Trip Report - Concorde

[A McLaughlin]

I got a private tour of the interior of the Concorde at Duxford in 06 including the flight deck...might have had something to do with flashing my media credentials though...

[Philip Argy]

I'm old enough to have flown trans-Atlantic on Concorde a few times in the 1980s. My initial and lasting impression was of a super fast Fokker Friendship based on seat dimensions and window size but with a Mach meter and better catering! Sounds odd I know but if you've flown on both you'll know what I mean.

Basically it was a long lunch to go from London to New York, working half a day in London then flying to New York and finishing the working day there. The return trip was much less cost effective, as you had to stay the night in a hotel instead of on the aircraft if you'd flown in a subsonic plane. OK if you lived in the UK but not as a traveller.

[David Ramsay]

There is one (G-BOAD) at the Intrepid Museum in New York, I was there yesterday.

Again you can't go inside it, though.

[Robert S]

Originally Posted by David Ramsay

There is one (G-BOAD) at the Intrepid Museum in New York, I was there yesterday.

Again you can't go inside it, though.

This isn't correct... you simply have to ensure you go at times it is open or better still, do the tour.

If it is available for general viewing, you will only be able to walk through the forward section where the seats are protected by perspex. Entry is via the mid-cabin door and exit is at the front.

If you do the tour, you will sit in the rear section seats (which are open, as the general public isn't permitted back there except on the tours) and get to go into the cockpit. When I did the tour in May, I was the last one to file into the cockpit and therefore last one off - the guide happily invited me to close the forward cabin door myself (so it definitely "touchable").

http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/The-In.../Concorde.aspx

Kieran, I wouldn't say it was in bad condition.

I haven't been to Duxford since 2001. At that time their Concorde was open for general viewing and you could walk from the front to the back, but not sit in any seats. You could see the cockpit, but not get right into it. Their website suggests this is still the case - saying the aircraft is open from 11am to 3pm, but suggests visitors call to confirm hours.

http://www.iwm.org.uk/exhibitions/airspace