Category: Blog

The first Concorde !

What an amazing year 1969 must have been, I’m too young (yes really) to remember it, but the year features two amazing technological achievements, in July Armstrong and Aldrin became the first men on the moon and a few months earlier on the 2nd of March Andre Turcat  performed the first flight of this aircraft, the prototype Concorde 001.

Many describe the development of Concorde as Europe’s Apollo programme in terms of cost and complexity, it was important enough to be covered live on television by the legendary Raymond Baxter. (As a sidenote – compare the knowledgeable and quite technical commentary provided by Baxter a ex-spitfire pilot with today’s  so-called aviation experts on TV)

The prototypes are noticeably different to the later pre-Production (101,102), Development (201-201) and Production aircraft (203-216) in having a different wing shape, air intakes, nose and tail design. Most obvious I alway think is the “Buck Rogers” style visor design.

Concorde 001 went on to break the sound barrier in October and Mach 2 the following November.

As you would expect Concorde 001 is a well maintained and presented aircraft on display in the Hall of Concordes at Le Bourget’s Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace alongside Concorde 213 F-BTSD.

As part of the display this is an interesting exhibit documenting the role Concorde 001 undertook to monitor a solar eclipse in 1973. Flying at the maximum possible speed of Mach 2.05 along a great circle route the scientists were able to view the total eclipse for 74 minutes. There is a great simulation of the flightpath at this site.

Concorde 001 was retired on arrival to the museum in October 1973, having made 397 flights covering 812 hours, of which 255 hours were at supersonic speeds.

Entry to both Concordes costs €9 and is well worth it, the interior of 001 in particular is very evocative for a test aircraft 40 years old !

Sierra Delta, Concorde 213 shares the Hall of Concordes at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace with Concorde 001 F-WTSS . During it’s service with Air France it entered the record books holding records for the fastest round the world flights in both directions . Each flight took around 32 hours, including six refueling stops !

Sierra Delta also holds the dubious honour of being painted in a “Pepsi” Livery for 2 weeks during 1996 as part of a major rebranding exercise by the soft drinks company.

The aircraft would have to be painted blue to match the new Pepsi branding requiring much discussion between Air France and Aerospatiale as Concorde was only certified for a white livery.  The “Blue Concorde” was unveiled at an event at Gatwick Airport in April 1996, in the presence of Claudia Schiffer, Andre Agassi, Cindy Crawford, and hundreds of invited journalists. For the next two weeks Sierra Delta undertook a promotional tour  around Europe and the Middle East, before returning to it’s normal Air France livery.

Sierra Delta undertook it’s last passenger flight in May 2003 and was transferred to Musée de l’Air in June.

On display with it’s final Air France interior which seems rather clinical compared to the lovely Conran designed blue Connolly leather seats found on British Airways, it’s still a glamorous aircraft.

 

Concorde 102 F-WTSA was the second pre-production airframe and therefore the fourth Concorde manufactured, flying for the first time in January 1973, in development terms it is the sister of Duxford’s Concorde 101 G-AXDN.

 

So a historically significant aircraft you would not expect to find parked between a Carrefour Supermarket Car Park and a tram line on the southern edge of Orly Airport. Sierra Alpha finds itself in this sad position as is was handed over to ADP the Operators of the Paris Airports on completion of its test programme in 1976 for display at the airport

In 1988  ADP decided that Concorde 102 was no longer a priority and condemned it to be scrapped. It was only due to the efforts of some local supporters lead by Roland Payen that the aircraft was saved and put on display by the Athis Aviation Society.

As a very much volunteer activity the aircraft is open for display only on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 4pm and 6pm.

Sierra Alpha stills carries the livery of both British Airways and Air France, the 70’s era schemes are rather attractive, but it’s current situation contrasts enormously with the two Concordes preserved  the Musée de l’air north of Paris.

 

 

Over the period of two days in Paris I visited four preserved Concordes displayed in rather contrasting ways. Foxtrot Foxtrot the last Concorde delivered to Air France in 1980, and is now displayed very prominently at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

At the time of the accident to Concorde 203 in 2000 Foxtrot Foxtrot was in the middle of D Check maintenance and as a result was never returned to service and today is actually only partially complete.  As a result this was one of the least used production Concorde’s only completing 12,420 flying hours.

Although not really in a location accommodating to visitors,  Foxtrot Foxtrot is just a few hundred metres for the Charles de Gaulle Terminal 1 RER station close to the Charles de Gaulle Hilton Hotel.

 

 

Step out onto the tarmac area outside of the Aeroscopia Museum building through a rather nondescript door and there literally tens of metres away from Concorde 201 is Concorde 209 F-BVFC Foxtrot Charlie.

