When Concorde came in to land for the very last time, Labour’s Tony Blair was Prime Minister and Westlife’s Mandy was at number one in the UK charts.
It’s 21 years to the day since the iconic super-fast jet made its final flight over Bristol, famously dipping its nose as crowds across the city watched in their thousands.
The plane – Alpha Foxtrot G-BOAF – was the last aircraft of its kind to be built and the last Concorde to fly.
On November 26, 2003, the jet took off from London Heathrow, flew out over the Bay of Biscay and soared above the Clifton Suspension Bridge, before touching down at Filton.
Concorde retired all of its jets three years after an Air France Concorde crashed shortly after taking off from Paris Charles de Gaule Airport, killing 109 on board and four people on the ground.
The cause of the accident was attributed to a small metal panel, which had dropped from the previous aircraft to use the runway. It was the only fatal incident involving Concorde.
In 2017, Aerospace Bristol welcomed Concorde Alpha Foxtrot to its final home. The complex move was conducted with the greatest care by engineers from British Airways and Airbus, who towed the iconic aircraft across Filton Airfield and up a ramp into the new purpose-built hangar at Aerospace Bristol.
Captain Colin Morris, Concorde’s longest-serving captain, returned to the museum on Saturday to mark the 21st anniversary. He delighted visitors with stories from his remarkable career and a demonstration of Concorde’s famous nose droop.
On Sunday, Captain Les Brodie also returned for a visit, reflecting how the supersonic aircraft had “kept him young”. Noting the unique time shift from leaving Heathrow at 10:30am and arriving in New York at 9am, he joked that after 15 years of gaining an hour and a half daily, he had to dye his hair to match his actual age.
Last year, an 11ft model of Concorde took to the skies to mark the 20th anniversary. The radio-controlled jet, which weighed 25lbs, was built by Bruce McKay and Bob Blackmore, two late members of the Woodspring Wings Model Aircraft Club. It took flight over the 21 aircraft club’s site on the outskirts of Yatton last November.