Alpha Foxtrot

On November 26, 2003 an aircraft called Alpha Foxtrot, made its final journey to Fliton aerodrome, located five miles north of Bristol. Alpha Foxtrot, also known as Concorde 216, was the last Concorde to remain flying and the last to fly supersonically. During its flying career, Concorde 216 flew 18,257 hours, made 5,639 supersonic flights and completed 6,045 landings.


Filton was an appropriate resting place. It was here that a dozen Concordes were assembled between 1969 and 1979. Concorde 216 was the last Concorde to roll off Filton’s production line, taking to the air for the first time on 20 April 1979. It eventually entered service with British Airways on 13 June 1980.

Garry and I recently had an opportunity to tour Concorde 216 while on holiday in Bristol. We joined a small group of 26 in a tour of the Filton production site, before being taken on board Concorde 216 itself. Our tour guides included former Concorde production staff who told plenty of fascinating stories about their involvement with this aircraft.


It was an awe inspiring experience to be taken on a walking tour of this aircraft. We were free to walk under the tail and wings of this majestic aircraft, before being taken on board to visit the cockpit and sit in the same leather seats once graced by royalty and celebrity alike.


Like all good tourists took our photo in every conceivable position, including the famous Mach 2.0 speed indicator. The indicator was an important addition to the cabin interior as there was no perceivable change in the aircraft’s motion while passing through the sound barrier.

We also learnt that Concorde grew incredibly hot while travelling at supersonic speed. As the metal heated and expanded the aircraft literally grew as much as a foot in length. This turn opened up a special expansion gap on the flight deck between the flight engineer’s console and the cabin bulkhead. Today, on Concorde 216, you see a flight engineer’s hat trapped in this gap where it was placed during the final flight.


The aircraft itself was surprisingly spacious. I’d been told it was incredibly cramped. However, the leg room and width of the cabin was more than I’d expected. The luxurious leather seats were also incredibly comfortable. I think I’d have been perfectly happy to fly at supersonic speed.


Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the cabin is the size of the aircraft's windows. Concorde typically flew above 50,000 feet. At this attitude the air density is very low so that a loss of cabin pressure would have been incredibly dangerous. Concorde, therefore, was equipped with smaller windows to reduce the rate of air loss in the event of a breach. Its windows are at least one third the size of a regular commercial aircraft. While very apparent outside, this smaller aperture isn't immediately obvious inside thanks to a clever window frame design.