News / Aerospace Bristol
Aerospace Bristol takes flight
Concorde Alpha Foxtrot – the last Concorde to be built and the last Concorde ever to fly – is the star attraction at Aerospace Bristol, which opens its doors to the public for the first time on Tuesday.
But the supersonic plane is by no means the only exhibition on show at the new museum in one corner of the former Filton Airfield.
Charting the history of aviation in Bristol from trams (Bristol Aeroplane Company founder George White’s first foray into transport was with horse-drawn trams) to drones, the museum takes a chronological look at an industry that made our city famous across the world.
is needed now More than ever
The tram was found in a back garden; half of it remains unrestored
While the other side sees the vehicle restored to its former glory
Bristol Cars were originally built in Filton by Bristol Aeroplane Co. workers after 1918; this is a stripped-down Bristol 403. In the background are (left) a Bloodhound anti-aircraft missile on its missile launcher and (right) the nose of the Britannia, a turboprop-powered airliner first built in 1952
The Aerospace Bristol museum that isn’t Concorde is housed in a former World World Two grade II-listed aircraft hangar complete with original wooden beams and stone arches.
There are plenty of hands-on activities in a museum that has the dual aim of inspiring the next generation of engineers and preserving Bristol’s aviation heritage – with every single piece here able to trace its lineage back to Bristol.
A Skylark rocket from the UK’s longest-running space progamme which started in 1957 and ended in 2005. From 1999 it was run by Sounding Rocket Services in Bristol.
Time for a pitstop in the cafe:
Before walking into Concorde’s purpose-built new home:
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How do you fly this thing?
Built in Bristol in 1978, Concorde Alpha Foxtrot arrived at Filton following its final flight on November 26 2003
As well as a pilot and co-pilot, Concorde had a flight engineer who sat here looking at all of these buttons, switches and dials
No complimentary champagne is provided, but visitors to Aerospace Bristol can still walk inside the airplane and imagine what supersonic passenger travel felt like before the Concorde fleet was grounded following the fatal Paris crash on July 25 2000.
Despite the luxury, it was rather crowded on board
In a room next to the plane, there is also a special exhibition all about the history of Concorde, featuring a number of souvenirs, crew uniforms and more.
A tapestry commemorating Air France’s flight to Mexico
Tickets to Aerospace Bristol cost £15 for adults, £8 for children aged four to 17 and £13 for over-65s. Family tickets for four (two adults and two children) cost £39, and for a family of three (one adult and two children) £26. Aerospace Bristol tickets entitle you to free return visits for one year.
For more information, visit www.aerospacebristol.org
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