Posts by user "Bellerophon" [Posts: 50 Total up-votes: 1 Page: 2 of 3]¶

JFK 31L, Kennedy 9 Departure, Canarsie transition, Concorde climb


Speedbird 2, cleared take-off 31L.

You call 3-2-1 Now , start your stopwatch, pre-set to countdown from 58 seconds, and slam the throttles fully forward till they hit the stops. Four RR Olympus engines start to spool up to full power and four reheats kick in, together producing 156,000 lbs of thrust, but at a total fuel flow of 27,000 US gallons per hour. A touch of left rudder initially to keep straight, as the #4 engine limiter is limiting the engine to 88% until 60 kts when it will release it to full power. The F/O calls Airspeed building, 100 kts, V 1 , and then, at 195 kts, Rotate . You smoothly rotate the aircraft, lift-off occurs at around 10\xb0 and 215 kts. You hear a call of V 2 but you keep rotating to 13.5\xb0 and then hold that attitude, letting the aircraft accelerate.

The F/O calls Positive Climb and you call for the Gear Up . On passing 20 feet radio height, and having checked the aircraft attitude, airspeed and rate of climb are all satisfactory, the F/O calls Turn and you slowly and smoothly roll on 25\xb0 left bank to commence the turn out over Jamaica bay. Some knowledgeable passengers will have requested window seats on the left side of the aircraft at check-in, and are now being rewarded with a very close look at the waters of Jamaica Bay going by very fast! As you accelerate through 240 kts, the F/O calls 240 and you pitch up to 19\xb0 to maintain 250 kts and keep the left turn going to pass East of CRI.

54 seconds from the start of the take off roll you hear the F/O counting down 3-2-1 Noise whereupon the F/E cancel the re-heats and simultaneously throttles back to noise abatement power, around 96% as you pitch the nose down to 12\xb0 to maintain 250 kts. It is less than a minute from start of roll and already 435 US gallons of fuel have been used.


Speedbird 2, contact departure, so long.

Turning through heading 235\xb0M, the F/E quickly re-applies full dry power as you pitch up to 17\xb0 to maintain 250 kts, but simultaneously reduce the left bank to 7.5\xb0, in order to increase both the radius of turn (to stay on the optimum noise abatement track) and the rate of climb (less bank, higher RoC).

On climbing through 2,500 ft you increase the bank angle back to 25\xb0 left bank and as you approach the 253\xb0 radial JFK, you hear 3-2-1 Noise from the F/O for the second time. The F/E actions the second noise-abatement power cut back, you pitch down to 12\xb0 and, if not in cloud, sneak a quick peek out of your left hand window, looking for the car park by the Marine Parkway bridge, as you would ideally like to pass right over the car park, if possible, as we tip-toe quietly across the Rockaway Beaches, in order to minimise the noise impact on the residents.

Keep the left turn going and intercept the 176\xb0 radial outbound from CRI, and at 5 miles DME from CRI, call for the F/E to slowly re-apply full climb power as you pitch up to maintain 250 kts. We are still in US territorial airspace, below 10,000 ft, and subject to statutory speed control.


Speedbird 2, present position direct to SHIPP, climb FL230, no speed control.

The F/O selects direct SHIPP in the INS and tells you that she has selected that information into your Flight Director. Having checked that the gear lever is at neutral, you call for the Nose Up , and then the Visor Up . Flight deck noise levels drop dramatically as the Visor locks up. Now more than 12 miles away from the coast, we are clear of US speed control requirements so lower the attitude to 9\xb0, accelerate to V MO , currently 400 kts, and ask for the After Take Off Checks.


Speedbird 2, present position direct to LINND, climb in the block FL550-600, accelerate Mach 2.0

Call for the Climb Checklist at Mach 0.7, which will trigger the F/E to start pumping fuel rearwards to move the CG aft, then when he's done that, straight into the Transonic Checklist . Maintain 400 kts IAS, and around 24,500 ft, at M0.93, ask for the re-heats back on, in pairs, and raise the nose by 3\xb0 to maintain 400 kts as they kick in.