F-BVFC first flew in July 1976 from Toulouse, entering service with Air France the following month.

Foxtrot Charlie was marooned in New York for three months following the crash of Concorde 203 F-BTSC in July 2000.

The final flight for this aircraft occurred in June 2003 when it was ferried down from Paris Charles De Gaulle and handed over to it’s makers Aerospatiale now Airbus for preservation.  Over 30,000 people from the city of Toulouse turned out to see the aircraft arrive, and cheered test pilot André Turcat who was a passenger on the final flight.

In common with most of the Air France Fleet Foxtrot Charlie took part in a number of charters including two “round the world” fights, one of which in October 1993 was completed in 35 hours 20 minutes, including 17 hours 5 minutes at supersonic speed.

Around the world in less than 2 days !

 

 

Concorde 201 F-WTSB, was the first production test airframe and as such is the sister aircraft of Brooklands Concorde 202 Delta Golf.

As displayed in the Aeroscopia Museum in Toulouse it is possible to board the aircraft and view the flight observers’ station and test equipment in the forward cabin and the aft cabin complete with splendid 1970’s era leather VIP seats.

In common with Delta Golf, Sierra Bravo did not enter commercial service and had a similar varied  and colourful career, indeed although often known as the “White Concorde”, Sierra Bravo was given a very colouful livery to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the first flight in 1989.

Now safely displayed inside the Museum building, next to an Airbus A300B representing the prototype of its successor  in terms of European civil aviation,  Sierra Bravo is still an impressive sight !

 

 

The Last Concorde..

Alpha Foxtrot was the last Concorde to be built completed in 1979 and was the last Concorde to fly arriving at it’s current resting place back at the Filton Factory where it was originally constructed on 26th November 2003. The Concorde version of the Circle of Life then…

The Filton airfield is like Concorde itself no longer operational except for some emergency helicopter traffic and as a result of this Alpha Foxtrot is currently one of the least accessible airframes.

For a few years following its arrival in 2003 there was a pre-booked tour of aircraft necessary because the aircraft is parked with the Airbus Factory site at Filton, however this was stopped in 2010 and the opportunity to get close to this particular aircraft awaits the completion of the new Aerospace Bristol Museum next year.

As a result about the only view of Alpha Fox now possible if from the opposite of the airfield near the Nissan Garage on Hayes Way.

Poor Alpha Foxtrot was not really wanted by British Airways, it was hoped that aircraft 216 could be sold to British Caledonian or Singapore Airlines  by British Aerospace,  but with no other buyers coming forward the legend is that British Airways paid the nominal price of £1000 for the Airframe, and £100 each for the four Olympus 593 engines

So one of the more disappointing of my Concorde visits,  but I’m pleased with my progress so far.. five visited with thirteen to do and 332 day left to visit them !

Update – February 2017

Great news, Alpha Foxtrot is under cover in it’s new hangar and Aerospace Bristol is on schedule to open in the summer !

Update – October 2017

Aerospace Bristol opened last week and Alpha Foxtrot looks wonderful in her new home.

 

G-BOAC was always going to be a bit special for me..

Not only was Concorde 204 the flagship of the British Airways fleet, is was the Concorde I flew back from New York to London in May 2003. Alpha Charlie is displayed at the Manchester Runway Visitor Park in a small purpose built Hangar. Alpha Charlie is not the most accessible of the retired Concordes as it is operated as a Conference and Wedding Venue – Yes Really !  As a Result you need to book one of the tours which includes a visit to the aircraft to get inside the hangar and take a look around.

The Tours are recommended however, I did the “Technical Tour” which was interesting; but is still aimed at “normal people” rather than real AvGeeks such as myself (modest I know!) This tour includes a walk from nose to tail of the aircraft where various aspects of the design are explained, a chance to sit in the front cabin still in it’s final BA blue Connolly leather interior and a cockpit tour.

The short cockpit tour is well worth the admission, as you get to sit in the Captains seat and admire close up the very best of 1960’s engineering.A aircraft retired for nearly 13 years does not have the same sense of excitement or anticipation as a living machine, so even though I sat in 6D once again, it did not really bring back the emotions of that amazing trip 2003.

I enjoyed  talking to some of the team looking after Alpha Charlie which arrived  in Manchester October 2003, like all of the British Airways operated Concordes it is still owned by the Airline and maintenance is their responsibility  – so a broken windscreen in front of the First Officers seat remains broken until someone from Heathrow can come to fix it.. I would guess the last BA licensed Concorde engineer has retired !