Maiden flight
Double-0-Two (002) was the first British-built Concorde. Her maiden voyage was on 9th April 1969, when it took off on the short flight from Filton Airfield to Fairford in Gloucestershire. Brian Trubshaw was her Chief Test Pilot, and it was he who had the honour of bringing her in to land at Fairford on that historic day. Nowadays, she is kept for safe-keeping inside a hangar at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset.

Plush trimmings
One is still able to walk inside her, although she doesn't look much like one would expect her to look like from the inside, for there are none of the plush trimmings and hide upholstery that her modern sisters boast of. Instead there are rows and rows of data-recording equipment and test gear.

I was a six-year old boy living near Filton runway, and remember how proud I felt, at such a young age, seeing her flying majestically over my friends and I for the first time. It was therefore quite an emotional experience, to be able to actually walk inside her fuselage some thirty years on.

Grace
It's a terrible shame, now that the last 'Speedbird' has finally retired, that there isn't a supersonic passenger aircraft to replace her. At the same time, how fitting it is then, that there is nothing to match her grace, speed and enigma - thirty or more years on.

I'm so very proud to call myself a Brit and most of all a Bristolian.

Martin Slade, December 2003.

PHOTOS FROM THE FLEET AIR ARM MUSEUM, AT RNAS YEOVILTON, SOMERSET, ENGLAND


Concorde prototype 002, hangared at RNAS Yeovilton's Fleet Air Arm Museum.

Superb image of 002 taken by Steve Evans of Ace Cameras (www.acecameras.co.uk) of Yate, Bristol.


Other historical aircraft on display at the famous RNAS Yeovilton Air day, July 1998.
In the foreground is an early Royal Navy Harrier, in old black livery. In the background is a Tornado fighter. Both types played an instrumental part in the Gulf War of 1991. The figures '899' refer to 899 Squadron, who were based at Yeovilton.

Westland Merlin of the Royal Navy receiving some minor works at Yeovilton (Steve Evans, Ace Cameras of Yate, Bristol).

With sincerest thanks to Steve of Ace Cameras for the use of the two images above.

More Yeovilton images from our FAA Museum page here

 

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