Precise, smooth flying is required through the high drag transonic region, as the mach meter creeps up towards Mach 1. A sudden flicker on the VSI and Altimeter confirms that the shock wave has just passed over the static ports, and the aircraft is now supersonic. A quick glance at the elapsed time indicator shows that you\x92ve been hand flying for just over 9 minutes since the start of the take off roll.

Another fun start to a day in the office, and to think we got paid for doing it!


Best Regards

Bellerophon

CliveL

A warm welcome to the forum, please keep your most illuminating posts coming!


EXWOK

Digging out my old BAeAS notes, if you still have them, the reference is in the Anti High Incidence section at 7.4.82. In addition to the following systems, already mentioned by NW1 :

• Incidence Trim
• Super Stab
• High Incidence Directional Stability
• Auto Trim Inhibit
• Stick Shaker
• A/P disconnect
• Stick Wobbler

there was a further protection called the 4\xb0 Nose Down Demand , although, like you, I seem to remember it was referred to on the course by other names. The requirements to trigger this were:

• IAS below 140 kts
• Incidence greater than 19\xb0

It operated through the pitch auto-stabs, so at least one of them had to be engaged for the system to operate, as well as the associated anti-stall being on and the ADCs agreeing. There was a high-rate-of-increase of incidence protection incorporated in this system, and it could be activated at an incidence as low as 13\xb0.

Purely in the interests of historical accuracy, may I point out that I did once complete a load sheet on a charter flight, but this occasioned such ribald comments from the starboard side of the flight deck, accompanied by ill-suppressed mirth from the maroon Mafioso in the engine room, that I decided in future to delegate all further such calculations to the F/O.

Merry Christmas to all

Bellerophon

CAAAD

From the Cruise Control Manual:



Best Regards

Bellerophon

May I echo a plea that ChristiaanJ has already posted on this thread, and respectfully suggest that we try and keep this thread free from opinions and debate about the Gonesse accident and the subsequent withdrawal of Concorde from commercial service?

Most contributors to this thread will doubtless have strongly held opinions and views on both these topics. Some have posted comments here, but whilst I respect their views and their knowledge, are not these topics already more than adequately catered for on other threads and forums? Frankly, I have to confess that I have grown weary with most such threads, and, in general, neither read them nor contribute to them.

I do, however, greatly value having just one Concorde thread devoted purely to technical comments, anecdotes and personal reminiscences. Perhaps, if others feel similarly, we might try and keep this thread that way?

Happy New Year

Bellerophon

911slf

...I have been a Concorde fan since I won a flight on it in 1980...

Lucky devil! I'm glad you enjoyed the flight.


...There appears to be two digital displays per gauge as well as an analogue display...



Only the lower digital counter was actually a display, and was a digital repeater of the total fuel flow information being displayed by the pointer on the dial. The upper digital counter was merely a digital indication of the value to which the internal yellow triangular bug had been set by the F/E using the bug setting knob on the lower right of the gauge.

Very briefly, during the pre-flight set up, the F/E would calculated the expected fuel flows for each engine, during the take-off whilst using re-heats. He would set this on the bug, and this achieved two things.

Firstly, it gave him a good visual indication whether the required fuel flows were being achieved. Too low a fuel flow would indicate a re-heat problem on that engine.

Secondly, it programmed the expected fuel flow into the engine take-off monitor, as this was one of the parameters that had to be satisfied in order for the monitor to illuminate the Green \x93Clear-to-Go\x94 light.

The Green \x93Clear-to-Go\x94 light was one of three \x93Power Management\x94 lights immediately above the N2 gauge for each engine, the other two being an Amber \x93Configuration\x94 light and a Blue \x93Reverse\x94 light. Some take-offs would require all four Green lights to be on, other take-offs, depending on ambient conditions, aircraft weight and runway length, might only require three Green lights.


...What was the peak consumption per engine, and why two digital displays on each gauge?...

The maximum peak consumption predicted was 21,700 kg/eng/hr, or 86,800 kg/hr total. This would have been predicted for a re-heated take-off, at +8\xb0C, at an elevation of -1,000 PA.

