Mon, May 05, 2003
Move Over Branson, Someone Else Wants BA's Concordes
To our knowledge, the
Concorde never made a flight to Kalamazoo (MI). But, if the
Aviation History Museum has its way, that may change. And, boy,
will Richard Branson be mad.
The request from the Michigan museum, along with a similar
request from Seattle's Museum of flight, are among some 300
inquiries to British Airways from around the world, most of which
ask, "Say, what're you going to do with those Concordes after
they're retired"
The New York Post reports suggestions have ranged from
turning the Concordes into restaurants, wedding chapels, props for
music videos and "hiring them for the day," said Karen Franklin, a
British Airways spokeswoman.
One's Already Spoken For
Back in 1989, Air France, the other company flying Concordes,
agreed to donate one of the supersonic jetliners to the Smithsonian
Institute in Washington (DC).
But Not Everyone Wants Them For Posterity
One of those asking is Virgin Atlantic's brash CEO, Richard
Branson. He plans to keep at least some of the Concordes flying. In
an article last week, we reported Branson's offer is almost
laughably small. About one British Pound Sterling for each of the
BA Concordes (
ANN: April 27, 2003, "Branson To Buy Aging Concorde
Fleet?"). But Branson has a problem. He wants BA to
disclose its operational expenses on the Concordes, something the
royal flag carrier is not willing to do.
BA will end its Concorde flights in October. Air France will
shut them down by the end of this month.
More News
With Testing Soon Complete, Launch Preparations Begin in Earnest Sierra Space's Dream Chaser has been put through the wringer at NASA's Glenn Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio, but w>[...]
Takeoff Roll The process whereby an aircraft is aligned with the runway centerline and the aircraft is moving with the intent to take off. For helicopters, this pertains to the act>[...]
“We’re proud of the hard work that went into receiving this validation, and it will be a welcome relief to our customers in the European Union. We couldn’t be mor>[...]
"Aircraft Spruce is pleased to announce the acquisition of the parts distribution operations of Wag-Aero. Wag-Aero was founded in the 1960’s by Dick and Bobbie Wagner in the >[...]
IDENT Feature The special feature in the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS) equipment. It is used to immediately distinguish one displayed beacon target from other be>[...]