May 20, 1976, 50 years ago: Arrival at Orly of F-WTSA - Part 2

How the SA will replace WOODY…

We will only deal with this letter in our present article, because it will determine the future of the SA in his future life.

Following the fire of September 21, 1975, which caused significant damage to the fuselage of WOODY, the Paris Airport services quickly considered several solutions, which were outlined in a letter addressed to Mr. Clinckx, DX ( Operation Director ?), on January 18, 1976.

Content summary:

An initial assessment was carried out by the model builder, the company LMEE (La Maquette d’Etude et d’Exposition), to consider a reconstruction, and the estimate was 639,500.00 Francs and 20,000.00 Francs for the sound system.

After an assessment with the insurance companies, the amount of the loss was assessed at 828,060.00 Francs without a request for reconstruction of the model, and compensation will be offered. The compensation solution will be accepted and the funds will be paid 3 weeks later.

In the aforementioned letter, the head of the general department proposes three solutions, which we reproduce below:

1/We repair the mockup: in my opinion, this is not the best solution, as we will spend significant sums to restore a mockup that is already severely dilapidated in its structure and requires substantial maintenance.

It is not even certain that we will obtain authorization from Bureau Veritas to allow the public to view this mockup; moreover, such authorization would likely only be granted for a short period.

2/Allocate this sum to the acquisition and outfitting of Concorde 002. This solution, for which we are in discussions, would certainly be preferable since we would have an all-metal aircraft that is weather-resistant and perhaps more attractive.

You will notice the typo referring to Concorde 002; it is indeed the 02 our SA that is being mentioned.

It is interesting to see above the remark from the CEO who already approves of solution 2.

3/         simply retain the amount of compensation and waive the "aircraft on the ground" visits.

Regarding this last point, it is obviously necessary to draw up an assessment that only DX can do.

This letter also contains several interesting remarks from the various people consulted, who will add their "handwritten annotations," which we have tried to decipher as best we can below.

1/ DXS: For a quick update, where are we in the talks regarding 002**

2/ ET opinion: I prefer solution 2 if we manage to find someone to talk to at SNIAS

3 ------ Dx

I finally managed to contact Georges (?) who gave me his initial agreement and noticed me on VIVIER.

- 3 questions were discussed:

1) When? For them, between 2 and 10 months. I told them OK.

2) How? Last flight Toulouse Orly.

3) How much? I need to make him an offer. He doesn't seem demanding. I propose an amount to be determined with DHG based on the total insurance compensation and taking into account the adjustments to be made (solution 2).

This letter prompted a swift response from ADP decision-makers to preserve the heritage and continue to run guided tours by saving the SA and bringing it to Orly.

In our next article, we'll discover what happened next.

To be continued…