G-BBDG
Encyclopedia
G-BBDG was the third British
production Concorde
built for evaluation testing. Along with the French Concorde F-WTSB, the aircraft was used to enable sufficient testing to allow for the Concorde fleet to receive certification. It was stored at Filton
airfield from the mid-1980s until 2003, when it was transported by road to the Brooklands Museum
in Weybridge, Surrey.
prior to Concorde entering passenger service.
There were some differences between this aircraft and the final production aircraft
, such as a thinner fuselage
skin. The aircraft was painted in British Airways
livery
throughout its testing period. The aircraft flew a total of 1282 hrs 9 mins. Its final flight was on 24 December 1981.
After the final flight, it was stored at Filton
in a state of semi-airworthiness throughout 1982, where it could be returned to flight in two weeks if required. However this was never required and the aircraft was eventually bought by British Airways as part of a Concorde support buy-out in 1984.
The aircraft never entered service with British Airways, instead it was used as a major source of spare parts, allowing the airline to operate a fleet of 7 aircraft. A hangar was constructed on the Filton airfield site in the late 1980s to house the aircraft. Its tail was removed prior to being put in the hangar.
In 1995, Concorde G-BOAF had its nose damaged in a handling accident at Heathrow Airport. British Airways swapped this nose with the nose of the Concorde stored at Filton. As well as losing its nose and tail, other parts were taken, including its engines, landing gear and the majority of the components from the hydraulic system. The original nose was later repaired at Brooklands and returned to G-BBDG.
Many times the aircraft has been considered for scrapping, but it has always been found to be useful. In 2001, it was used to test reinforced cockpit doors required for all aircraft after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
When British Airways and Air France
retired their fleets in 2003, Brooklands Museum
at Weybridge
in Surrey was offered the aircraft and decided to accept it as a museum exhibit. The aircraft was dismantled as fully as possible and the rest was cut up into 5 major sections and transported by road to the Brooklands Museum site. The task of structurally disassembling and reassembling the aircraft was carried out by Air Salvage International (ASI). It was then restored by a team of over 100 volunteers from the museum, assisted by students from the University of Surrey.
The Concorde Experience was opened at the museum in July 2006 by HRH
Prince Michael of Kent
, allowing visitors to enter the aircraft and experience a virtual flight up to Mach 2 - twice the speed of sound.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
production Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
built for evaluation testing. Along with the French Concorde F-WTSB, the aircraft was used to enable sufficient testing to allow for the Concorde fleet to receive certification. It was stored at Filton
Filton
Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about from the city centre. Filton lies in Bristol postcode areas BS7 and BS34. The town centres upon Filton Church, which dates back to the 12th century and is a grade II listed building...
airfield from the mid-1980s until 2003, when it was transported by road to the Brooklands Museum
Brooklands Museum
Brooklands Museum is an independent charitable trust, established in 1987, whose aim is to conserve, protect and interpret the unique heritage of the Brooklands site. It is located south of Weybridge, Surrey and was first opened regularly in 1991 on of the original 1907 motor-racing circuit...
in Weybridge, Surrey.
History
G-BBDG first flew on 13 February 1974, having been registered on on 7 August the previous year. Its main uses were finalising the Concorde design before the other aircraft entered passenger service and certificationProduct certification
Product certification or product qualification is the process of verifying that a certain product has passed performance tests and quality assurance tests or qualification requirements stipulated in contracts, regulations, or specifications...
prior to Concorde entering passenger service.
There were some differences between this aircraft and the final production aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
, such as a thinner fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
skin. The aircraft was painted in British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
throughout its testing period. The aircraft flew a total of 1282 hrs 9 mins. Its final flight was on 24 December 1981.
After the final flight, it was stored at Filton
Filton
Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about from the city centre. Filton lies in Bristol postcode areas BS7 and BS34. The town centres upon Filton Church, which dates back to the 12th century and is a grade II listed building...
in a state of semi-airworthiness throughout 1982, where it could be returned to flight in two weeks if required. However this was never required and the aircraft was eventually bought by British Airways as part of a Concorde support buy-out in 1984.
The aircraft never entered service with British Airways, instead it was used as a major source of spare parts, allowing the airline to operate a fleet of 7 aircraft. A hangar was constructed on the Filton airfield site in the late 1980s to house the aircraft. Its tail was removed prior to being put in the hangar.
In 1995, Concorde G-BOAF had its nose damaged in a handling accident at Heathrow Airport. British Airways swapped this nose with the nose of the Concorde stored at Filton. As well as losing its nose and tail, other parts were taken, including its engines, landing gear and the majority of the components from the hydraulic system. The original nose was later repaired at Brooklands and returned to G-BBDG.
Many times the aircraft has been considered for scrapping, but it has always been found to be useful. In 2001, it was used to test reinforced cockpit doors required for all aircraft after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
When British Airways and Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
retired their fleets in 2003, Brooklands Museum
Brooklands Museum
Brooklands Museum is an independent charitable trust, established in 1987, whose aim is to conserve, protect and interpret the unique heritage of the Brooklands site. It is located south of Weybridge, Surrey and was first opened regularly in 1991 on of the original 1907 motor-racing circuit...
at Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
in Surrey was offered the aircraft and decided to accept it as a museum exhibit. The aircraft was dismantled as fully as possible and the rest was cut up into 5 major sections and transported by road to the Brooklands Museum site. The task of structurally disassembling and reassembling the aircraft was carried out by Air Salvage International (ASI). It was then restored by a team of over 100 volunteers from the museum, assisted by students from the University of Surrey.
The Concorde Experience was opened at the museum in July 2006 by HRH
Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
Prince Michael of Kent
Prince Michael of Kent
Prince Michael of Kent is a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, making him a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He is also the first cousin once removed of Prince Phillip. Prince Michael occasionally carries out royal duties representing the Queen at some functions in Commonwealth realms outside...
, allowing visitors to enter the aircraft and experience a virtual flight up to Mach 2 - twice the speed of sound.