Why Concord failed?
KMF Sayeed, 20/32 Babar Road, Mohammadpur, Dhaka.
This is amusing that a Bangladeshi metallurgical graduate has been able to detect that due to the limitation of knowledge in material science of Anglo-French scientists, Concord, the supersonic jet failed to survive. I hope, after reading this analysis NASA will propose to appoint him as Director General of flight safety for Space Shuttle as well as to determine the cause which resulted the disintegration during re-entry of the shuttle causing death to valuable lives.I joined EPIDC in 1962 and continued till my retirement. He was known as Nut Shakil. I do not know where he is now. However, I feel that before expressing his views in the newspaper he should have studied what is metal fatigue and composition of titanium and total thrust of four Olympus Jet Engines' effect on this sleek white bird. The expected life of this supersonic commercial jet, which breaks twice the sound barrier to reach a 2-mach speed for which this was not allowed to fly overland, was also a consideration. Concord flew for long 30 years with few hundred thousand take offs and landings covering millions of miles. Passengers' safety remains supreme of the Airline using such aircraft. Besides, of the total payload it used to carry 80% was fuel. Inspite of $5000 one way ticket this was uneconomic particularly after AIR FRANCE crash during take off and 11th September 2001 which has heavily reduced the revenue. These are the two reasons that forced both BA and Air France to discontinue Concord operation and not the reasons expressed by the metallurgical graduate of Bangladesh.
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