On 21 January 1976, civil aviation entered a new age. At 11:40 am London time, the first Concorde passenger flights for Air France and British Airways took off simultaneously, inaugurating Concorde services for the two airlines.
First a dazzling dream, then shapes on drawing boards, to metal sheets in factories, to actual aircraft, the process of development took just over 13 years, from the signing of the agreement between France and the UK in December 1962 to the first passenger flights of F-BVFA and G-BOAA.
On that day, supersonic air travel passed from a technological ideal to an everyday occurrence. For a wide cross-section of society, from VIPs and top businessmen to charter passengers enjoying a special occasion, Concorde became a marvel of ordinary life – an aircraft that travelled faster than a rifle bullet, but which carried shirtsleeved passengers in safety and luxury. That astonishing feat would be repeated daily for 27 years, until the fleets were retired in 2003.
This issue of Mach 2 looks back at those inaugural flights, and hears from people who were there on the day – including a member of the British Airways Concorde’s cabin crew. We have an account of the preparations for the inaugural flights, and the transition into regular service. The story is finally brought up to the present day, with reports on the various 50th anniversary events at Concorde museums.
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