Supersonic Concorde, star of show in 25-mln-USD aerospace museum

Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-19 03:39:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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LONDON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The last of the supersonic 20 Concorde jetliners ever built is the star of the show at a new 25 million U.S. dollar aerospace museum which has opened in Bristol.

A special aircraft hangar has been built at Aerospace Bristol as the new permanent home of Alpha Foxtrot, the last of the Concordes which made its final flight in 2003, the year the fleet was retired.

The new museum, which opened its doors for the first time Tuesday, celebrates Bristol's close links with the aviation industry which date back over a century.

The city, described as the spiritual home of the Concorde, was home for the final assembly line for the British fleets of the "Rolls Royce of the airways" in what was an Anglo-French joint venture to provide superfast air travel.

It cut the flight time from London to New York to just 3.5 hours.

The museum is housed close to the spot where the British Concordes took off on their maiden flights.

The Concorde hangar is next too a former First World War hangar which has been renovated to house a large number of the museum's exhibits.

Collections manager Linda Coode, said the aim of the museum is to tell the next generation about science and engineering, featuring flight simulators and interactive options.

"We're trying to tell the complete aerospace story in Bristol and to inspire future generations to look at careers in the industry," said Coode.

John Britton, who was Concorde's chief engineer in Britain from 1994 and is a now volunteer at the museum, said it was emotional to see Alpha Foxtrot back under cover and in pristine condition.

Britton said: "I was here when this plane took off for the first time from Filton and I was here when she landed for the final time. It was very sad when they shut the engines down for the last time."

Displays at the museum include Concorde menus, bottles of champagne, the super-smart uniforms cabin crew wore.

During the past 100 years, the city has built warplanes, helicopters, missiles, satellites and rockets, as well as Concordes.

Exhibits at the museum include a vertical take off Sea Harrier jet fighter, known for its vertical take-off and a twin-rotor Bristol Type 192 Belvedere helicopter, originally designed for intercity travel, but becoming popular as a troop carrier.

Concorde entered service in 1976 and was operational for 27 years, flying at a maximum speed of 2,180 km/h, or over twice the speed of sound. It was one of only two supersonic planes to have ever operated commercially, the other being the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144, which operated for a much shorter period than Concorde.

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