NEW YORK — The British Airways Concorde jet was lifted back into place Thursday onboard New York City’s Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
The supersonic jet could fly more than twice the speed of sound and holds the record for the fastest Transatlantic passenger flight in 1996 — just two hours and 59 minutes from London’s Heathrow Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Watch the Concorde lifted into place
The Concorde left Brooklyn’s Navy Yard on Wednesday, then docked for the night in Jersey City.
It started heading up the Hudson River early Thursday morning, passing the Statue of Liberty on its way to Pier 86 on Manhattan’s West Side.
The voyage took about three hours before a 300-foot crane hoisted the plane back into position on the Intrepid.
Watch Chopper 2 over the Intrepid
Chopper 2 is over the British Airways Concorde jet as it returns to New York City’s Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum after months of renovations. Watch more local news on CBS News New York: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/live/
Posted by CBS New York on Thursday, March 14, 2024
CBS New York’s Natalie Duddridge was along for the journey and had the chance to speak with the Concorde’s record-setting pilot, Leslie Scott.
“The takeoff was always very exciting. The acceleration was a constant acceleration… It was almost like a push in the back when you took off,” he said. “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 decommissioned jet traveled up the river on a 500-ton crane barge that was once used to lift the USS Enterprise space shuttle onto the Intrepid, and it pulled Capt. Sully Sullenberger’s “Miracle on the Hudson” plane from the water in 2009.
Watch the journey up the river
Chopper 2 is over the British Airways Concorde jet as it makes its way back to New York City’s Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum after months of renovations. Watch more local news on CBS News New York: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/live/
Posted by CBS New York on Thursday, March 14, 2024
The Concorde has been at the museum since 2003. It was removed for the first time last August for an extensive renovation. Museum curators said the jet underwent meticulous treatment, including the removal of its paint coating and inspections for corrosion.
“It’s really so great. She was in need of restoration. No doubt she had a beautiful facelift,” Intrepid Museum President Susan Marenoff-Zausner said. “And we really heard from the public how much she was missed.”
“I’m fascinated with the Concorde,” said spectator David Dengilly. “Because we used to think it was everything on the future. Now of course, it’s a thing of the past.”
The fleet of Concordes was retired in 2003 following a tragic crash. Experts said passengers became wary to fly after that, which combined with the expensive cost of tickets and the fleet needing an overhaul.
A flight cost about $7,000 back in 1976, which the museum says would be about $38,000 now, adjusted for inflation. At the time, it attracted many celebrities from rock stars to royals, as well as British family members of CBS New York’s Chris Wragge.
The museum says the Concorde will reopening for viewing on April 4.