British and French aerospace companies began collaboration in 1956 on design studies of a supersonic transport. Following formal agreement in late 1962, detailed design and development began. French President Charles de Gaulle named the new aircraft "Concorde" in a 1963 speech. First flight of the French-built prototype 001 occurred at Toulouse in March 1969, followed by British-built 002 at Filton, England a month later. The partnership would ultimately lead to 20 Concorde aircraft built between 1969 and 1979. Flying with Air France and British Airways, the glamorous supersonic jets offered a luxurious and speedy trip across the Atlantic and other select routes for 27 years. Capable of speeds over two times the speed of sound and at altitudes up to 60,000 feet (18,290 m), Concorde could fly from London to New York and return in the time it took a conventional aircraft to go one way. A tragic accident in Paris in 2000 led to flagging demand and rising operating expenses, and Concorde service ultimately ended in 2003.
Concorde's elegant "ogival" delta wing design took advantage of vortex lift at the lower speeds associated with takeoff and landing. This configuration eliminated the need for complex and heavy high-lift mechanisms. The Olympus 593 engine and its inlet/exhaust design, a joint project of the British Rolls-Royce and French SNECMA firms, was a significant contributor to Concorde's performance. It was the only turbojet with reheat (afterburner, used for takeoff) in commercial service during its flying career.
The Museum's aircraft, registration code G-BOAG, is referred to as Alpha Golf. It was first flown in April of 1978 and delivered to British Airways in 1980. It was the eighth British-built production Concorde. Equipped with four powerful Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 Mk. 610 turbojet engines, Alpha Golf logged more than 5,600 takeoffs and over 16,200 flight hours while in service. It flew the last British Airways commercial Concorde flight, from New York to London, on October 24, 2003. On its retirement flight to The Museum of Flight on November 5, 2003, Alpha Golf set a New York City-to-Seattle speed record of 3 hours, 55 minutes, and 2 seconds. Much of the flight was over northern Canada, where it flew supersonic for 1 hour, 34 minutes, and 4 seconds.
British and French aerospace companies began collaboration in 1956 on design studies of a supersonic transport. Following formal agreement in late 1962, detailed design and development began. French President Charles de Gaulle named the new aircraft "Concorde" in a 1963 speech. First flight of the French-built prototype 001 occurred at Toulouse in March 1969, followed by British-built 002 at Filton, England a month later. The partnership would ultimately lead to 20 Concorde aircraft built between 1969 and 1979. Flying with Air France and British Airways, the glamorous supersonic jets offered a luxurious and speedy trip across the Atlantic and other select routes for 27 years. Capable of speeds over two times the speed of sound and at altitudes up to 60,000 feet (18,290 m), Concorde could fly from London to New York and return in the time it took a conventional aircraft to go one way. A tragic accident in Paris in 2000 led to flagging demand and rising operating expenses, and Concorde service ultimately ended in 2003.
Concorde's elegant "ogival" delta wing design took advantage of vortex lift at the lower speeds associated with takeoff and landing. This configuration eliminated the need for complex and heavy high-lift mechanisms. The Olympus 593 engine and its inlet/exhaust design, a joint project of the British Rolls-Royce and French SNECMA firms, was a significant contributor to Concorde's performance. It was the only turbojet with reheat (afterburner, used for takeoff) in commercial service during its flying career.
The Museum's aircraft, registration code G-BOAG, is referred to as Alpha Golf. It was first flown in April of 1978 and delivered to British Airways in 1980. It was the eighth British-built production Concorde. Equipped with four powerful Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 Mk. 610 turbojet engines, Alpha Golf logged more than 5,600 takeoffs and over 16,200 flight hours while in service. It flew the last British Airways commercial Concorde flight, from New York to London, on October 24, 2003. On its retirement flight to The Museum of Flight on November 5, 2003, Alpha Golf set a New York City-to-Seattle speed record of 3 hours, 55 minutes, and 2 seconds. Much of the flight was over northern Canada, where it flew supersonic for 1 hour, 34 minutes, and 4 seconds.