by Devesh Agarwal
Over the weekend, 2nd March to be specific, was the 44th Anniversary of the maiden flight of Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde 001 back in 1969.
Concorde entered service in 1976, and flew the elite of the world, till
British Airways and Air France, ceased service on October 24, 2003.
Construction of the first prototype began in February 1965. Built by
Aerospatiale at Toulouse, Concorde 001 F-WTSS made its first test flight
from Toulouse on 2 March 1969, piloted by André Turcat. The second prototype was
built in Filton, Bristol in April. The two prototypes were presented to the
public for the first time at the Paris Airshow, on 7 and 8 June 1969.
Five years ago, I bemoaned the loss of Concorde, and wrote my eulogy to this magnificent flying machine.
Even today, "the giant leap backwards" continues. Ten years after its retirement, there is no plane, even planned, as a replacement for this magnificent flying machine.
Here is are some videos of those first flights.
For more videos of the first and last flights of Concorde, and some in between, read here.
Video: Vintage collection of Concorde first flights and construction
