#BAC Concorde

[dylanshetaplanesandhcs]

Studies started in 1954, and France and the UK signed a treaty establishing the development project on 29 November 1962, as the programme cost was estimated at £70 million (£1.68 billion in 2023). Construction of the six prototypes began in February 1965, and the first flight took off from Toulouse on 2 March 1969.

Concorde: 1976-2003

[chronicsheepdevelopment]

So what’s your guys opinion on a game starring different makes of Aircraft?

[the-time-lord-oracle]

BA Landor appreciation:

British Airways Landor livery, as used between 1984 and 1997. A smart, regal livery that suited every aircraft that sported it.

[nelc]

What an airshow!

Edit: Once, We Ruled the Skies by Paul Couper

[apoorconductor]

Twice the speed of sound. Twice the speed of sun. Landlubbers, aviators, and air fanatics, welcome aboard Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde.

Because I have space to bloviate on Tumblr, here are all the shaders I used in order!: Oceano Shaders v3.0.1 - postcard BSL Shaders v8.2.04 - side profile Sildur's Vibrant Shaders (Medium) v1.51 - top profile Kappa Shader v5.2 - nighttime takeoff Nostalgia v5.0 - rear bottom angle Nostalgia - passenger cabin, Mach meter Solas v1.5b - flight engineer's cockpit compartment Voxlementary Main - flyover shot approaching Soft Voxels Lite v2.0 - rear profile Nostalgia - rear top angle Kappa - flyover shot departing

Had great fun with this build, I got to stretch some very old airplane-building muscles! New TTTT entry will be posted next week.

[pretty-little-fools]

[dronescapesvideos]

Flying At Mach 2. The Concorde Story, An Engineering Marvel

VIDEO ➤➤ https://youtu.be/FGVEKstDeJw

[nocternalrandomness]

Concorde landing, at Filton Airfield, Bristol, England.

[weehughie]

Got to love a perfectly placed puddle… • • #gbbdg #concorde #supersonic #airtravel #style #icon #concord #reheat #britishairways #airfrance #aerospatiale #bac #britishaircraftcorporation #brooklandsmuseum #puddle #puddlegram #brooklands #museum #aviation #mach2 #flying #history #aviationhistory #reflection #puddlereflection #bluesky #autumn #lovethis (at Brooklands Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/Clia_48oEnA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[usafphantom2]

BAC 221 - 1964 (GB) The Concorde design used a then-new type of delta wing that was being developed at the RAE known as the ogee or ogival delta design. This design aimed to improve both supersonic wave drag with high leading-edge sweep and low thickness/chord ratio at the root,

@CcibChris via X

[flavinbagel]

30th June, 1973 - BAC Aérospatiale Concorde 001 F-WTSS as it flies from the Canary Islands to Chad chasing the Path of Totality of a solar eclipse at supersonic speed.

More details about this image under break.

F-WTSS, unit 001, was the first of two prototype models built, and was the first Concorde ever to fly on 2nd March 1969. Though its components differed significantly from those of production Concordes and it never saw commercial service, F-WTSS enjoyed sporadic operation in the early 70s for various high speed and high altitude scientific testing.

One such scientific mission occurred in 1973 during a total solar eclipse over the equatorial Atlantic and Saharan Africa. The airframe was modified to include four portholes in the ceiling, enabling scientists onboard to observe and record the total eclipse, which from the ground would last a crazy long seven minutes. With its cruising speed of 202% the speed of sound (about 1,400mph/2,250kph), the Concorde could happily chase the moon's shadow across the surface of the earth, enabling its occupants to experience an unprecedented 74 minutes of totality.

Additionally, from the jet's crusing altitude of 60,000 ft above sea level, the clarity of the eclipse was unlike any experienced before. Combined with the extended time, this flight provided more scientific data on solar activity than any single solar eclipse could have previously. And here, in this photo, most likely taken through a telescope by Arthur Gibson, such a special event was captured at an absolutely precisely perfect moment, with the mighty jet passing just over the "diamond ring" at the very edge of the totality.

