Travel
British Airways Concorde G-BOAA
A decade in retirement
British Airways Concorde G-BOAA (Source: © 2013 Daren Alexander-Frankish)
(Source: British Airways)
Alpha-Alpha´s Final Journey to East Fortune (Source: National Museum Of Flight)
The British Airways Concorde fleet retired in October 2003. The following year, G-BOAA said farewell to Heathrow and took to the water on the first step of a seaborne journey to Scotland. Concorde was loaded on to a specialist barge at the tiny Thames port of Isleworth. It was moved on a transporter at walking pace on a Saturday night along the main A30 and A4 from Heathrow to Isleworth. It travelled down the Thames from Isleworth on the Terra Marique, a multipurpose pontoon and sailed up the east coast. It arrived on Scottish soil a day early on the following Saturday and rolled ashore at the British Energy jetty at Torness, East Lothian.
The British Airways Concorde fleet retired in October 2003. The following year, G-BOAA said farewell to Heathrow and took to the water on the first step of a seaborne journey to Scotland. Concorde was loaded on to a specialist barge at the tiny Thames port of Isleworth. It was moved on a transporter at walking pace on a Saturday night along the main A30 and A4 from Heathrow to Isleworth. It travelled down the Thames from Isleworth on the Terra Marique, a multipurpose pontoon and sailed up the east coast. It arrived on Scottish soil a day early on the following Saturday and rolled ashore at the British Energy jetty at Torness, East Lothian.
British Airways Concorde G-BOAA
Source: © 2013 Daren Alexander-Frankish
Source: © 2013 Daren Alexander-Frankish
British Airways Concorde G-BOAA
Source: © 2013 Daren Alexander-Frankish
Source: © 2013 Daren Alexander-Frankish
British Airways Concorde G-BOAA
Source: © 2013 Daren Alexander-Frankish
Source: © 2013 Daren Alexander-Frankish
Concorde´s week-long journey from London ended in an hour-long trundle across muddy fields to East Fortune. It was guided by members of 39 Engineer Regiment´s 53 Field Squadron (Air Support), with a helicopter hovering overhead, to a greeting by two pipers.
At the time, Concorde´s journey north was thought to have been one of the most complex of any transport venture undertaken.
For almost 30 years it was possible to buy a ticket and fly at supersonic speeds across the globe. Now Concorde, the world´s only successful supersonic passenger plane, has been retired and you can follow in the footsteps of the world´s rich and famous by visiting Scotland´s Concorde, Alpha Alpha, on the ground at the National Museum of Flight.
At the time, Concorde´s journey north was thought to have been one of the most complex of any transport venture undertaken.
For almost 30 years it was possible to buy a ticket and fly at supersonic speeds across the globe. Now Concorde, the world´s only successful supersonic passenger plane, has been retired and you can follow in the footsteps of the world´s rich and famous by visiting Scotland´s Concorde, Alpha Alpha, on the ground at the National Museum of Flight.
British Airways Concorde G-BOAA
Source: © 2013 Daren Alexander-Frankish
Source: © 2013 Daren Alexander-Frankish
British Airways
Source: British Airways
Source: British Airways
British Airways Concorde G-BOAA
Source: © 2013 Daren Alexander-Frankish
Source: © 2013 Daren Alexander-Frankish
more information: https://www.nms.ac.uk/our_museums.aspx
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