In this episode I am talking to John Britton. John was the chief engineer of Concorde on the British side of the enterprise from 1994 until Concorde’s demise in 2003. John possesses a wealth of knowledge regarding the engineering behind Concorde, and its heritage in Bristol, UK. Because he was the chief engineer at its demise, he also has a unique insight into why the aircraft is no longer flying today. In this conversation, John and I talk about:
- how he ended up as the Chief Engineer of Concorde
- what engineering feats made Concorde special
- why Concorde is no longer flying today
- and what he thinks new supersonic companies need to focus on
This interview was recorded at Aerospace Bristol, which is a new aerospace museum located at Filton Airfield in the South West of the United Kingdom. From the beginnings of powered flight, Filton Airfield was the birthplace of many a flying machine – from aeroplanes and helicopters to missiles and satellites. Aerospace Bristol represents the new heart to the area’s aerospace heritage.
Selected Links from the Episode
- Aerospace Bristol museum
- Heritage of Filton Airfield
- Sir George White
- The Bristol Aeroplane Company
- British Aircraft Corporation
- Concorde:
- Timeline
- The Concorde Story documentary
- Powerplant, fuel system, wing and skin temperatures
- The demise of Concorde: video and article and another article
- The Concorde rival: Tu-144
- Overview
- The Paris Crash (ironic that Concorde too would crash in Paris 30 years later)
- Return of supersonic commercial flights with:
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