Enthusiasts Prepare for Concordes Farewell

The last flight of the famed Concorde is nearly upon us, and many aviation enthusiasts, historians and those who want a last peek at the aircraft are planning to bid it farewell in style. Thousands of people are expected to pack Londons Heathrow airport to watch the final flight of Concorde on Oct. 24. Special grandstands will be built at the airport where onlookers will watch Captain Mike Bannister land the aircraft for the last time on a commercial flight. While the event will be broadcast on UK television, American audiences will see the aircrafts departure courtesy of NBC. On Thursday, the winning bidder of an eBay auction for the last two available seats will appear live on NBC News’ “Today,” the day before they depart on the famous flight. On Friday the networks Travel Editor Peter Greenberg will report live from JFK Airport in New York as he and the auction winners check in their bags on Concorde’s final commercial flight. The auction began Oct. 13 and stays open through noon EDT, Monday, Oct. 20. In all the hoopla over Concorde’s last flight, it’s worth mentioning that this week also marks the anniversary of the first-ever supersonic flight. On Oct. 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager piloted the Bell X-1 faster than the speed of sound above the California desert. The rest, as they say, is history.