[meteorite-list] Concorde is looking good as Wales image explanation

From: Matson, Robert <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:23 2004
Message-ID: <AF564D2B9D91D411B9FE00508BF1C86901B4EDE3_at_US-Torrance.mail.saic.com>

Hi again,

I downloaded the latest British Airways Worldwide Timetable, good for
dates from July 1st, 2003 to October 25th, 2003, and have confirmed
that the Concorde is scheduled to leave nightly at 6:30pm out of
Heathrow for JFK at 18:30 out of terminal 4 -- flight BA001. (At least
for the next 17 days). The arrival time is 17:25 at JFK, which is
3 hours 55 minutes later. The website reports that the flight time
is actually only 3 1/2 hours, so there's 25 minutes of fluff in the
schedule. Splitting the fluff equally between Heathrow and JFK means
an ~18:42:30 take off.

Concorde's takeoff speed in 250 mph, and Heathrow is ~180 miles east
of southern Wales. If they flew a straight line and averaged 450 mph
over that distance, they'd be over Porthcawl in 24 minutes. (Given
that they have to fly subsonic over land, I doubt they can average
much more than 450 mph over the first 24 minutes of flight).

So: 18:30 + 00:12:30 + 00:24 = 17:06:30

The Pencoed picture was supposedly taken around 17:13, when the object
producing the contrail is already well out over the water. I don't
know about you, but I'd say the circumstantial evidence is pretty
strong. (One might well ask, "If that's NOT the Concorde's contrail,
where ~is~ the Concorde's contrail, since it ought to be in the same
field of view?!")

Isn't it nice when all the facts come together to form a coherent,
logical, simple explanation? --Rob
Received on Tue 07 Oct 2003 05:27:06 PM PDT