2009-04-10
Concorde at 40
A couple of months ago, I posted a note on the 40th anniversary of the 747, and it seemed appropriate to do the same for Concorde.
However, the 9th of April, 1969, wasn’t Concorde’s first flight. That was on the 2nd of March, when the Andre Turcat flew the French prototype for 27 minutes. (Here’s the Times archive’s report of that day.)
Nonetheless, having missed that, I thought I’d still post on the anniversary of Brian Trubshaw’s first flight of the British prototype, from Filton in Bristol. Of course, Concorde still has an amazing power of this strange technological nostalgia over the British public (as shown by the deservedly negative reaction to the news that the last of the British Airways Concordes may be sold to Dubai), and I’m far from immune. (For example, Fast Company posted a piece on why Concorde still matters. Don’t miss the nosecone schematic.)
Better news on the 40th anniversary was that a simulator has been rebuilt at Brooklands Musuem, home to G-BBDG, the evaluation testing airframe. One to visit.
