National Museum of Flight

The History of Concorde

Uncover the key dates and events of the iconic aircraft, from the race to break the sound barrier in the 1940s through to the decommissioning of the fleet in the 2000s.

Explore historic milestones including the start of passenger supersonic travel, record-breaking flight times, and the decision to retire Concorde G-BOAA to the National Museum of Flight.

1940s

14 October 1947

US Pilot Breaks Sound Barrier

American pilot Captain Chuck Yeager became the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound in the Bell X-1 aircraft. Once Yeager proved that man could travel at Mach 1 (the speed of sound), attention was turned to the possibilities of further developing supersonic travel and even venturing into space.

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1950s

5th November 1956

Supersonic Transport Aircraft Committee Established

The committee comprised a select panel of industry experts including aviation consultants, aircraft manufacturers and government officials. It produced over 400 reports providing evidence that a civilian supersonic aircraft could be a distinct possibility.

9th March 1959

Feasibility Research Commences

The Supersonic Transport Aircraft Committee (STAC) commissioned feasibility and design studies of two possible supersonic airliners. Mach 1.2 was a 100-seat aircraft with a cruise speed of 800mph and Mach 2 was a 150-seat aircraft with a cruise speed of 1,200mph.

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1960s

29th November 1962

Anglo-French Supersonic Partnership

Britain started to investigate the possibility of building a supersonic passenger plane during the 1950s, but soon realised she needed a partner to share the costs. Although the Russians and Americans had their own planes, the French were working on a similar supersonic project to the British, offering the best prospect for a successful partnership.

An Anglo-French treaty was signed to build Concorde on 29 November 1962. The British and French governments agreed to share resources for the design, development and manufacture of the supersonic aircraft.
 
13th January 1963

Project Acknowledged by French President

French President Charles de Gaulle refers to the Anglo-French project during a speech. He uses the word 'Concorde' meaning agreement or treaty. 
 
2nd March 1969

Concorde Flies for the First Time

Concorde's first flight was on 2 March 1969 when the 001 prototype flew from Toulouse in France. The British-made prototype 002 flew from Bristol's Filton Airfield in the UK a few weeks later. Both models were displayed at the Paris air show in June of the same year.
 
1st October 1969

Concorde Goes Supersonic

Concorde prototype 001 reached Mach 1 during a test flight in France. This was the first time the aircraft had broken the sound barrier. British-made Concorde 002 first went supersonic on 25 March of the following year.

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1970s

26th September 1973

First Non-Stop Crossing of the Atlantic

Concorde made its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic on 26 September 1973. Flying at an average speed of 954mph, the French model flew from Washington, USA to Orly, Paris in a record-breaking time of three hours and 33 minutes.

21st January 1976

First Commercial Flight

Commercial flights began on 21 January 1976 when British Airways Concorde G-BOAA flew from London to Bahrain and an Air France Concorde flew from Paris to Rio.

2nd November 1977

Supersonic Royalty

Her Majesty the Queen first flew Concorde in 1977 when returning to England from Barbados. Prince Philip began the Royal Family's association with Concorde a few years earlier when he joined a test flight in 1972. The Royals often used Concorde on overseas state visits.

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1980s

13th July 1985

Concorde Supports Live Aid Concert

Rock legend Phil Collins used Concorde to fly from London to New York to appear on both sides of the Atlantic in the same day. He made history by playing at the Live Aid concerts in both London and Philadelphia to raise money for famine relief in Africa.

5th April 1986

First Charter Flight to New Zealand

To coincide with Halley's Comet appearing over the Indian Ocean, G-BOAB was chartered to fly to New Zealand. Her arrival in Auckland created even more excitement than the sightings of the Comet.

8th November 1986

BA Concorde Flies Round the World

 The first round-the-world flight by a British Airways Concorde took 29 hours and 59 minutes covering 28,238 miles.

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1990s

6th June 1990

50th Anniversary of Battle of Britain

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, G-BOAA flew over the White Cliffs of Dover in formation with a Spitfire.

26th March 1993

Concorde's First Female Pilot

Originally a hairdresser from Bognor Regis, Barbara Harmer caught the flying bug whilst working as an Air Traffic Controller at Gatwick Airport. After gaining her Private Pilots Licence, Barbara decided that she wanted to fly commercially and joined British Caledonian Airways. When the Airline merged with British Airways, she was hand selected to train as a Concorde pilot and undertook an intensive training programme before achieving her ultimate ambition of becoming Concorde's first female pilot.

7th February 1996

Record Transatlantic Flight Set

Captain Leslie Scott set a new record with Concorde's fastest ever transatlantic crossing on February 7 1996. The New York to London flight took 2 hours 52 minutes and 59 seconds.

11th February 1997

London to New York for £10

Over 30 million telephone calls were made worldwide when British Airways ran a special promotion to celebrate ten years of privatisation. The return tickets cost just £10.

1st July 1999

Concorde Celbrates Opening of Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament was formally opened by The Queen on Thursday 1 July 1999. Concorde marked the occasion with a flyover in formation with the RAF's Red Arrows to the sound of a 21-gun salute from Edinburgh castle.

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2000s

25th July 2000

Air France Concorde Crashes

On 25 July 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed shortly after take-off at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. One hundred passengers, nine crew and four people on the ground were killed. The Concorde fleet of Air France and British Airways were subsequently grounded.

An investigation by the French Accident Investigation Bureau concluded that the crash was caused by a stray piece of metal on the runway which punctured one of Concorde's tyres on take-off. The tyre debris ruptured the fuel tank and the leaking fuel caught fire causing the port-side engines to shut down, and the plane to lose control.

12th August 2000

G-BOAA Final Flight

 Golf Bravo Oscar Alpha Alpha made her final flight on Saturday 12 August 2000 when she flew from JFK New York to London Heathrow.

G-BOAA flew for a total of 22,768 hours and 56 minutes, landing 8,064 times and going through 6,842 supersonic cycles.

10th April 2003

Concorde Retirement Announced

British Airways' decision to retire its fleet of seven Concordes was based on a number of commercial and technical factors. A farewell tour of the UK and North America commenced with tens of thousands of fans saying their goodbyes to the iconic aircraft.

The decommissioned aircraft are going on public display at Museums around the world and G-BOAA takes pride of place at the national Museum of Flight in East Fortune where it tops an aviation collection unsurpassed anywhere else in the UK.

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