Brooklands Museum To Celebrate 10 Years Of Concorde Exhibition

On 26th July the Brooklands Concorde G-BBDG will droop her trademark nose for the first time in almost 35 years as Brooklands Museum marks the completion of 10 years since she officially opened to the public as an exhibition, event venue and virtual flight experience.

On 26th July the Brooklands Concorde G-BBDG will droop her trademark nose for the first time in almost 35 years as Brooklands Museum marks the completion of 10 years since she officially opened to the public as an exhibition, event venue and virtual flight experience.

The lowering of the nose, using Concorde's own flight-deck controls, will be controlled by TV Presenter and international model Jodie Kidd as the highlight of an all-day celebratory event. Concorde G-BBDG's 'droop nose' hasn't been lowered since her flying days ended on the 24th December 1981. The landmark achievement of restoring the functionality of the droop nose and visor mechanisms was made possible by the commendable efforts of a dedicated volunteer team who have been working for over a year on the project. Jodie Kidd, who will be on the flight deck to formally lower the nose for the first time on 26th July, regularly flew on the supersonic aircraft to and from America and was on the final revenue flight of Concorde from New York to London on 24th October 2003.

The event will be celebrated with a Champagne Reception around the aircraft, and in attendance will be members of the volunteer teams who have supported Concorde G-BBDG in her initial restoration, maintenance and preservation, and also the 60-strong volunteer team who run the Brooklands Concorde Experience tours, which operate daily - often every 15 minutes in the high seasons. Also in attendance will be several former Concorde Pilots and Engineers, including Chief Concorde Pilot, Mike Bannister.

Since opening in 2006, Concorde G-BBDG has: - Welcomed 384,631 passengers on the half-hour Brooklands Concorde Experience; - Hosted over 6,000 people on special events, including16 wedding ceremonies; - Welcomed the oldest known passenger for his 106th birthday on board.

After the lowering of the nose, a three course lunch will be served to the 220 guests in the Museum's prestigious Napier Room inside the Clubhouse. After lunch and guest speeches, there will be a raffle draw which features some very special Concorde prizes including the chance to lower the nose and a framed turbine blade, signed by nearly 40 Concorde Pilots.

A limited number of tickets for the event are still available for guests to purchase, and more information can be found on the Brooklands Concorde and Brooklands Museum websites. Allan Winn, Director and CEO of Brooklands Museum said: "The restoration of Delta Golf was a remarkable project: it highlighted the very best of aspects of the hugely successful partnership between Volunteers and professionals which characterises Brooklands Museum.

The launching 10 years ago of the unique on-board experience on the only Concorde open to the public in the South-East had an immediate and lasting impact on the Museum's visitor numbers and revenues, and paved the way for further developments. The most notable of those is, of course, the restoration of the world's only operation Concorde simulator and the amazing At the Controls of Concorde programme which it now supports."

Jenny Tye, Concorde Operations Manager at Brooklands said: 'We are very excited to be able to celebrate this special anniversary with so many of the people that have been involved over the last ten years. The event is a way to thank those who have given their time and dedication to the aircraft, and made it what it is today for generations to come. Without the volunteer team, we would not have been able to show the hundreds of thousands of people who have visited what it was like to fly on this iconic engineering marvel.'

For more information about the event, visit the Brooklands Concorde Website, or contact the Concorde Operations team on 01932 857 381 with extension 237, or alternatively by emailing flyconcorde@brooklandsmuseum.com. Notes to editors: 1. The number of passengers who have undertaken the Brooklands Concorde Experience is the total up until the end of business on 9th June 2016. The figure does not include those who have attended private functions, or special events that have taken place on Concorde G-BBDG. 2. Brooklands Museum press contacts are Paul Stewart at paulstewart@brooklandsmuseum.com or Jenny Tye at jennytye@brooklandsmuseum.com