Concorde's story told as never before
Imagery courtesy Bristol Aero Collection Trust / © 2003 John M. Dibbs
The film, entitled Concorde – First To Last , is the first complete film history of the iconic supersonic airliner, which was released last month as a DVD and an HD stream to coincide with the November’s 20th anniversary of the last flight.
The 150-minute film was sponsored by 10 members of the Bristol Aero Collection Trust, including Sir George White, great grandson of the Bristol Aeroplane Company’s founder. The film uses rare archive footage to chronicle this fascinating story as never before.
Test pilots Godfrey Auty and Brian Trubshaw (above, left to right) are seen pushing the limits of speed to far exceed the sound barrier and pave the way for an aircraft that shrank the globe and turned heads wherever she flew.
Behind the scenes in the Filton and Patchway factories, the designers of the airframe and the engine reveal their secrets and the shopfloor workers tell of their pride in helping to make this Anglo-French project a reality.
The first flights from Toulouse and Bristol in 1969 are shown as is the final flight on 26th November 2003, when Concorde Alpha Foxtrot (above) returned to her birthplace at Filton.
British Airways Chief Pilot Les Brodie (right), who was at the controls, tells of his emotions as he made a farewell flypast over the North Somerset coast and the Clifton Suspension Bridge to land in front of a crowd of thousands.
Concorde Alpha Foxtrot is also seen in the purpose-built hangar, where she has become the star attraction in the Aerospace Bristol museum.
Also captured for posterity is a British Airways journey from Heathrow to New York on the flight deck of Concorde Alpha Foxtrot.
A further 90 minutes of bonus extras include Concorde Around The World, a continent-to-continent account of a never-to-be-repeated journey and a flight deck tour of Concorde Alpha Charlie in Manchester.
For further information: www.bellevuefilms.co.uk
