occur.

Two Concordes have been repaired so far, while the remaining five aircraft will undergo checks every ten flights until cycled for overhaul. Evidence of further work arising from the recent inspections includes some fuselage strengthening work where the various components of French and British manufacture are joined, one such instance being the installation of a strengthening band on the exterior of the upper middle fuselage. There will be no major modification to the four Rolls Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 engines, except for a “few tweaks here and there” to improve efficiency and the high reliability rate which has been achieved in recent years.

In continuing the assessment of the aircraft’s structural integrity in commercial service, G-Boaf has been fitted with a comprehensive series of strain gauges, which Jock Lowe describes, “will validate the design equations and check the levels of deterioration.” Additionally, each of Ba’s seven Concordes carries instruments to aid analyses of stress, fatigue and airframe life. Over 800 parameters including stresses, speeds, pressures and vibrations are measured on each operational flight, which are then downloaded from a quick access data recorder aboard the aircraft to engineering data facilities at Heathrow. Information collected during flight is then analysed to form short term repair and modification programmes as well as providing the necessary data to plan for Concorde’s life extension programmes.

The collation of results from both the strain gauge tests and the aircraft monitoring devices will ultimately lead to more extensive and detailed structural modification to the aircraft, with the ensuing work to be completed later this decade as the airliners approach their next cycle period. British Airways and various British manufacturers are also cooperating with Air France and other French aerospace companies in the life extension programme, though not to the same extent as was experienced in the first instance during design and manufacture. As British Airways operates the lead Concordes by a fair margin, it is the first of the two operators to encounter life extension requirements; Air France will follow in due course.

Not The End Of Concorde

Other refurbishment and modification work will be performed to meet the requirements of airworthiness authorities, such as the issue surrounding the installation of Tcas, as demanded by the Faa. Although wildly predicted by various tabloids and some aviation journals to be the penultimate demise of Concorde, Capt Lowe is relaxed about this nagging issue, which he suggests is more of an issue for the media than for British Airways. “I would be surprised if it did become a major incident.”

The technical difficulties experienced since Rockwell Collins’ installation of the Tcas system aboard Concorde during 1993 has certainly created unforeseen difficulties for British Airways who has had to twice seek an extension of Faa deadlines in order to continue regular services. It was soon after installation of the Tcas that the airline noted that the system’s antennae radome had suffered peeling and cracking, and it subsequently ordered that the system not be used in case of any physical damage to the aircraft.

The intense heating and cooling of the aircraft’s skin, including the Tcas antennae, is seen as one obstacle to the successful operation of the system, with skin temperatures ranging from +20° ambient to -40° at subsonic climb increasing to +120 degrees through kinetic heating at Mach 2 (the length of the aircraft stretches by some ten inches during cruise at Mach 2). Collins Avionics suggests that difficulties could also be the result of turbulence. While further research and development is conducted on the Tcas antennae, further compromises may yet have to be sought. Since the aircraft’s typical flightplan avoids much of the congestion associated with subsonic transports, it could, temporarily, make use of increased radar capabilities to counter the lack of Tcas.

“It is inconceivable that with all that has been done with an aeroplane that has been flying for over 25 years, that we can’t solve a problem with an aerial.” It would be a damning reflection upon the Us avionics systems manufacturer if the Faa did indeed withdraw landing rights for British Airways’ Concorde. Ba, however, is keen to install the system to both comply with Faa safety regulations and to avoid any possibility of even a slight disruption to its premium services.

The airline will perform little other work on Concorde’s avionics systems, and despite the 1960s and 70s technology in the high workload cockpit, gauges and electronic systems will only be replaced and updated as appropriate rather than a wholesale remodelling of the instrument and navigation suites. As Jock Lowe quips, “Each part is 20 years old, but as a collection of parts it is still 20 years ahead of the nearest opposition.” Some instruments are compatible with those of the 747-100, allowing the interchange of a limited range of parts when required. Now that production of many of Concorde’s parts has long since ceased it is not unusual for a twelve month lead time on parts requiring custom manufacture. The company’s spares inventory for Concorde is valued at around £120 million, providing everything from raw materials to flight-ready components at Ba Engineering’s Heathrow facility.

