The Concorde was craned out of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York for a three-month restoration at Brooklyn Navy Yard until spring 2024, in front of a crowd of eager aviation fans.
A former British Airways Concorde Mach 2 airliner was on the move again on Aug. 9, 2023 – but not as you might imagine.
The supersonic airliner in fact was craned out of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York for a three-month restoration at Brooklyn Navy Yard until spring 2024, in front of a crowd of eager aviation fans.
The museum says on its website:
‘The Concorde experience is temporarily closed while Concorde is relocated offsite for necessary maintenance. The experience and exhibit will re-open to the public in Spring 2024. We apologize for any inconvenience.’
According to Simple Flying, the aircraft, which has been an integral member of the Museum’s unique selection of aircraft and aerospace exhibits for the last 15 years, has not fared well, being exposed to the elements in the time it has been on display at the Museum.
Two hours were required to crane the Concorde from Pier 86 on to a barge, which then transported it down the Hudson River.
The plane will be stripped down to its bare metal, sanded, and then repainted in its original colours and markings.
The section of Pier 86 adjacent to where the jet was located at the museum will be renovated to create an additional 372 square metres of public space.
“We are stewards of some of the most important artefacts of the 20th and 21st centuries, and with that comes the responsibility to preserve, protect and perpetuate these icons for generations to come,” said Susan Marenoff-Zausner, the president of the Intrepid Museum.
She added: “Knowing how popular it is with our visitors, it’s difficult to see Concorde depart even for a short time.
“But this necessary restoration will ultimately allow us to present this awe-inspiring technological marvel and continue to tell the stories behind it for the foreseeable future.”
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Concorde, serial no. 100-010 (G-BOAD), is on loan from British Airways, first flew on Aug. 25, 1976 and spent its entire career flying for British Airways where it became known as ‘Alpha Delta.’
The Concorde is a product of Anglo-French cooperation. When the Concorde entered Air France and British Airways transatlantic service in 1976, it was the only operational supersonic passenger transport in the world. With a crew of nine, the Concorde could fly at 1,350 mph (2,150 kph) at an altitude of 60,000 ft (18,181 m), high enough for its 100 passengers to see the curvature of the earth.
Concordes crossed the Atlantic Ocean in under three hours, or less than half the time of any other jetliner flying that route even today. Protests from environmentalists prevented its supersonic use over the United States and limited airport operation. A crash upon takeoff in July 2000 grounded the fleet until 2001. The Concorde flew VIP passengers until 2003, when both airlines retired their fleets from service.
Photo credit: Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Facebook Page
