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Concorde 215 F-BVFF, Paris CDG Airport, France

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.

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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.

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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.

 

 

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Blog Concorde

Concorde 209 F-BVFC, Toulouse France

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.

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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 !

 

 

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Blog Concorde

Concorde 201 F-WTSB, Toulouse France

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.

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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.

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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 !