No Concorde has flown since 2003. Unit 001, F-WTSS, now sits in a museum in Bourget, France, still outfitted with its eclipse-viewing portholes. No aircraft flying today has the availability or the onboard space to host a scientific venture while keeping up with an eclipse, as the few fast enough are all military with very small crew spaces and "better" things to do than conduct civillian science. No civilian jet today flies this fast, or this high, and it's not even close. That's why this photo feels so incredibly important to me: not only is it a one-in-a-million snap of a rare event, it's also a great shot of something that will never happen again.

(At least not any time soon.)

Image is as featured in The Smithsonian Book of Flight, Walter J. Boyne, published 1987 by Smithsonian Books, p. 231. Photographed by Arthur Gibson.

[nesiacha]

The Journey of the Forgotten French Revolutionary Victor Bach: His Opposition to the Directory and Bonaparte, and Questions Surrounding the Mystery of His Death

Le Cœur - La mort de Victor Bach, le 18 brumaire, au pied de la statue de la Liberté, place de la Concorde - P460 - Musée Carnavalet (portrait representing the death of Victor Bach)

Before addressing the hypotheses regarding his mysterious death, it is essential to learn more about the journey of this revolutionary. Here is how he is described in the book Biographie des Contemporains (Biography of Contemporaries), written by Arnault and Jay in 1821: "Doctor in Paris, elector of the department of the Seine in (...) 1798; one of the most enthusiastic and passionate supporters of the Revolution. He was arrested by order of the Directory government and brought before a jury on charges of writing a satirical pamphlet against members of the Directory, particularly those responsible for the law of 22 Floréal, Year VII (May 11, 1799) (...). After being released, Bach continued to vehemently attack the directors and all enemies of the Revolution. In June 1799 (Prairial, Year VII), he delivered a fiery speech at the Jacobin Tribune on Rue du Bac, in which he again railed against the Directory, outlined the dangers threatening the Republic, and proposed the creation of an exclusively democratic government. He concluded his speech by reading a proposed constitution, in which he expanded the notion of democracy so much that the 1793 constitution (...) would have seemed like an aristocratic work by comparison. The revolution of 18 Brumaire, Year VIII, and General Bonaparte's rise to power as Consul, shook his already fragile mind; he took his own life at the foot of the Statue of Liberty."

Historian Bernard Gainot already notes an error in this biography. Victor Bach allegedly gave this speech at the Club du Manège, not at the Jacobin Tribune. Michaud places Bach in the political spectrum of Babouvism or neo-Babouvism, describing him as: "After the fall of Robespierre, he, in turn, was persecuted and narrowly escaped the prosecutions directed at Babeuf's accomplices and the assailants of the Camp of Grenelle." However, Bernard Gainot considers this portrait confused, as it seems to mix up the repression of Year III with the repression targeting the Babouvists from Year IV onward.

This is how Bernard Gainot summarizes this opponent of the Directory: He was born into a family of blacksmiths in Villefranche-de-Rouergue in 1764. His father was a Freemason, and his cousin played a significant local role during the French Revolution. After completing his medical studies, Victor Bach always made sure to mention his medical degree in his signature.

He was deeply committed to the Revolution. According to Gainot, documents from Year III describe him as a former police commissioner of the Chalier section. In his book Les Sans-Culottes Parisiens en l’An II, Soboul cites a denunciation by Victor Bach in Germinal, Year II, against "the wealthy members of his section who had contributed a smaller sum to a collection for saltpeter than the workers of the gunpowder workshop" (as quoted by Bernard Gainot).

Some documents present him as a supporter of Carrier. As a result, the Thermidorian period depicted him as a terrorist, even a Robespierrist (a term as confused as Hébertist, Dantonist, or even Girondin). Under the Directory, Bach remained politically active, living among the neo-Jacobins and continuing to be involved with political opponents of the Directory. He was a member of the Société Politique, where he interacted with well-known revolutionary opponents of the time, including Xavier Audouin, Felix Lepeletier, Antonelle (nicknamed "the Invariable"), Adjutant Jorry, René Vatar, and others.

