|
|
|
|
|
|
British Airways Confident Concorde Flights Will Resume Voice of America, June 17, 2001 The head of British Airways says he is optimistic the Concorde supersonic jet will soon be back in commercial service. Rod Eddington made the comment Tuesday after a British Concorde completed what appeared to be a successful test flight from London's Heathrow Airport. The flight marked the first time a Concorde flew at supersonic speeds since an Air France Concorde crashed last July outside Paris, killing 113 people. Officials blamed that disaster on a punctured tire that hurled debris into the jet's fuel tanks, triggering a fire that led to the crash. Tuesday's flight tested modifications that include new tires and Kevlar liners in the fuel tanks. The plane's pilot said the Concorde performed "brilliantly." The jet reached speeds of nearly 2,200 kilometers per hour - about twice the speed of sound. The Concorde made a 3 hour, 20 minute flight over the Atlantic and back, and landed at a military airfield northwest of London. Engineers will now analyze the flight data and examine the plane on the ground for any mechanical or structural problems. Air France has previously made Concorde test flights but at subsonic speeds. The French and British national carriers are the only airlines to have the Concorde in their fleets. Both airlines are preparing the Concorde for a return to service. But Air France says the timing for resuming commercial flights is up to civil aviation authorities in Great Britain and France. |
|
|
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
|
