Concorde Alpha Foxtrot flew into Bristol for the final time on 26 November 2003
Author: James DiamondPublished 2 hours ago
Special events will be held in Bristol this weekend to mark 20 years since since Concorde’s final flight, from Heathrow to Filton.
The iconic, supersonic plane made its final journey into the city on 26 November 2003 and is now the main attraction at museum Aerospace Bristol at the old Filton Airfield.
To commemorate the anniversary the museum is hosting special events on both Saturday and Sunday, as part of a new exhibition called Concorde: End of an Era.
“We’ve got a brand new temporary exhibition which looks at why did Concorde retire, what’s Concorde’s legacy and also what could be the future of supersonic flight and how does that fit in to this greener version of aerospace we’re looking at today,” Amy Seadon, Aerospace Bristol’s Head of Collections said.
“it’s fantastic being a part of the Aerospace Bristol team and being able to tell the story of something which is so near and dear to the hearts of so many people from this local area.”
The Concorde that sits in Aerospace Bristol today, Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, was built in Filton in the 1970s, making its first flight on 20 April 1979 before being sold to British Airways.
In 1983 Alpha Foxtrot made what was, at the time, the fastest ever Trans-Atlantic crossing by a commercial aircraft, going from New York to London in two hours, 56 minutes and 35 seconds.
The record stood for five years before another Concorde beat it by one minute and 20 seconds.
Colin Morris, who piloted Concorde for 18 years after a career in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, says in hindsight he’s “amazed” the aircraft was ever created.
“I look that that aeroplane and I still think that’s probably the best thing that’s ever been built,” he told Hits Radio.
“When you open those taps and the afterburners light up, that aeroplane is off like a scolded cat…
“It was on the edge of technology the whole time.”
Bristol’s Concorde, Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, was grounded for almost a year when on 25 July 2000 an Air France Concorde crashed shortly after take off in Paris, killing everyone on board.
It was caused by a small metal panel that had dropped onto the runway off another plane, which burst one of Concorde’s tyres.
That caused damage to the wing leading to a fuel leak, which ignited, causing the engines to cut out shortly after take off.
As well as everyone on board, four people on the ground were also killed, when the plane crashed into a hotel in the nearby town of Gonesse.
After several modifications and test flights commercial flights of Concorde resumed in November 2001.
To coincide with that, Alpha Foxtrot flew then Prime Minister Tony Blair to meet US President George W. Bush on 7 November, less than a month after 9/11.
“We and British Airways kept it (Concorde) going longer than the French, but the French wanted out and we weren’t able to continue without the French,” Colin said.
You can find out more about Concorde on the Bristol Aerospace website here.