Victor Bach is far from the unknown figure he is today. The speech he delivered at the Manège in 1799 was well-received within certain circles, but outside, it sparked controversies, such as Poultier’s accusation of Jacobin conspiracy, accusing him of advocating for a revolutionary system based on the suppression of private property. This provided a pretext to close the Manège.

Gainot disputes the idea that Victor Bach represented a split between radicals and opportunists.

Bach invoked the tragedies of the Revolution, not out of nostalgia, but to draw "lessons" intended to strengthen the maturity of the democratic movement. He glorified the "martyrs" of the revolutionary cause, reinforcing a cult of memory typical of revolutionary rhetoric, without necessarily advocating a return to what is sometimes called the troubled period of 1793 (I still have difficulty with the word Terror, knowing that it was coined by opportunists to rehabilitate their political reputations, though I accept it more than the silly term Reign of Terror).

Bach particularly stood out for his emphasis on progressive taxation, which he saw as a key tool for social redistribution and the consolidation of the Republic. This set him apart from other reformers of the time, like Félix Le Peletier, whose proposals, though converging on certain points, lacked the same programmatic coherence. Bach’s program reflected a socially oriented vision, deeply concerned with economic justice, as evidenced by his proposals for public assistance, education, and support for the disadvantaged.

Gainot also highlights that, while Bach aligned himself with the Constitution of Year III, his discourse was perceived as a threat by conservatives. They quickly exploited some of his proposals, particularly the idea of citizens' "co-ownership," to discredit his program by equating it with extreme revolutionary ideas, such as agrarian law or the abolition of private property. However, Gainot demonstrates that Bach was not advocating for the abolition of private property but for extending political rights to a broader segment of citizens. Unlike figures like Babeuf, Momoro, or Jacques Roux ( Jacques Roux who encroached on property during food store pillages), Bach was one of those republicans who believed in the sanctity of property rights.

In a broader perspective, Gainot connects Bach to other republican figures of the time, such as Bernard Metge (a staunch opponent of Sieyes and Bonaparte, as well as an adamant adversary of Babouvism) and François Dubreuil, who shared similar concerns about pauperism and the defense of republican principles. However, these militants, though active in the democratic opposition, were unprepared for the repression that followed under the Consulate, leading to their marginalization or political disappearance.

The article shows that Bach’s trajectory, and that of the neo-Jacobins in general, is emblematic of the tensions between pursuing revolutionary ideals and the reality of a republican regime in transition, seeking to stabilize while fighting internal and external threats. Bach, though aware of the dangers, seemed to believe in the continued existence of an open public sphere where democratic debates could still take place.

I appreciated Bernard Gainot's comparison of the similarities and differences between Victor Bach and Felix Le Peletier. Both were fervent republicans who sought to regenerate the Republic and combat corruption, particularly by defending the principle that civil servants should be held accountable, transparently revealing their income, for example. Both believed in the right of association, albeit for different reasons—one to defend political freedoms, the other to maintain contact with the people, who would be a key element in the struggle.

They sought to punish traitors and embezzlers and defended a social-economic program. But Victor Bach was more radical than Felix Le Peletier. He placed even greater emphasis on proposals such as progressive taxation and assistance to the poor, whereas Felix Le Peletier, though he mentioned these issues in his speeches, was more cautious, likely out of tactical prudence given that they were a minority facing the Directory.

Bach aimed his message more at the neo-Jacobins who would recognize themselves in his discourse, while Felix Le Peletier sought to appeal to a broader audience, including republican notables or part of the Legislative Body.

Now we turn to the circumstances of Victor Bach's death. Traditionally, he is seen as a republican who, upon witnessing all his fears materialize in the form of a military dictator and the destruction of the Revolution, killed himself with a pistol on 18 Brumaire at the foot of the Statue of Liberty when Bonaparte took power. However, this theory is challenged by several pieces of evidence. At that time, the press was not yet fully censored, and if a well-known figure like Victor Bach had committed suicide under such conditions, it would have been reported in the press at least. A man did indeed commit suicide on 3 Frimaire, Year VIII (November 24, 1799), but this man was named Carré and did so at the foot of the Statue of Liberty.

