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There's a hole in our Concorde
The Bristol Concorde is losing its battle with the elements.
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Tonight's edition of Inside Out - on Monday 6 February at 7.30pm on 大象传媒 ONE West - reveals that a hole has opened up on the leading edge of one of the aircraft's wings.
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It is already big enough to poke a finger into and experts fear it may get bigger as the plane continues to be buffeted by the wind and rain. Corrosion is now a real concern.
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James Kingdon, from the Concorde maintenance team says: "There's nothing we can do about it really apart from cut the corrosion out. It's like cancer of the aircraft in effect."
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Enthusiasts are desperate for the aircraft to be put under cover to try to prevent any further damage.
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They are worried that Bristol's aviation heritage is literally being allowed to crumble away.
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Frank Nutbeen was a senior engineer with Concorde throughout its history.
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He says: "I want to get this aircraft under cover. Everybody does. Everybody is working to that end, to get this aircraft under cover and stop it deteriorating."
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As well as the hole on the wing, there is a problem with the rubber seal around one of the doors which has started to corrode.
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Guest Inside Out West reporter Chris Serle flew on Concorde himself and is saddened that this aircraft has been left languishing in the open air on the side of a runway.
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He says: "A big part of it was being treated like royalty, it was the best cabin service you could have.
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"And of course you felt, just for those three and a half hours across the Atlantic surrounded by the jet set, like a fully paid up member of the rich and famous."
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The Bristol Concorde, 216 Alpha Foxtrot, was the last one to fly.
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When she landed at Filton more than two years ago, the emotional crowds who welcomed her home assumed she would become a high profile visitor attraction.
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But progress on the plans for an aviation museum has been less than supersonic.
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Chris Serle would like Concorde to follow the example of the SS Great Britain, which secured lottery funding to become a major tourist attraction in a prominent, highly visible location. It now attracts more than 100,000 visitors every year.
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The plane is being looked after by a dedicated band of volunteers.
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Once a week, a small maintenance team from Airbus come to give Concorde the once over. They carry out a whole series of checks throughout the plane.
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But, as hard as they try, they cannot do anything about the constant battering Concorde gets from the salty winds which blow in off the Bristol Channel.
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They are disappointed there has not been more momentum to get the great white bird under cover.
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Inside Out is on Monday 6 February at 7.30pm on 大象传媒 ONE in the West region.
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Notes to Editors
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Viewers outside the 大象传媒 West region can watch it on digital satellite channel 956. 听
JR
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