British Airways Concorde jet craned into New York Intrepid Museum

• The British Airways Concorde supersonic jet returned to the Intrepid Sea and Space Museum after being docked in Jersey City yesterday 
•  The one-of-a-kind aircraft was craned onto a a 500-ton crane barge, taken across the Hudson river and placed back on Pier 86 early Thursday morning
•  The airplane received a fresh coat of paint and other repairs from exposure to the year-round elements during the months-long restoration project

The British Airways Concorde supersonic jet has landed at the Intrepid Museum. 

The educational institution at Pier 86 in New York City has housed the iconic airliner since 2003. 

But the Concorde took a brief break from the museum’s spotlight in August 2023 to be refurbished in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. 

With the tweaks now made, the newly-restored jet was taken from Brooklyn to Jersey City to dock for storage overnight.  

The aircraft was then craned onto a a 500-ton crane barge, taken across the Hudson  River and placed back on Pier 86 early Thursday morning.

The airplane received a fresh coat of paint and other repairs from exposure to the year-round elements during the months-long restoration project. 

To celebrate its return, the Intrepid Museum posted a picture of the jet on X with the caption: ‘Welcome home, Concorde!’

Images taken this morning show the Concorde being taken across the iconic New York river on a barge and passing the Statue of Liberty on its way. 

On its arrival, the jet was photographed being fitted with cables and a 300-foot crane carefully placing it back into position on the Pier. 

Onlookers keenly watching the historic moment were also photographed. 

Leslie Scott, the Concorde’s record-setting pilot told CBS: ‘The takeoff was always very exciting. The acceleration was a constant acceleration…So it was almost like a push in the back as you took off. 

‘The takeoff speeds were much higher than a regular airplane. We’d get in the air around 250 miles an hour and accelerate up to 280 initially.’ 

The entire voyage across the Hudson took nearly three hours. A section of Pier 86 has also been given a makeover to match Concorde’s shiny new look.

The Concorde has been a staple exhibit at the museum since its arrival and allows visitors the opportunity to take-in the power of the aircraft and learn about its history. 

It is the only British Airways Concorde on display in the Northeast and is the only supersonic commercial jet that ever flew in air. 

‘The Concorde is a product of Anglo-French cooperation. When the Concorde entered Air France and British Airways’ transatlantic service in 1976, it was the only operational supersonic passenger transport in the world,’ the Intrepid Museum’s website explains. 

‘With a crew of nine, the Concorde could fly at 1,350 mph (2,150 kph) at an altitude of 60,000 ft (18,181 m), high enough for its 100 passengers to see the Earth’s curvature.’

It has set multiple records – including ‘Westbound Around the World’ and ‘Eastbound Around the World’ world air speed records.

The plane was developed by British and French scientists from 1962 and had its first flight in 1969.

Commercial flights began in 1976. Its developers believed they’d receive orders for 350 Concordes, but soaring fuel costs meant just 20 of the planes were completed.

British Airways and Air France were its primary operators.  

The fastest transatlantic airliner flight was from New York JFK to London Heathrow on 7 February 1996 by the British Airways G-BOAD in 2 hours, 52 minutes, 59 seconds from take-off to touchdown aided by a 175 mph. 

Flights between New York and London were the most popular and iconic route for the airliner. 

It was banned from going supersonic over many countries because of its sonic boom and was beloved by Hollywood stars who could skip between the United States and Europe far more quickly than on a conventional passenger jet. 

Concorde was taken out of service in 2003 because of high running costs. Since then, multiple attempts to develop a successor supersonic airliner have not borne fruit.  

Tours of the Concorde will resume on April 4, 2024, and visitors will be able to go inside the Concorde as they learn about its history.