The British Airways Concorde will return to the Intrepid Museum on Thursday, March 14, following a months-long restoration at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Pier 86 will open to the public at 9 a.m. so visitors can watch Concorde’s arrival.
The Concorde resulted from collaborative efforts between France and the United Kingdom. In 1976, Air France and British Airways began operating the Concorde, the only supersonic passenger transport in the world at the time.
With a crew of nine, this aircraft could travel at a speed of 1,350 mph and reach an altitude of 60,000 feet, allowing its 100 passengers to observe the curvature of the Earth.
The aircraft displayed in the museum, serial no. 100-010 (G-BOAD), took its first flight on August 25, 1976. The Concorde could cross the Atlantic Ocean in under three hours, less than half the time required for jetliners flying that route today.
However, environmental protests hindered its supersonic use in the United States and restricted its airport operation. Furthermore, a crash during takeoff in July 2000 caused the entire fleet to be grounded until 2001. Although the Concorde continued to fly VIP passengers until 2003, both airlines eventually retired their fleets from service.
The museum’s Concorde is on loan from British Airways.