Concorde In Service

There are some 250 dedicated Concorde maintenance and engineering personnel based at Heathrow (of a total engineering workforce of around 7000) performing the regular checks and interline checks on the aircraft as they rotate through the hangars. The Heavy Maintenance Group, responsible for the engineering support of Concorde, attends the aircraft from arrival at Heathrow to its following departure, overseeing all facets of apron support. One aircraft is constantly kept on standby in the event that one aircraft falls unserviceable. Ba Engineering is capable of providing almost the entire range of support requirements for the aircraft, including structural and outer skin metalwork, undercarriages, fuel and hydraulic systems, flight controls, instruments and interior equipment.

The 38,000lb (170.2kN) thrust Olympus turbojets, which each burn a surprisingly low seven litres per kilometre at Mach 2 cruise, are sent to the company’s Emms plant at Cardiff-Wales Airport for overhaul. Concorde flights are supported by 18 three-member crews, out of a pool of some 3500 flightcrew with the company. The first female civil supersonic pilot operated Ba001 in March this year. Ba’s seven Concordes operate twice daily services to Jfk each week and have just recently discontinued services to Washington Dulles. In the summer season, services are extended to Toronto and in winter the airline operates a weekly service to Barbados, upgraded to two per week in the peak season for the primarily leisure market.

“To do something else, we would have to drop something that we are already doing,” says Jock Lowe on considering opportunities beyond the current range of scheduled and charter services. Charters, while contributing only 10% to Concorde’s total annual revenue, are recognised as an important ‘flagwaving exercise’ in repositioning both the airline and the aircraft in the wider market. Concorde has now visited more destinations throughout the world than the entire British Airways world network. On many occasions the aircraft has been juxtaposed against the unlikely backdrop of the Pyramids, the African desert and even Hong Kong.

As Jock Lowe points out with the experience of his 24 years with the company, “An airfield is an airfield,” and the aircraft has the capability and performance to operate into and out of the majority of heavy aircraft capable airports. An average of 140 charters are conducted each year, comprising around 200 individual flight sectors from one hour duration to three week round-the-world tours. Round-the-world charters create logistic demands beyond those of any other aircraft, given Concorde’s unique requirements. Each aircraft carries small essential spares on board in the limited cargo space available; other larger items are positioned in advance of Concorde’s arrival.

The arrival in Sydney of G-Boaf in 1989 minus its upper rudder section provides testament to British Airways’ ability to manage support services with deft, the aircraft ready for departure on schedule. A range of charters is available on the local and international market, providing a wide cross section of the community with the chance to experience the pulse-quickening thrill of zero to 300kph in 18 seconds on Concorde flights of one hour to three weeks.

Indulgence aside, Concorde’s ability to attract the upper echelons of the business, political and entertainment industries, while comprising a mere 2% of the airline’s total annual uplift, provides a substantial profitable contribution to British Airways’ revenue, and the aircraft’s Pr value provides an invaluable, though more intangible, marketing asset. Understandably, then, the premium product is very high on the financial and corporate priorities as a revenue raiser and image creator in addition to being a booster of the airline’s regular subsonic premium class services.

The Concorde product has evolved considerably over the last 18 years, from that of the luxury toy for playboys and shopping aficionados to an effective business tool for top level executives. It is this latter category of traveller to which British Airways promotes its supersonic services as The Conquest of Time. And that it certainly is, with the westbound sector arriving some 70 minutes before it leaves, and a return journey providing business passengers the opportunity to conclude business in one day away from the office. A subsonic service, by comparison, would have ‘cost’ the traveller perhaps in excess of 48 hours, a fact that is not lost on corporate leaders who spend around $5600 for the one way Concorde journey from London to New York.

Concorde is often used by the business fraternity in conjunction with Ba’s subsonic services. With the westbound leg arriving at Jfk at 0920, many prefer to travel eastbound on the more relaxing 747 service, availing themselves of the sleeper seats and First Class silver service on a comparative fare. Concorde was originally (and traditionally) marketed to attract high volumes of passengers with attractive fares. However, after extensive market research, British Airways determined that those who travelled on Concorde did so because they were entitled to do so by virtue of their status and responsibility in the corporate community, their success and their desire to fulfil a lifelong ambition to fly at Mach 2. Fares have since been pegged to what the market is willing to spend for a fare that saves crucial time in the business environment.

This addressed both the financial aspect of the aircraft’s financial performance, and created an added exclusivity to a product that remains within the reach of corporations and the well healed. Ironically, passenger traffic actually rose after the fare increase, and to date the company’s seven Concordes have carried over 1.3 million passengers. British Airways, though, is keen to stimulate further traffic, and the frequent world ranging charters in conjunction with travel agencies in the Uk and the United States have provided Ba with a profile that can barely be matched.

