A Concorde aircraft has begun test flights out of Shannon Airport prior to its return to commercial service. All Concordes were grounded after the crash of an Air France plane last year in which more than 100 people died.
Two British Airways Concordes have already been modified following the crash in Paris and two more are undergoing similar work. This includes fitting five of the 13 fuel tanks with a shield, made of a tough plastic similar to that used in some bullet-proof vests. The aircraft's undercarriage was also strengthened.
"I was delighted with the welcome we got from the other aircraft in the area and from air traffic control," Capt Mike Bannister, flight manager of British Airways said at Shannon Airport yesterday.
He had just brought the modified BA Concorde, named Alpha Foxtrot, into the airport to begin a three-day refresher training course for some eight senior pilots and four flight engineers. During the 90-minute journey from London Airport, the supersonic jet went south of Ireland, where for 30 minutes it flew at 1,350 m.p.h. at a height of 55,000 feet.
"We then flew west a quarter of the way to New York (750 miles) before returning to Shannon in a total of about one hour eight minutes," explained Capt Bannister.
The captain said the refit programme is costing £17 million as well as £14 million in new interior development. "This £31 million investment is well worth it in order to get our Concorde fleet back in the air by possibly next October or November."
The Concorde will conduct about 10 circuits and landings at Shannon on each of the three days. At no time will it go supersonic and will not exceed 300 mph within a four-mile radius of the airport.
Crowds yesterday lined the old airport road and others gathered in the new roof-top viewing space to watch the Concorde. It has not yet received a full certificate of airworthiness, although it made two technical verification flights on a category B certificate to enable it to fly for some considerable time at supersonic speed.
The Concorde is capable of flying from Shannon to New York in three hours.