First Concorde Set To Travel By Sea To Scotland

The Brits just can’t get over their love affair with the late great Concorde, and now they are looking forward to a final epic journey of one the sleek birds, bound for the National Museums of Scotland (NMS). The NMS announced on Monday its plan to transport G-BOAA, the first-ever Concorde to enter service, from Heathrow Airport to its final home at the national Museum of Flight, just outside Edinburgh. The complex 10-day plan calls for G-BOAA to travel via highway to the River Thames, then sail by barge to London, where it will make a dramatic final salute to the London public as it is lifted above deck outside the Houses of Parliament. The barge will then continue under Tower Bridge and out to the North Sea, where it will embark on the longest section of its journey, up the east coast to Scotland.

On arrival at Torness, G-BOAA will travel via the new A1 expressway, finally arriving at the Museum on the morning of April 13. “This is a very exciting time for both Concorde and the British people, allowing people from both London and Scotland to share in the start of a new era for this great aircraft,” said Dr Gordon Rintoul, NMS director. “We are proud and excited to welcome Concorde’s arrival at the national Museum of Flight. By August, thousands of visitors will be able to see one of Britain’s most exciting and innovative inventions.” Further announcements will be made with more details about where and when the public can see Concorde during its journey and when it will be unveiled at the national Museum of Flight. Meanwhile, a group called Keep Concorde Flying met last weekend in Bristol, England, to lobby for the revival of at least one of the fleet. The group’s Web site says it has collected more than 5,000 signatures on a petition that seeks “to make sure our Concordes remain where they should be, in the sky and not stuck in a museum.”