Categories
Blog Concorde

Every Concorde in a year…

All the Concordes… where are they ?

To visit every surviving Concorde in a year…

Mission Accomplished…

Well I enjoyed that challenge, here for your reference are details of my quest all eighteen airframes visited in a year.

To find out more click on the date, link in the table below for details of each aircraft visit..

RegistrationLocationDate visited
G-BOAAEast Fortune, Scotland10th May 2016
G-BBDGWeybridge, EnglandMay 15th 2016
F-BVFAChantilly, USA19th May 2016
G-BOACManchester,England28th May 2016
G-BOAFBristol, England11th June 2016
F-WTSBToulouse, France1st July 2016
F-BVFCToulouse, France1st July 2016
F-BVFFParis CDG Airport, France21st July 2016
F-WTSA Paris ORY Airport, France21st July 2016
F-BTSDLe Bourget, France22nd July 2016
F-WTSSLe Bourget, France22nd July 2016
G-BSSTYeovilton, England2nd August 2016
G-BOABLondon LHR Airport, England21st August 2016
F-BVFBSinsheim, Germany28th August 2016
G-BOADNew York, USA28 December 2016
G-BOAEBridgetown, Barbados2nd February 2017
G-BOAGSeattle, USA19th February 2017
G-AXDNDuxford, England31st March 2017

Much as I expected it was in some ways a rather sad process of course we would all rather see Concorde flying rather than in museums, but the fact that a few of the airframes seem almost forgotten and unloved in a few locations is rather depressing.  

Highlights in terms of the best preserved and presented aircraft are pair at Le Bourget, Alpha Alpha at East Fortune and Alpha Echo at Bridgetown.  

At the other end of the spectrum are of course Alpha Bravo in the car park at Heathrow and historic Concorde 02 at Orly !

Seeing Concorde remains an emotional experience, even if you have not been lucky enough to see one fly, there is something so special about the design or at a more fundamental level just the shape.

Of course Concorde was an engineering marvel but perhaps it’s real appeal is that it is the manifestation of the paper dart that we as children imagined all aircraft to be !

10 replies on “Every Concorde in a year…”

Thanks Frank, watch this space 😉 A good opportunity you try something new !

By Post Author

I remember it flying overhead around 7pm on a Friday night when we used to drink at the Ostrich in Colnbrook. Many photos (yes, using cameras not phones!) of the takeoff afterburners and man, that noise was amazing! Well done for completing it.

I fondly remember how it would stop conversation at school in Surrey everyday at 10:45 due to the noise when it majestically flew by.

A remarkable achievement, highly envious!
I have such fond memories of Concorde, having grown up with it from early sonic boom test flights, working on parts as an apprentice and then with BA at Heathrow. In between times, living 3 miles South of Heathrow, it used to do a long sweep out over London, so it was one of the few aircraft that didn’t fly directly over the roof of my house in summer, instead just rolling by in the distance. Even moving to Devon I still had a connection. Depending on weather conditions, the sonic boom off Land’s End was audible before London bound Concorde’s throttled back.

WORKED FOR PAN AM AT JFK IN THE 70,s AND WITNESSED THE FIRST AIR FRANCE CONCORDE COMING IN.PARKED OVERNIGHT AT THE
PAN AM HANGAR.WITNESSED THE FIRST BRITISH AIRWAYS ENGINE CHANGE USING THE PAN AM MAINTENANCE HANGAR. WORKING IN THE
LATE 90’ s AT MIA I WITNESSED THE LAST AIR FRANCE FLIGHT LEAVING MIAMI.I ALSO WITNESSED ONE OF THE FIRST CONCORDE FLIGHT
LEAVING RIO DE JANEIRO, FULL AFTERBURNER,NO NOISE RESTRICTIONS.
CONCORDE…..WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BIRD.
FROM BOGOTA….HANS G. SCHNUECKEL

I FORGAT TO MENTION THAT I VISITED THE CONCORDE IN SINSHEIM,GERMANY AND BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS.
HANS G. SCHNUECKEL

Comments are closed.