Internal Makeover

Coinciding with the 12,000 hour checks, the opportunity was taken to extensively modify and improve the interiors of Concorde. This is the third interior fitout for the aircraft, and this 1990s version provides a more practical and more comfortable cabin for British Airways’ 82,000 Concorde passengers a year, at a cost of $2m per aircraft. All seven Concordes have now been refurbished with new seats, overhead storage bins, lighting, galleys and aesthetics such as carpets and panelling in a programme that required six weeks to complete each aircraft.

The most significant improvement in the current cabin is the seat which offers an armrest that lowers to fit smoothly between the seat cushions, providing more room for a single passenger without compromising the contour of the seat itself. Rounded seat heads also create a more roomy atmosphere. The seat height has been increased to allow more underseat stowage, and additional capacity in overhead storage bins is meeting customer’s demands for more carry-on space. The total refurbishment package has received accolades from both frequent flyers and occasional passengers who together provide Concorde’s regular load factors of 60 to 75%. Full flights are also frequent.

Constant evaluation of market demands are continually instituted where practicable, and such is the case with catering. The seemingly unlikely addition of sandwiches to the menu has been introduced as a result of passengers’ requiring only a light meal on the 3.5 hour flight. The option to dip in and dip out of the menu throughout the flight also allows passengers the opportunity to either indulge in fine fare or avail themselves of a more modest snack. Restricted by the size of the cabin, however, catering facilities are comparatively limited, and British Airways says it is ‘a classic misconception’ that Concorde is considered a First Class product. It should rather be regarded as a premium product standing on its own as a very different style of service, though more closely allied to Club Class service than any other of Ba’s products.

The narrow cabin holds two galleys fore and aft and a cabin crew of six to one hundred passengers. This higher passenger-to-crew ratio allows for an efficient but less glamorous style of service, albeit with no compromise in the level of attention provided by the crew. According to Jane Bednall, Concorde brand manager, “Training for cabin crew immerses them in the passenger’s world, providing the immediacy of service in the air that they are used to on the ground in their business. After all, Concorde’s passengers are in it for the time element.”

“Admittedly, some people who fly on Concorde for the first time can be a little disappointed,” says Ms Bednall. Concorde’s intimate interior has been likened by some at British Airways as ‘a 100 passenger Learjet’. So, too, the company pays as much attention to the ground handling of Concorde passengers as it does to onboard services. Further refinement of the ground product has seen a marked decrease in airport ‘hassle’ at check-in and arrival: a relative term, since Concorde passengers benefit from express security facilities, dedicated departure and arrival lounges and a suiter service that delivers suit carriers to passengers within eight minutes of arrival, usually before the passenger enters the arrivals hall.

Express parking and telephone check-in are additional elements that maximise the flexibility and efficiency on the ground of the Concorde product, an aspect of the service that provides both regular and infrequent passengers the effective business tool they demand. Perhaps interestingly, a profile of Concorde passengers shows that 80% are male, 43% are Mds, chairmen, board directors and senior managers. The average age is 43.

The Future

The much talked about Son of Concorde will undoubtedly arrive on the scene and employ much that has been learned from Concorde’s design and decades of commercial operation. Jock Lowe personally does not see a new aircraft in operation for another 20 to 25 years, considering the development costs and the technological advances required to construct and utilise an aircraft that is capable of flying a larger volume of passengers in a profitable manner. Realistically, he suggests, the next-generation supersonic transport needs to be able to fly up to 15 hours a day to warrant development costs. There would also need to be a simultaneous shift in market perceptions and public acceptance of a profoundly different style of international supersonic service on a mass scale.

“The concept work on a replacement aeroplane has already started. However, the future of supersonic flying, for probably the rest of our working careers, is still Concorde.” So, in the meantime, Concorde will continue to attract its captains of industry, diplomats, the glitterati, and those others entitled to do so. The aircraft’s lead operator, British Airways, will also remain the most experienced supersonic operator in the world, military included, with over 300,000 hours at supersonic speeds accumulated over Concorde’s operational history. Concorde’s exclusivity will be the attraction for many more thousands of a curious public who still, at the sight and sound of Concorde, will stop and wonder — “maybe one day”.