So, what happened to Victor Bach? Bonaparte had not forgotten him, as we know he used the machine infernale incident perpetrated by royalists as an opportunity to eliminate opposition from the left, sending some people he knew well (notably Giuseppe Ceracchi, tortured for false confessions and sent to the guillotine, among others) to their deaths.

Bach was listed for deportation, yet his name was later altered with the claim that he had committed suicide on June 5, 1800, in the Bois de Boulogne. However, this body turned out to be that of a certain Arson. So, what happened? What are the exact circumstances of Victor Bach's death?

Nevertheless, it is important to note that the Bois de Boulogne was a known location for duels. Gainot puts forward three hypotheses: Le Journal des Hommes libres reports that during the period of Year VIII, disputes escalated into duels, with one side consisting of democratic supporters and the other of those aligned with Sieyès. Victor Bach, being an opponent of Bonaparte, may have been involved in such a duel and died as a result. His body could not be identified, even though it was said that he died in the Bois de Boulogne.

However, there is another, more troubling hypothesis raised by Gainot: it is possible that an agent (perhaps acting under Fouché’s orders) secretly eliminated Victor Bach to rid themselves of a troublesome and well-known political adversary. This is plausible, as Bonaparte (or his advisors like Cambacérès, Fouché, Talleyrand) broke many legal norms. The fact that no evidence has surfaced could support the idea of the destruction of compromising documents. Given Bonaparte's history of eliminating bodies, as seen with the former slaves, rebels, and even innocent Black individuals drowned by Rochambeau and Leclerc under Bonaparte’s orders, one might wonder if such methods were employed against Bach. But in 1800, in metropolitan France, why would they do this to Bach and not extend the same treatment to other Bonaparte opponents like Buonarroti? And what would Bonaparte (or Fouché, Talleyrand, or Cambacérès) gain from such an action? Moreover, the surprise surrounding Bach's death seems genuine, as he had been on the deportation list, and it was only when his death was learned that a modification had to be made.

The third hypothesis is that of suicide. It is suggested that Bach might have taken his own life after Bonaparte’s victory at the Battle of Marengo (June 1800), which solidified the latter’s power and dashed the hopes of the republican opposition. However, his body mysteriously disappeared, leading to speculation that his friends may have discreetly buried him, or that the police erased all traces of his death. On the other hand, Victor Bach comes across as a fighter, an authentic revolutionary who did not waver even during the harshest periods of the Directory. But this hypothesis remains more plausible than the second. Personally, I lean toward the first hypothesis, but if that were the case, why was his body never found for identification, especially since he had family he was constantly in contact with, as well as colleagues nearby? Why didn’t they reported his death? I understand the part where they might have wanted to bury him in secret to ensure his body was treated with respect, but not to mention it at all seems odd. This whole affair is quite mysterious.

In any case, it seems safe to say that he died before the roundup of Jacobins for deportation or execution, and that’s likely the only certainty we will have. However, we can still remember his revolutionary work, both for the good he accomplished and for what he may be criticized for. We should strive to bring him out of the obscurity into which he has fallen, considering that he was well-known during his lifetime.

I end with some extracts from Victor Bach's speech qu'il a adressé au Directoire.

"… calculate, if you can, the sum of the vices, the crimes, and the evils of all kinds that have emerged from the cavern of the overthrown Directory, like another Pandora's box; count, if you can, the number of families they have plunged into misery, divided, decimated, or annihilated; measure, if possible, the tears and blood they have caused to be shed! The blood of several million men, the tears of almost all the peoples of both hemispheres, condensed on their sacrilegious heads, form a black, dark, thick cloud, from which the thunder will inevitably strike to crush them sooner or later. Illustrious spirits of the victims of Vendôme, sacrificed by Viellard on the altar of the bloodthirsty gods who desecrated Luxembourg! Revered spirits of the overly trusting republicans massacred at Grenelle, no less precious spirits of the democrats of Switzerland and Italy! And you, generous and immortal spirits of our heroes, reduced to every kind of deprivation, and sacrificed in the hospices and in battle to satisfy their insatiable thirst for blood and riches, who undoubtedly delight in soaring over this cradle of liberty—take back for a moment your bloodied bodies, gather your scattered limbs, rise from your graves, stand up, and come with us, with your mutilated comrades, with your widows and orphans, your fathers, mothers, sisters, and mourning brothers! Come, come demand with us from the Legislative Body full justice and swift vengeance!" ( I think that it is Victor Bach who make this speech)

