In Pictures: Concorde flying high for 50 years

The first prototype of the supersonic plane took off from Toulouse in the south of France on March 2 1969,

Published Mar 2, 2019

Aviation fans around the world are marking the 50th anniversary of Concorde’s maiden flight.

The first Concorde prototype took off from Toulouse in the south of France on March 2 1969, with test pilot Andre Turcat in the air for 27 minutes.

The first British-built version of the supersonic jet took off from Filton in Bristol on April 9 of the same year.

Concorde’s 50th anniversary — A pre-production Concorde is rolled out of a hangar in 1971 at Filton, where 10 of the aircraft were made (PA)

The plane had a distinctive nose cone that could be tilted during take-off and landing to give pilots more visibility.

Concorde museum — The cockpit of Concorde 216, the last of its type to be built and which made the fleet’s final flight to a museum at the British Aerospace site in Filton, Bristol (Ben Birchall/PA)

Concorde was retired from service in October 2003, with British Airways and Air France blaming a downturn in passenger numbers and rising maintenance costs.