The last Concorde to be built and the last to fly made its final journey to a new home on Tuesday. The iconic supersonic plane was towed across an airfield to an indoor hangar in preparation for it becoming the centerpiece of a new £19million Aerospace Bristol.
Aerospace Bristol is a new industrial heritage museum being developed at Filton, to the north of Bristol. Due to open this summer, the museum will tell the story of Bristol's world-class aerospace industry - past, present and future. Aerospace Bristol's show-stopping centerpiece will be Concorde 216. Designed, built and tested in Bristol, she was the last Concorde to be built and the last to fly.
The complex move was conducted with the greatest care by engineers from British Airways and Airbus, who managed every facet of Concorde’s final journey. The iconic aircraft was towed across Filton runway and up a ramp into the new purpose-built hangar at Aerospace Bristol. The hangar, constructed by Kier, had a wall removed to allow the aircraft to enter the building and, with less than a meter between each wing tip and the building, Concorde was slowly and carefully winched into her exhibition position.
British Airways’ Concorde Alpha Foxtrot – also known as 216 - was the last Concorde to be built and the last to fly. She made her maiden flight on 20 April 1979 and touched down on her last flight to Filton on 26 November 2003. Since that landing, Alpha Foxtrot has stood alongside the Filton runway, cared for continuously by Airbus UK and remaining in remarkable condition. Now inside, she starts a new chapter as the centerpiece of the new Aerospace Bristol museum.
Iain Gray, Chairman of Aerospace Bristol, said: “We couldn’t be more delighted to welcome Concorde 216 into her new purpose-built home at Aerospace Bristol. With such enthusiasm for Concorde in this country, and particularly in Bristol where she was designed, built and landed for the final time, it is only fitting that this magnificent aircraft should have a permanent home at Filton. I would like to thank all of our donors for helping to make Aerospace Bristol a reality and look forward to welcoming our first visitors on board this summer.”
