NEW YORK (PIX11) -- For more than 25 years, the Concorde, with its sleek lines and distinctive delta wings, served as a testament to human ingenuity and technological advancement.
After retiring in 2003, British Airways awarded one of its planes to the Intrepid Museum, where it remained for two decades until last November when it was moved to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for a long-overdue makeover.
"It needed to be done because the aircraft was living in a saltwater environment and the surface had deteriorated,” according to Peter Torraca, Intrepid's Manager of Aircraft Restoration.
Before leaving drydock for its return to Intrepid, Torraca gave PIX11 News an exclusive look at the newly restored 200-foot-long iconic aircraft.
“The team that did the stripping used a high-pressure water zip to strip the paint. It wasn’t just surface corrosion; there was more invasive corrosion and all that was treated. They used two coats of polyurethane paint to do the white,” he explained.
Workers restored the same colors and markings, making Concorde a true aviation legend.
“This particular aircraft crossed the Atlantic in a record two hours 52 minutes faster than all the other Concordes,” Toracca noted.
As PIX11's Marvin Scott learned during an invitation Concorde flight to London years ago, flying so fast and so high was no unusual sensation.
“If not for the readout in front of the cabin, the body does not tell you you are flying at twice the speed of sound, Mach two, 1350 miles per hour, and we’re now at an altitude of 50,000 feet,” standing in front of the bulkhead, Scott observed.
Flying Concorde wasn’t only a thrill for passengers; British Airways Chief Pilot Mike Banister described the experience.
“She’s a beautiful airplane to fly. She’s like a sports car rather than a truck or a thoroughbred horse rather than a riding school horse," Banister said.
The Concorde wasn’t very spacious or narrow, but what you didn’t get in space, you got in amenities, exquisite menus and fine wines.
“It was quite a glamorous icon. It was the jet-setting image of being able to fly from JFK to London in under four hours. The list of celebrities who have flown on this airplane includes Paul McCartney, Madonna, Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth, and I believe you were on the aircraft with Sting,“ Toracca said. “All the work is done. It’s gorgeous and she’s ready to go.”
On Thursday, Concorde was lifted aboard a barge and moved to a position in New Jersey. The hope is that the tide and current will allow her to make her journey back to Intrepid.
The museum said it expects to resume tours of the historic aircraft on April 4.
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