Ian Sheppard has acted as Editor International Show Editions for AIN since June 2013. Based in the Redhill, England, Ian reports for the various AIN publications as well as providing support to International Editor Charles Alcock in covering international air shows (such as Farnborough, Paris, Singapore and Dubai), and the EBACE and MEBA business aviation events. His central role is to cover Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Prior to becoming more involved with AIN in mid-2011 (initially as deputy international editor), Ian worked for various aviation publications through his company, First Aerospace Media. This included being part of the AIN team covering daily news at international air shows.
Ian has worked for publications such as Flight International (technical reporter, 1997-8) and Aerospace International (editor, 1999-2000). He was publications manager at Airclaims (Ascend) between 2000 and 2004 before forming First Aerospace Media. Since mid-2009 Ian has also been managing editor of Regional International, the journal of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA).
Ian hasis working towards a European commercial pilot licence, having held an FAA private pilot license in 1991, and instructor rating. He also has a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Bath, England, and a graduate diploma in law from Kingston University, and is a graduate of the legal practice course (College of Law, Guildford).

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Ian Sheppard

Here are some <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/blogs/ain-blog-60-years-canadas-arrow-still-remembered">fascinating supersonic facts</a> about the Concorde: 
•Just over 202 feet long, nine-foot-wide tube; 
•Tail and cockpit sections added at Filton were built at Weybridge (Vickers, later BAC); 
•Stretches six to eight inches in flight; 
•Pressurized to 6,000 feet, so comfortable in cabin; 
•Cruise: 1,350 mph (Mach 2 at 60,000 feet); 
•Range: 4,300 miles, with 100 passengers in single class; 
•Payload: 25,000 pounds, only 6 percent of max takeoff weight; 
•Takeoff speed: 250 mph;
•Landing speed: 187 mph; 
•Fuel consumption: more than 5,600 imperial gallons an hour; 
•20 built and flew, 16 of them were production aircraft; 
•Entered airline service in 1976;
•BA flew 2.5 million passengers before the aircraft was retired from service in 2003. 
•Fastest East-West Atlantic crossing: 3 hours 6 minutes; fastest West-East: 2 hours 53 minutes. 
And the most fascinating fact of all is that the U.S. spent more on getting nowhere because of a dogged insistence on heading for Mach 3, which meant extensive use of titanium–a bad choice. All this is well documented, I was told by our host, Gerald Ramshaw. The Concorde used RR58 “Hiduminium,” an alloy of aluminium and copper (6 percent), which Rolls-Royce had developed for pistons. The skin of the Concorde reached 120-deg C (this would double again to 350-deg C if you went Mach 3, but the transatlantic crossing would be just 30 minutes faster).
Here’s another contender for most fascinating fact–above 7 degrees angle of attack lift is generated by vortices created by the ogive delta wing–vortex lift–not by conventional lift at all. The wing is swept 55 degrees and twists and droops–a shape honed through 5,000 hours of windtunnel testing.
And the famous drooping nose? During takeoff and initial subsonic climb, the visor was lowered into the nose and the nose was in its intermediate 5- degree position; for landing, both visor and nose down, to full 12.5-degree droop.

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