This year marks a trio of golden anniversaries for the supersonic airliner: Concorde 001 took of for the first time from Toulouse, France, on 2 March 1969; 002, the first British-built Concorde, took of on 9 April 1969; and 001 went faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1) for the first time on 1 October 1969. The British/French co-developed airliner was famed for its beauty and speed of up to Mach 2.04, or 1,354mph. It continued to hurtle well-heeled passengers on scheduled flights between New York and London in just 3.5 hours, until it ceased service in 2003.
Concorde 002, at the British Aircraf Corporation’s airfield at Filton, Bristol
Fify years since the first flight, 18 of the 20 Concordes built live on – albeit parked up. Pay homage in the UK at the locations below