Here comes Concorde
Concorde is about to begin flying trials again, preliminary to those at full speed and operational height. The results of these will help to determine its final range and payload, which are estimated to be 4000 miles and 25,000 lbs.
The protoype Concorde, grounded since April for modifications, will come back into service with surprisingly few changes. The biggest of these, however, is the introduction of more powerful Olympus engines. These, it is believed, will help it attain a cruising speed of Mach 2 and the prospect of meeting its performance specification regarding range and payload. The crucial point in achieving this is engine behaviour, particularly the efficiency of the air intakes, which seek to ensure full pressure within the engine system. High forward speed helps achieve full pressure, provided the shock wave associated with supersonic speed can be tamed. This is controlled by movable ramps in the main intake and barn doors in the auxilary intake. These have given good results at Mach 1.5, but they now have to prove their effectiveness at speeds up to Mach 2.
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The test pilots will also need to know how the aircraft will behave if an engine fails. Earlier flights showed that an engine shutdown led to increased yaw and an awkward disturbance of the airflow over the fin and rudder. The control surfaces of the wing (or elevons) have been modified to take account of this.
If this problem can be met, along with reasonable fuel consumption at Mach 2, and the engine pressure modifications prove successful, Concorde can finally be offered to airlines with full guarantees.
From New 杏吧原创, 30 July 1970