Concorde, where did they all go?

[1DC]

The Concorde's were dispersed around the world, does anyone know where they all went and are they being looked after properly??
I know the Manchester one looks good and the Germans have placed their's on a nice pedestal, i don't know about the others..

[Kalium Chloride]

As to whether they're being looked after, I couldn't say, but the 14 operational jets with British Airways and Air France ended their service lives thus:

British Airways aircraft

AA – Museum of Flight, Edinburgh
AB – London Heathrow Airport
AC – Manchester Ringway Airport
AD – Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, New York
AE – Grantley Adams Airport, Bridgetown, Barbados
AF – Airbus UK, Filton
AG – Museum of Flight, Seattle

Air France aircraft

FA - US National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC
FB - Technik Museum Speyer, Sinsheim, Germany
FC - Airbus headquarters, Toulouse
FD - Withdrawn from service and subsequently scrapped, 1994
FF - Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
SC - Lost in Paris accident, July 2000
SD - Musee de l’Air et de l’Espace, Le Bourget, Paris

[amanoffewwords]

And there's G-BBDG at Brooklands - some good restoration work going on there. :ok:

[gordonroxburgh]

Topping out of 'DG in the next fortnight with the tail fin planned to be going back on...just need this weather to improve

[vapilot2004]

FA - US National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC


Located in Chantilly, Virginia (10 mins south of IAD) in the Steven Udvar-Hazy Museum (huge Air and Space annex).

The most graceful aircraft in the building. :ok:

I've heard several BA Concordes are open for tours in the UK. Would love to step aboard one. While we're on the subject, anyone know if interior tours available at the Intrepid site ? - I tried contacting the museum - no response.

[The SSK]

There's a list here (http://www.concordesst.com/fleetoverview.html)

[Noah Zark.]

VAPILOT2004,
When I went to see Concorde on Intrepid, it was on a barge at sea level alongside the aircraft carrier. It was cordoned off, with no access to the public.
From whatever viewpoint you could get, Concorde looked miserable. The paintwork was dirty, with dark rainmarks streaked down the fuselage, and dark rings on top of the wings where rainwater had sat, and then evaporated.
If anyone from Intrepid reads this, when you originally got Concorde, I was told in an e-mail from you that you were going to look after 'BOAD.
You have failed. We want it back home where it will be appreciated.

[the_fish@blueyonder.]

Why was that Concorde left on a barge in the first place?

Why didn't they put her somewhere on dry land in a hanger or some kind of covering till they had time to move her to her final home?

[sixmilehighclub]

Took a look at BBDG last week. A fantastic job has been done in the restoration project, lets hope, unlike the Wellington there that it gets finished!

[saman]

Sorry Fish@BY, the barge is her final resting place. I also visited Intrepid this year and whilst Concorde was 'visitable' she really looked sad. So did most of the aircraft on Intrepid's deck - for example it's so sad to see a Scimitar going rusty. Parking aeroplanes on a widswept deck or barge on a tidal, salty riverbank does not seem like a good recipe for long term preservation to me. As a tourist attraction in NYC, as a museum to the space race and to maintain US patriotic fervour, it has its place, but not as an aircraft preservation centre - IMHO.

[redfield]

I went to the Intrepid a couple of years ago and just about all the a/c there were going rusty! Not well looked after at all really. I seem to remember I mentioned that in my report for my local aviation magazine at the time. As for keeping Concorde on land, there's nowehere to put it near the Intrepid!

[Sumatra]

Took the family to the Airbus facility near Toulouse and part of the tour includes a detailed history, guided walk, and talk onboard Concorde.

[bluebird121]

The Concorde's were dispersed around the world, does anyone know where they all went and are they being looked after properly??
I know the Manchester one looks good and the Germans have placed their's on a nice pedestal, i don't know about the others..

I know where one Concorde is.. and that is at East Fortune Airfield in Scotland.. i am hoping to go and see her one day although i have an excellent DVD all about her.. including a preflight check and all the mechanics and technology involved in flying her.. and the flight itself from Heathrow to JFK.. with all the commentary too. This was of course when she was in service..

[cornwallis]

THe one in BGI was put in a purpose built hangar which did not survive the first hurricane season.According to a local engineer the aircraft was stripped of anything useful and will probably never fly again.They were still arguing over who was going to pay for the hangar damage last time i visited.

