Concorde 30 years on - a legend not just an aircraft

Where wil you be on July 29th this year?

I will be going to see the 30-year celebration of the first British-built Concorde (002) completing its test phase and being handed over to the UK’s Fleet Air Arm Museum for safekeeping.

Unlike most of the recently grounded fleet of iconic Concordes, Concorde 002 has been perfectly preserved in a purpose built building, alongside other rare and unique aircraft at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

To mark the special occasion, the Museum will host a Concorde Celebration Day on Saturday 29th July.

The day will commence with a flying display of jet model aircraft by the BMFA (British Model Flying Association). The display will take place on the adjoining RNAS Yeovilton Air Station starting at 11.00hrs.

Throughout the day, visitors to the Museum will be encouraged to make and fly their own paper model Concordes using a specially designed template!

In the afternoon, there will be a series of talks by experts, including Tony English, the Museum’s technology lecturer, Patrick Hassell - who was one of the Rolls Royce technicians who worked on, and flew in Concorde 002 and Captain Ian McNeilly - who flew Concorde for BA for 10 years, crossing the Atlantic 1,030 times and reaching a record speed of 1,486mph!

Only 20 of these magnificent aircraft were ever built and they were unique. The needle-shaped nose helped to penetrate the air. It was tilted down at take-off and landing to allow the pilots to see the runway. The nose tip could reach a temperature of 127 degrees Celsius – this was due to the friction of the air at high speed.

The day promises to be one to remember for anyone with an interest in Concorde and best of all, the celebration will be included within the Museum’s normal admission price.

The UK’s Fleet Air Arm Museum is located at Ilchester, Somerset adjoining the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton.

It’s mission is “To collect, preserve, interpret and make accessible, material relevant to all aspects of the history of naval aviation and the operations of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Fleet Air Arm, the aircraft they have flown, the people who have served with them, and the ships and stations where they served, in the context of the development of aviation at large."

For full details, visit the Museum website at http://www.fleetairarm.com.

I hope to see you there!