Those are definitely from him: When he warns against impulsiveness: "It is certainly good and useful to have confidence in one's abilities and resources; but this commendable presumption, without which one cannot hope for victory in battle or in politics, has its limits. If these limits are exceeded, it becomes nothing more than recklessness, powerless bravado, a ridiculous boastfulness that turns the laurels, which one was certain to win, into cypress, had one only listened to the humble voice of wisdom and prudence…"

When he addresses the members of the Directory by name: "Yes, guilty as you may be, Reubell, Merlin, and all of you legislators, directors, or ministers who may be their accomplices! I do not wish for your death, but rather that you be sentenced to sweep the streets of Paris, dressed in those grand costumes that gave you the pride, greed, and cruelty of the kings you sought to imitate."

Rest in peace Victor Bach.

Sources: Albert Soboul Biographie des Contemporains (1821) by Arnault and Jay Michaud Journal des Hommes libres Bernard Gainot’s investigation into the "suicide" of Victor Bach, extracted from Annales historiques de la Révolution française

[all-action-all-picture]

1974 ad for Airfix model kits:

Supermarine S.6B - Designed by R.J. Mitchell who went on to design the Supermarine Spitfire.

BAC-SUD Concorde - BAC stood for British Aircraft Corporation and SUD was Sud Aviation. Concorde first flew in 1969, began commercial flights in 1976 and was retired in 2003.

Cutty Sark - still on public display at Greenwich, London.

H.M.S. Manxman - launched in 1940 and broken up (scrapped) in 1973.

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak - Entered service in the US in 1954, it retired from the USAF in 1964 but was still flown by National Guard units into the early 70's.

[bizarre-blorbo-bracket]

Round 1 Poll 28: the Concorde from Aérospatiale/BAC vs Gnash from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates

Propaganda under the cut:

The Concorde

It's a plane. The BEST plane. It has a moving nose, so sometimes it's got a drooping snout. It's one of the only supersonic commercial planes out there (there is only 1 other!) and can cruise at MACH 2! It's a thing of beauty, if I was rich I would love to be on one. Honestly, if it wasn't retired, I'd love to watch one take off.

Gnash

MY FERRAL AUTISM BOY!!! He talks to animals! I wanna squeeze him! I wanna use his double jump to sequence break and attempt to jump out of the map! He's cute and I used to kinda have a crush* on him (when I was 12. fuck that's 10 years ago shit fuck i'm old now) and if fictional characters aged with the passage of time I still would have a crush* on him now. He's still my cute scrunkly with sequence break potential and I have a crush* on an imaginary idea of what Gnash would be like as an adult because he kickstarted my love of fictional androgynous guys, and some of my FNAF AU/OC characters share some of his traits. *FYI I only have a vague idea of what a crush is. It's someone you find BOTH aesthetically cute AND you think you'd have a nice relationship with them, right? And people can pick their crushes, right? You think "hu, that fictional character is cute and a relationship with them may be sweet" and then you go through the "do I want to have a crush on this character" and if you select yes, that's getting a crush works, right? (Gnash will always tick the cute box but the latter box wouldn't work unless I was magically 15 again)

[airmanisr]

DSC_2181 - BAC/Aérospatiale Concorde 002, G-BSST, Fleet Air Arm Museum, RNAS Yeovilton, 11th April 2022. by Martin Laycock

[zack4x4]

Concorde: El avión supersónico francés-británico

Aeroespacial/BAC Concorde Concorde fue un avión icónico de la aviación supersónica en el mundo. En 1996, había 14 unidades sirviendo con sus lujosos vuelos. La mayoría de los aviones de pasajeros de hoy en día presentan un diseño similar: motores encapsulados, alas delgadas y barridas, y un fuselaje ovalado. Sin embargo, en los principales aeropuertos como Londres, Nueva York y París,…