Concorde Meets Aerodynamic Eco + Monotracer + Cd Figures

Super-aerodynamic vehicles all! David Baber's 2008 Monotracer and Andy Tribble's 1987 Ecomobile parked in front of the 20th century Concorde at Brooklands in September 2013 after the Salon Privé Tour d'Élégance. Brooklands was the UK's first purpose-built race circuit, and operated from 1907 to 1939. It was also an airfield and the extension of the runway in 1939 for wartime use ended the use of the circuit, which was never re-opened.
It seemed appropriate to put up a photo of Concorde on the 10th anniversary of its withdrawal from service, 27 years after its first commercial flights started. It seems strange that in 2013 transatlantic flight times are hours slower than Concorde's were in 1976! There's an interesting BBC article, and video clip about the supersonic airliner here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24629451
Photo: © Paul Blezard

February 2015 update. It is also very interesting to compare and contrast the measured aerodynamic drag of the Eco and Monotracer with the impressive figure achieved at the MIRA windtunnel by the Creasey-built Monoliner in February 2015. In a discussion on the Feet Forward Yahoo group list On 23/2/15 Arnold Wagner wrote: "Drag coefficients give only partial reference to vehicle drag. The value for direct comparison is Cd x cross section area, which refers also to the size of the vehicle.
Measured values in the Volkswagen Klima-Windkanal (windtunnel) in November 2007 resulted in a Cd x A of 0,18 for the Monotracer with a total cross section area of 1,01 m2.
From the same drive train we could relate results for the ECO also, giving Cd x A of 0,19 with A = 0,95 m2.
Effectively the Cd of the MT is 0,18 whereas the ECO has 0,19 x 0,95 = 0,20." AW.
PNB

Concorde Meets Aerodynamic Eco + Monotracer + Cd Figures

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Edge technologies linked by a single event

What an interesting picture. Two edge technologies, one obsolete, one emergent, their destinies linked by a single event;- the 1973 'Oil Shock' which brought home to the complacent West that Transport Fuel Cost was now something to factor in.

Fuel costs killed Concorde - and all other 'in-atmosphere' supersonic commercial flight (we will need, theoretically, fuel efficient sub-orbital flight to lose the extra flight hours of subsonic air travel)

Fuel Costs make efficient transport - and FF's are the most efficient transport - not just possible but inevitable.

The only surprise is that it's 2013 now and the motorised bicycle people, makers, riders and media, still haven't noticed that the world's changed.