Air France Concorde F-BTSD (Known as ‘Sierra Delta’)
The story of this Concorde’s return to life and future plans…
The Concorde adventure concludes ????
Air France Official Press Release
Air France hands Concorde Sierra Delta over to the Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget
On Saturday 14 June 2003 at 10 am, Air France Concorde F-BTSD will take off from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport for the very last time, heading for Le Bourget. Before setting down at Le Bourget Airport at noon, it will make a loop over the Atlantic. Following this, General Marc Alban, Director of the Air and Space Museum will greet Jean-Cyril Spinetta, Chairman of Air France, who will officially present the museum with the pioneering aircraft.
Concorde F-BTSD (serial number 13), which entered the company’s fleet on 9 May 1980, holds the highest number of records: the speed record for a commercial airliner flying westward around the world, in October 1992, and the round-the-world speed record in the eastward direction in August 1995, three years later. The aircraft has made 11 round-the-world flights and totalled 12,974 hours in the course of its 5,136 flights.
This Concorde, better known as “Sierra Delta”, weighs 930 kg less than the heaviest Concorde, and therefore consumes less fuel, explaining its outstanding performance.
“It is an honour for Air France to officially hand over F-BTSD, the multi-record supersonic aircraft, to the Air and Space Museum,” declared Chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta. “This particularly emblematic jet deserved a home in one of the world’s greatest aeronautics museums. Concorde is a part of the history of aeronautics and because of this, Air France had to offer it a worthy second life; one way to do this was to exhibit it at the Le Bourget Air and Space Museum.”
But now the Concorde story continues!
The videos below illustrate the wonderful work being carried out in Paris to restore this Concorde’s systems to working order. The go-ahead has now been given to re-start the amazing engines by the owners of this Airframe. Playing a major part in this work are the two groups fighting for return to flight, in France ‘Olympus 593’ and the ‘Save Concorde Group’ in the UK. Follow this remarkable journey at Heritage Concorde.
Heritage Concorde wishes to state that Olympus 593 are only working toward return to taxi, and not return to flight, with this airframe!
Latest from the Save Concorde Group concerning Concorde Sierra Delta, in Paris
March 14th 2010
CONCORDE’S ENGINES TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE
It’s not a question of if anymore, but when – for the first time since Concorde’s retirement back in 2003, her engines will be bursting back to life.
Following a recent meeting at the Le Bourget Air and Space Museum in France, with our French alliance counterparts, known as Olympus593, negotiations were finalised and agreed that the engines of former Air France Concorde, known as “Sierra Delta” will be powered up.
SCG Statement: “This is absolutely fantastic news and very exciting. We have always maintained, with the benefit of our experienced engineers, that Concorde could have their engines restarted and this has been proven thanks to the shared belief that our colleagues in France have. Furthermore, this brings us a step further to the possibility of Concorde being returned to the skies in our proposed heritage capacity. Having previously been told in so many directions none of this was possible, it strongly supports our ongoing belief that where there is the will, there will always be a way to success”
This latest major development has been made thanks to the excellent advantages our colleagues across the Channel have over us in the UK – largely down to the museum in France owning their airframe. Given this support within France, which is combined with that of our support network here in the UK, it is highly probable that this French Concorde, could be the first of the original airframes to once again become an aircraft and not a technological relic. Perhaps the ability to perform a ground taxi, or who knows, even one day to fly would be the next possible stages. SCG is using all their resources to assist Olympus 593 and the team in France at this point and this is moving almost supersonically. The possibility to hear those fine engines from Rolls-Royce fire up again will be simply magical.
In an ironic twist, this major development gives further weight to the distinct possibility that Concorde could feature in the opening ceremony of the greatest event on the planet – the 2012 London Olympics.
Whilst efforts to return one of the British Airways Concorde’s to the skies goes on undiminished, the sight of a any Concorde back in the skies will no doubt strengthen the resolve of the British people, to allow us to return one of the BA planes to flight and thus satisfy the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the British public.
11th May 2010
Latest information on F-BTSD….. The engine relight programme is very much up and running as I speak. As you know, before it is possible to do anything as “radical” as inject fuel again, we have to perform important baseline tests/investigations and address any technical issues that may arise before we proceed.
This may be a long process but it is important to make sure (through the expert engineers in charge of the programme) that the safety of the airframe is the most important priority.
As soon as the initial investigations are complete – which should hopefully be before the end of May, I will make the announcements both on here and more formally on the SCG website www.save-concorde.co.uk
Dave Jones. Comms manager, SCG
http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6060000/newsid_6068100/6068102.stm?bw=bb
Latest News from Olympus 593 and the Save Concorde Group
18th May 2010
The health check of Concorde begins …
Under the agreement established between the Air Museum and the association Olympus593, a first comprehensive review of the Concorde engines registered Sierra Delta, will begin.
Like what would happen to a living being, a boroscope or if you prefer the French term, endoscopy of the engines will be in the HALL CONCORDE all day on Saturday, May 29, 2010 (10am to 17h).
Individuals qualified to perform this delicate operation are all technicians of the former Concorde and maintenance team and form the core of the dynamic association Olympus593.
From England especially for this operation, a delegation of the Save Concorde Group, accompanied by a English support engineer, will also be present.
Coming soon at Heritage Concorde!!
Watch this section for the very lastest pictures and video of this amazing moment in the history of Concorde!