Aircraft history

F-BTSC (203), being originally a model 100 (that would have been converted to a model 103 for Pan-Am), was the heaviest Concorde of all the Air France fleet: it was just under one ton heavier and two years older than the lighter and youngest F-BTSD (213).

 

1975 –

Undertakes a number of route proving and endurance flights including trips to Dakar, Rio de Janeiro, Caracus, Lisbon and Gander.

After taking part in the route proving flights, she was leased to Air France in 1976 for use until their other aircraft were delivered.

 

1976 – Nov 2

Start of a major sales tour of the Far East. Locations include Bahrain, Singapore and Hong Kong, covering over 30,000 miles

 

1977

She took part in a mid-east sales tour, where they were interest in a purchase from Iran.

 

1979

After featuring in the Concorde disaster movie in she was stored until being bought by Air France for 1 Franc in 1980.

 

1982

She was re-stored, along with F-BVFD, on 1st Nov1982 when the airlines were only operating 7 flights a week to New York. F-BTSC came back into service on 28th April 1986; when other Air France aircraft were due to undergo engineering checks. She was out of service for the D check between June 98 and Nov 99, where the keel beam was replaced due to corrosion, at a cost of £4M

The D check involved visual, radiographical and ultrasonical checks. The work total 60,000 hours of checking, piece by piece. After which three weeks of ground tests took place before two flight tests were performed.

 

1st Nov 1999

The aircraft then returned to Service on

 

21st July 2000

A-check.

 

July 25th 2000

Final flight; the aircraft crashes at Gonesse shortly after take off from Paris Charles de Gaulle, no crew or passengers survive. The crash results in all Concorde’s being grounded for re-engineering work on tyres, landing gear and fuel tanks.