More typically, on a standard day, at a sea level airfield, 20,700 kg/eng/hr, or 82,800 kg/hr total. You can probably see why we turned the re-heats off fairly quickly!


...accelerating to Mach 2.0 and immediately slowing down again....we only went to 43,000 feet so the sky did not get very dark...

43,000 ft is actually a bit too low for Concorde to be at M2.0, as you may see from this graph of her Flight Envelope. She would have been limited to around 525 kts / M1.7 at that height, so I suspect you may have been a little higher than you remember, possibly somewhere around 53,000 ft.


Happy New Year

Bellerophon

EXWOK

...and it has to be OAD, because for some reason the nose/visor control panel is black...

The mind boggles, but I've just checked the date on the photo against my logbook, and you are indeed correct!!


...I've no idea why I can remember stuff like that...

Most of us never noticed it in the first place!


Happy New Year

Bellerophon

Coffin Dodger

The term #### , which you were unsure about, is ATIS , an acronym for A utomatic T erminal I nformation S ervice.

The ATIS is a continuous recorded broadcast, on a separate VHF frequency, of relevant airfield conditions and information, such as wind velocity, runway in use, airfield pressure setting, air temperature, taxiway closures, delays etc.

The first such recording of the day will be designated information Alpha and every time during the day the recording is updated (say roughly every twenty minutes) the letter (NATO alphabet) increases by one.

This system spares the ATC controller from answering the same questions from every aircraft endlessly through the day, whilst also allowing him to check that each aircraft checking in with him has received the latest version of the ATIS.

Had Mike Bannister (for \x91twas he) reported that he had Lima , the controller would have realised he had an out of date ATIS report and would have asked him to copy information Mike .

Had Mike Bannister reported that he had November , the controller would have realised that he probably hadn\x92t copied the ATIS at all and was bluffing!


Best Regards

Bellerophon

Very sad news.

Barbara, you were a joy to know and to fly with.

Rest in Peace,

Bellerophon x

Shaggy Sheep Driver

...told by an ex-Concorde pilot that they lost the 'yellow' system just as they pulled up from the Red Arrows formation...

I don't quite understand why the Yellow system would have been in use at that point - and thus how they came to notice they had lost it!

I suppose the obvious inference is that they may have already experienced one of the several various problems or failures that caused Yellow system to auto-onload.

Best Regards

Bellerophon

Concorde Take-Off . MTOW, LHR, Calm, ISA day, Fuel SG 0.80

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Concorde Cruise/Climb . 140,000 kgs, ISA, Still Air, Optimum altitude for her weight, speed and number of operating engines:

• [*]
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Concorde fuel usage .

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Concorde Range reduction .


It was this last figure, the circa 30% loss of range following an engine shutdown and subsequent deceleration to subsonic cruise, that perhaps most occupied the minds of her operating crews.

Coupled with the change from a generally benign environment of low winds and low temperatures at FL550+, to the more hostile environment of high temperatures and much stronger (head)winds to be expected around FL290, this meant that on routes such as LHR-BGI, the greater challenge was often keeping the 3-engined diversion airfield (usually ANU) in range, rather than the destination airfield (BGI).

Fortunately the fuel planning and monitoring on this route was eased greatly with the publication of some pilot-friendly "How-Goes-It" types of graphs and charts by one particularly bright Flight Engineer.

LHR-BGI, always a challenge, always enjoyable!


Best Regards

Bellerophon

CliveL

You got me a little worried there, so I've just checked the figures I quoted in case I'd slipped up! They were extracted from the Cruise Control Manual (rather than from observation on an actual flight) for a lecture some years ago.

I'm relieved to say they appear to be correct. By way of contrast, to show the variation in fuel flow there could be, the following is perhaps typical of Concorde approaching her decel/descent point into BGI.


Concorde Cruise/Climb . 110,000 kgs, FL600, ISA -15\xb0C:

Best Regards

Bellerophon

Nick Thomas

... I wondered how you could chose to fly in Track instead of Heading i.e. did you say have to push the button quickly twice to get the track mode?...

