1/14/1976: British Airways Receives First Concorde
Today, in 1976, British Airways received its inaugural Supersonic Concorde, G-BOAA, with an official handover ceremony taking place at London Heathrow Airport.
Today, in 1976, British Airways received its inaugural Supersonic Concorde, G-BOAA, with an official handover ceremony taking place at London Heathrow Airport.
DALLAS — Today, in 1976, British Airways (BA) received its inaugural Supersonic Concorde, G-BOAA, with an official handover ceremony taking place at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). G-BOAA, nicknamed 'Alpha Alpha,' had completed a subsonic flight from Filton Aerodrome (FZO) the day before.
The aircraft was scheduled to perform British Airways' first Concorde service to Bahrain (BAH) on January 21, 1976. Captain Norman Todd, assisted by Captain Brian Calvert and Senior Flight Engineer John Lidiard, led the operation.
In April 1988, 'AA' became the first Concorde in British Airways' fleet to successfully undergo the mandatory 12,000-hour maintenance check. Following the assessment, the airframe was deemed airworthy, in excellent condition, and cleared for flight well into the next century.
Throughout its active years, 'AA' participated in several notable fly-pasts. On June 6, 1990, it flew in formation with a Spitfire over the White Cliffs of Dover, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Additionally, on June 2, 1996, 'AA' joined the Red Arrows in-flight to celebrate 50 years of London Heathrow Airport (LHR).
Following the Air France crash in Paris on July 25, 2000, the Concorde fleet was grounded. Unfortunately, 'Alpha Alpha' never returned to the skies. The aircraft was scheduled for a C-check, but British Airways decided against making the modifications required by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to restore Concorde's airworthiness. As a result, 'Alpha Alpha' was grounded and utilized as a source of spare parts to support the remaining Concorde airframes.
On August 12, 2000, the Concorde, with registration G-BOAA, operated its last commercial service, Flight BA002, from New York's JFK Airport to London Heathrow (LHR). Throughout its operational life, G-BOAA had accumulated an impressive total of 22,768 hours and 56 minutes of flight time. It had completed 6,842 supersonic flights and made 8,064 landings.
After British Airways retired the Concorde fleet in 2003, G-BOAA, unlike its sister aircraft, was not flown to its final resting place. Instead, it was dismantled before being transported by road and sea to the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, Scotland. At the museum, G-BOAA was reassembled and is now permanently housed for public viewing.
Featured Image: The official handover ceremony of G-BOAA. Photo: Steve Fitzgerald (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2), via Wikimedia Commons
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