102 - F-WTSA
| Current Registration | F-WTSA |
|---|---|
| Production Model Number | French pre-production model |
| Maiden Flight | 10th Jan 1973 : Toulouse, France - 1st flight of French pre-production Concorde |
| Registration History | 21th April 1971 : First registered as F-WTSA to Aerospatiale |
| Final Test flight | Jan 29th 1976 |
| Last Flight | 20th May 1976 : Delivery flight to Orly From Toulouse |
| Number Of Flights | 314 |
| Supersonic Flights | 189 |
| Total Block Hours | 656 hrs 37mins |
| Total Supersonic Hours Flown | 280 hrs 49mins |
| Current Usage | Preserved and on display at Musee Delta, Orly Airport, Paris, France |
Notes
Concorde 102 F-WTSA was fourth aircraft to be manufactured, and the second of preproduction aircraft.
Sierra-Alpha was the first to have dimensions and the shape of future the production aircraft: it had the extended tail cone fitted as well as the production specification secondary engine nozzle, with the thrust reverse buckets.
102 was the first Concorde to be visit the United States when she visited Dallas, Texas on September 20, 1973. It returned to Europe by carrying out the first crossing of the North Atlantic, between Washington and Orly, under the conditions of a passenger flight, with 32 passengers invited on his board on the September 26, 1973. The flight time was in 3 hours and 33 minutes of effective flight, with a block time of 3 hours and 47 minutes.
For several years during testing the aircraft was painted in British Airways colours on one side and Air France's 1970's livery on the other, although still being registered as a French aircraft. Today it has an Air France colour scheme.
The aircraft completed its 313rd and final test flight on January 29, 1976. Its work took in such areas as the development of new engines, and a considerable number (134) rolling runway tests for amongst other things the certification of the new carbon brakes, the water deflectors and thrust reversers...etc.
F-WTSA's final flight was between Toulouse and Paris Orly on May 20, 1976. Takeoff was at 15:19 and she arrived into at Orly 16:26, where an ADP team will take over responsibility for the aircraft. It was gifted to ADP, the operator of Orly and other Paris airport in 1976 to replace a full size wooden replica that was originally on show at the airport, which was destroyed by fire a few years earlier.
The aircraft was decommissioned with the engines and of many parts being recovered to be used as spares on the Air France fleet. As the aircraft was going on public display its test equipment installations were removed, and its cabin was reconfigured to give her the interior of an in-service aircraft.
In 1988, ADP, the Orly airport operator decided that Concorde 102 was no longer a priority and condemned it to be scrap and to be cut out of pieces. Athis-Paray-Aviation saved Sierra Alpha from this tragedy, and since April 12, 1988, it has been on display at the Museum Delta in Athis-Mons, just outside the airport.