“This plane embodied industrial force and innovation capacity of France on the aeronautical level. It was also a symbol of our capacity for international cooperation, “wrote Rachida Dati, the Minister of Culture on X by announcing, this Monday, the classification as historic monuments Concorde number 1the copy of the Franco-British supersonic plane and all of its equipment.
✈️ I announce the classification as the Historic Monuments of the Concorde N ° 1 plane and all of its equipment. This plane embodied the industrial force and the capacity for innovation of France on the aeronautically. It was also a symbol of our ability to … pic.twitter.com/KcXZ5Ubaxv
– RACHADA DATA ن (@AmetiraTa) May 5, 2025
“This planepioneer of supersonic flights remained in the memories. Its preservation will make it possible to transmit to future generations a unique example of our aeronautical know-how in a futuristic vision, ”she added.
With a cruising speed of Mach 2.02, or approximately 2,172 km/h at an altitude of 16,000 to 18,000 feet, this plane with a so -called “Gothic” delta wing and postcombustion turbojetrs that are usually found on fighter planes was also equipped with electric flight controls that are found on current devices. It will also have an automatic pilot and a specific brake system.
The first test flight of Concorde 001 took place above Toulouse on March 2, 1969. An event that attracted more than 400 journalists from around the world and more than a thousand spectators. At 3:38 p.m., the crew made up of the test pilots André Turcat and Jacques Guignard, the engineer Henri Perrier and the navigating mechanic Michel Rétif receives the take -off authorization. TV channels broadcast the event live. After a 1,500 m race, Concorde takes off at the speed of 180 knots (330 km/h), with an angle of ten degrees. It rises at the altitude of 9,000 feet.
After 27 minutes of flight, he appeared in the final at 170 knots (315 km/h), escorted by French hunters. It arises gently, brakes thanks to the parachute of the footprint, and joins the parking lot, where journalists rush to interview the crew. Turcat will declare when leaving the plane: “The machine flies, and I can add that it flies well!” »»
Concorde made his first entry into the supersonic field on October 1, 1969 during the 45th flight, piloted by Jean Pinet. On November 4, 1970, during his 102nd flight, he reached Mach 2, a speed he maintained for a period of 52 minutes.
During the tests, Concorde establishes speed and altitude records. On March 16, 1973, Concorde 001 reached an altitude of 68,000 feet, or more than 20,700 m. The speed record was set on March 26, 1974 to Mach 2.23.
After more than 5,000 hours of flights for the tests, the N1 Concorde was one of the two copies intended to obtain the essential navigability certificate for be able to transport passengers. He made his first flight on December 6, 1973 and his last on May 26, 1982. Beyond that, Concorde’s commercial flights began on January 21, 1976 and took the end twenty-seven years later, between May and October 2003.
In its press release, the Ministry of Culture specifies that Concorde Number 1 is one of the 20 aircraft built from 1967 to 1979 and that 18 are preserved to date, including six in France. Since 2014, it has been one of the two devices preserved and presented On the aeroscopia site in Blagnac (Haute-Garonne).
The last flight of the Concorde took place in 2003. Symbol of luxury and technological advances, it marked the history of air transport Until the July 2000 crashdetermining in its withdrawal from the service. On July 25, 2000, the AF4590 Concorde of Air France ensuring the Paris/New York connection crashed just after taking off on a hotel in Gonesse, in the Paris suburbs. This accident had killed 113 people.
In the meantime, Concorde has paved the way for supersonic civil transport. Other projects could come take over in the years to come.