We should establish which button you mean, because there are two buttons , both associated with TRK/HDG, either of which might be the one you are referring to.

On the auto flight control panel there is a white push-button switch engraved with the letters TRK and HDG .




Photo courtesy of, and copyright to, Gordon Roxburgh , from his ConcordeSST.Com website.


When pressed, this will initiate the acquisition and subsequent hold of the preselected track or heading selected on the three digit counter beneath it (and repeated on the track/heading pointer on the HSI). This switch will illuminate White when this mode is engaged.




Photo courtesy of, and copyright to, Gordon Roxburgh , from his ConcordeSST.Com website.


So what determines whether this mode, if selected, would follow TRK or HDG? Beneath the three digit counter is a combined push-pull and rotary control, beside which is marked HDG PULL and TRK PUSH .

The rotary function of this control altered the reading in the counter and the Push/Pull function determined whether the entered number was a TRK demand or a HDG demand. With TRK/HDG illuminated on the push-button control, and with the rotary control pulled out (and thus in HDG mode), this little rotary control was effectively the steering wheel for the aircraft.

Why HDG and not TRK? Mainly because nearly all ATC vectors are HDG vectors. In practice TRK was rarely used, with the aircraft either in HDG or INS.

Best Regards

Bellerophon

Da-20 monkey


No, there were no trim tabs on Concorde.


Yes, just so.

Concorde had conventional trim controls (electric trim in pitch, manual in roll and yaw), but operating a trim control merely changed the artificial feel datum position and thus the neutral position of the flying controls.

The electric pitch trim not only operated automatically whenever an autopilot was engaged, but could and would also operate automatically in manual flight, independently of any pilot input, to provide pitch stability corrections in various situations.

Best Regards

Bellerophon

fizz57


As well as carrying sufficient fuel to arrive at BGI with standard fuel reserves remaining, there was also a requirement that sufficient fuel be carried to ensure that, following an engine shut-down at any stage in the flight, Concorde could divert, on three engines, to a suitable diversion airfield, and still arrive there with standard fuel reserves remaining.

It was this requirement - the three-engined diversion requirement - that often required more fuel to be loaded - above the basic LHR-BGI flight plan fuel figure - often bringing the total fuel required up to or over the full tanks figure and so became the limiting factor on this route.

Perhaps the main difference between Concorde and most subsonic aircraft, following an engine shutdown in cruise, was that Concorde would suffer a much greater loss in range. From four-engined supersonic flight to optimum three-engined subsonic cruise the loss in range would have been in the order of 30-35%.

This was mainly because Concorde, following an engine shut-down in cruise, would have to decelerate and descend, and thus leave a very efficient flight regime, at M2.0 and 55,000-60,000ft, with relatively low drag, low winds and very cold outside air temperatures, for a much less efficient regime, at M0.95, at around 30,000ft, in a higher drag subsonic cruise with warmer outside air temperatures and much stronger, probably adverse, winds.

The forecast weather at the principal en-route diversion airfields of Santa Maria, Lajes, Bermuda and Antigua, along with the calculated wind components at subsonic cruise levels to these airfields, were all taken into account at the flight planning stage, with the forecast subsonic cruise wind component to Antigua generally being the most critical factor.

If the weather conditions at and en-route to these diversion airfields were favourable, flight planning was straightforward. If the weather conditions were unfavourable, flight planning got more difficult, but the necessary fuel was always carried, passenger numbers limited or a re-fuelling stop planned.


No, not really.

LHR-BGI was certainly the most demanding route on Concorde, and required careful planning, good tactical awareness and diligent in-flight monitoring, however the flight planning procedures and tactical decision making processes were standard and would have been very familiar to any ETOPS rated pilot.

With one exception.

Concorde would still have got you to a diversion airfield following a second engine failure!

Best Regards

Bellerophon

doxeee

...The rear tank on Concorde needed to be full at take off for trim purposes....

No, it didn't, and it wasn't.


