Today marks 54 years since Concorde first took to the skies from its manufacturing site in the French city of Toulouse. Aircraft number 001 embarked on the first of dozens of test flights to prove the mighty supersonic plane's airworthiness, as well as serving as sales marketing for the groundbreaking delta-winged jet. Here's a look back at the test flight and what happened to this iconic aircraft.
Testing commences
More than eight years after the UK's Ministry of Supply formed the Supersonic Transport Aircraft Committee (STAC) in October 1965, Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) began making two prototypes of Concorde in February 1965. These groundbreaking aircraft were built in their respective manufacturer's home countries, and designated as 001 at Toulouse and 002 at Filton.
After over four years of intensive work, the first Concorde model was certified for test flights in 1969, setting the stage for the first step in the plane's journey. 001 was ready first and became the first plane to fly, carrying registration F-WTSS. The first flight of Concorde took place on March 2nd, 1969, from Toulouse Airport.
Love aviation history? Discover more of our stories here!
_-_53Fi1868.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=1.5)
The fuselage carried a single stripe across and the words "Sud Aviation - British Aircraft Corporation" in the middle, with 'Concorde' at the front of the fuselage. From the very beginning, this was a distinct aircraft and resembled almost nothing else that was flying at the time. The only exception was its Soviet competitor, the Tupolev Tu-144, which started flying a few months before Concorde.
The flight itself
A report by the BBC at the time discussed the first flight. After two days of bad weather, conditions were finally clear enough to take off on the 2nd. This came after a year-long delay in testing, which raised some eyebrows. The flight cruised for 27 minutes with no major issues, described by the pilot as "no actual issues, [only] some minor malfunctions with instruments, which is unavoidable."
However, takeoff, braking, and landing were smooth, establishing the critical flight controls. The flight was not supersonic, as the plane only flew up to 10,000 feet and at 300 mph (483 km/h), nowhere near its peak flying capacity. The first pilot on this flight was Major André Édouard Turcat, a former pilot for the French Air Force who became well-known for this widely celebrated groundbreaking test flight.
Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying!
Other milestones followed later that year. For example, the Chicago Tribune notes that April 1969 saw the British-built prototype, number 002, take to the skies for the first time. Then, in October that year, the New York Times reported that the French prototype had flown supersonically for the first time, flying faster than the speed of sound for nine minutes. It eventually entered commercial service in 1976.
What happened to this plane?
While test aircraft today are usually sent off to customers after approval, this was not the case with Concorde. Indeed, F-WTSS (001) instead went on to be presented at the Paris Air Show in June 1969, which was its first major commercial demonstration. The aircraft also served an essential role for crew training, being flown for familiarization flights for pilots at Pan Am, BOAC, Pan Am, and more.
After exceeding Mach 2 in 1970, the aircraft embarked on a world tour to show off its capabilities, flying to destinations such as South America before excited crowds and potential customers. Concorde 001 was finally retired in 1973, after just four years of flying. It has been preserved at the Air and Space Museum in Le Bourget, Paris, where the public can view the aircraft for a deep dive into history.
Source: BBC, Chicago Tribune, New York Times