[vapilot2004]

VAPILOT2004,
When I went to see Concorde on Intrepid, it was on a barge at sea level alongside the aircraft carrier. It was cordoned off, with no access to the public.
From whatever viewpoint you could get, Concorde looked miserable. The paintwork was dirty, with dark rainmarks streaked down the fuselage, and dark rings on top of the wings where rainwater had sat, and then evaporated.
If anyone from Intrepid reads this, when you originally got Concorde, I was told in an e-mail from you that you were going to look after 'BOAD.
You have failed. We want it back home where it will be appreciated.

Thank you kind sirs for the news, even if it wasn't good.

G-BOAD was not just any Concorde !~As if there were ever just any Concorde~!,
but a record-setter. I am very ashamed of her keepers at the Intrepid Museum. :sad:

I would imagine there are hundreds (at least) in the greater NY area willing to get out the buffing tools and go to work for free, were it possible. An anniversary is coming up for first flight (big one - Thirtieth) and we have just passed the record crossing flight's tenth.

[lorddee]

managed to get a lift from lba - lhr on the jumpseat on her last ever flight from lba ,,,Must admit one of the best things i my life and what machine she was,Take off from the 32 end out over the chevin .The hairs stood up on theback of my head ..

[turbofan99]

As of March 2006, The Intrepid museum is set up now with a walk through of Concorde. Along with price of admission to the aircraft carrier. It is not in great shape. You enter at the door at the leading edge of the wing and exit just behind the cockpit. The inside is all plexiglass, but at least you can see.
I acutally flew on Condorde back in '86 at Expo in Vancouver, what a thrill. So what if it was a flight to no where. It was still cheaper per mile than a trip across the Atlantic. and to expereince M2.02 and FL550 , what a day!
TB

ps...would put a pic up if I knew how.

[bluebird121]

I forgot to add that they also conduct weddings on Concorde at East Fortune, although I have heard that there is only limited space so apart from the wedding party, there is not a lot of folk who can attend..:ok:

[sixmilehighclub]

Taken last week of G-BBDG in restorative state at Brooklands Museum, Weybridge.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c246/sixmieshigh/DSC00926.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c246/sixmieshigh/DSC00927.jpg

[gordonroxburgh]

Fortunately G-BOAD is on a barge, so nice and easy to tow somewhere else if she deteriorates.

Intrepid have/had plans to move her onto the quayside and cover her, if by the time her loan agreement comes up for renewal nothing has been accomplished, then her future at Intrepid would be in doubt. I'm sure quite a few museums in the US would be interested in giving her a great home.

[scruggs]

During my trip to NYC last October, Concorde was open to the public. It was the same Concorde my uncle and I flew on from EGLL to EGBB in the late 90's. Anyway, I'm sad to say that at the exit, people had signed their names and drew pictures by the door. I'm not sure if this has been painted over now - but it wasn't nice to see.

Who ever said it looked miserable - you're totally right!

[HZ123]

For the fanatics there was an article in the 'Times' yesterday with a number of lumanaries asking BA to release the paperwork on the aircraft and help provide costing for getting one airborne again for the Olympics. It has about as much chance as the Dome being a sucess. What did annoy though was that two of the AF models have the systems run up regularly?

[scruggs]

I think getting one flying for heritage purposes would be a fantastic thing. I know it would be astronomically expensive, but some things are worth it - like the Vulcan for example. It would be easier to restore one now than say 10-20 years down the road.

I didn't know AF powered up systems 2 Concordes. I wonder why. Surely if they have no intention of flying them again, there is no point in doing this.

http://www.save-concorde.co.uk/Site/page.php?1

[potkettleblack]

AFAIK its all down to the regs. Unfortunately in the UK they don't have anything like the experimental category of aircraft which is flourishing in the US. Therefore to get it airborne again would involve a tremendous amount of effort and cost. Whilst I am sure everyone would love to see it fly on special ocassions BA would be loathe to transfer one to the US (or anywhere else for that matter) and reregister it for fear of losing control and it being donned in a competitors colours thus causing severe loss of face. You could imagine the headlines "Virgin saves Concorde" or "Ryanair flies faster than BA":)

[Phileas Fogg]

As long as they never paint the damn thing orange :)

[gordonroxburgh]

I'm sad to say that at the exit, people had signed their names and drew pictures by the door.

That would be the signatures of the flight crew, cabin crew and engineers how operated the aircraft for the final time.

Most of the 200+ engineers singed each an every one somewhere!