...As speed increased fuel was transfered forward to the main tanks...

No, it wasn't. As speed increased fuel was in fact moved rearwards into tank 11.


...if you are interested in the complete fuel management for trim...

I am, but, with respect, either your source of information is incorrect or you have misunderstood it.

LTCTerry

...but why was the thrust asymmetric in the first place?...

Allow me to direct you to my colleague M2dude 's answer here .

Shaggy Sheep Driver

...I've noticed static ports under the fuselage at the back, between the engines. Are these just additional ports for the aircraft's general static pressure measurement system, or do they have a specific function?...

I'm not the right person to be answering this, and the reference diagram I'm looking at, whilst very detailed, is not particularly clear - at least to a pilot!

However, from your description, I wonder if they might possibly be the two pressurisation static ports that are located in that area?

ruddman


...Being that the Concorde looks like a slippery sob, how were the descents planned?...

The distance required to decel/descend from M2.0 in cruise/climb down to 3,000 at 250 kts was obtained from a checklist chart. Entering with the (expected) FL at Top of Descent and then correcting for the average wind component expected in the descent and also for the temperature deviation from ISA gave the required track miles. It wasn\x92t used a lot, because generally the more critical descent requirement was to decelerate so as to be (just) below M1.0 at a specified point on the arrival route, for noise reasons, to avoid booming land.

There was a second chart, utilised in the same way as the first, which provided this information. Sometimes this distance might need to be increased a little, as, if a subsonic cruise was expected before continuing the approach, the engines were \x93warmed\x94 up at M0.97 and after passing FL410, by the application of power, for one minute, by the Flight Engineer.



...Did you just pull the throttles back to flight idle?...

Only if you were willing to run the risk four pop surges from the engines and the near certainty of a clip round the ear from your Flight Engineer.

Usually the pilots handled the throttles from \x93Power Up to Gear Up\x94 and from \x93Gear Down to Shut Down\x94. The Flight Engineer generally did all the rest, which, thankfully, left all the tricky drills and procedures as his responsibility.



...Or was there a little more engine management and more gradual handling of the engines and descent?...

On a normal decel/descent, the handling pilot would select ALT HOLD and then ask the Flight Engineer to reduce power to 18\xba TLA (Throttle Lever Angle). The speed would decay to 350 kts IAS (Indicated Air Speed) IAS HOLD was engaged and the descent flown at 350 kts IAS. The next power reduction (32\xba TLA) came when, still flying at 350 kts IAS, the Mach number reduced through M1.50.


...And I'm guessing the approach speeds were fairly high so hitting the touchdown zone was pretty important?...

In terms of not running off the end of the runway, touching down in the correct spot was as important on Concorde as on other aircraft types.

However, due to the geometry of Concorde on landing, the tail, engine pods and reverser buckets were already fairly close to the runway. Add in a \x93firm\x94 touchdown, or if the wings are not completely level, and ground clearance becomes marginal, so a prolonged flare and floated landing, with an increasing aircraft attitude, was not acceptable. The risk of a pod, tail or a reverser bucket scrape on Concorde was greater than on most conventional jet aircraft.



... So if things got out of shape a little, and a G/A was required, how do you handle what looks like 4 rockets on the wings and applying the right amount of power?...

• Disconnect the autothrottles.
• Apply FULL power without reheat.
• Rotate to 15\xba and level the wings.
• Check for Positive Climb then call for the Gear Up.
• Maintain 15\xba and accelerate (you will accelerate!)
• Passing around 210 kts, reduce power to 95% N2.
• Approaching 250 kts, engage Autothrottles for 250 kts
• Reduce Pitch Attitude, aiming to achieve 2,000 fpm RoC.
• Do not miss the level off altitude for the GA profile.

Shaggy Sheep Driver

S14 and S15 decode as "Pressurisation Static Ports".

Anything more than that and I'm afraid I'm out of my depth, so you'll need one of our resident engineer experts to chip in. The one I'm thinking of might be at sea at the moment!


Here's the page from the Flying Manual:

Concorde Static Ports S14 and S15