FRANCE: FRENCH FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS TAKE CONCORDE INTO THE SKIES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE CRASH THAT KILLED 113 PEOPLE

Record ID: 647335

  • Title: FRANCE: FRENCH FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS TAKE CONCORDE INTO THE SKIES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE CRASH THAT KILLED 113 PEOPLE
  • Date: 30th August 2001
  • Summary: (U5) CHALONS-EN-CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE (AUGUST 30, 2001) (REUTERS) 1. SLV CONCORDE ON RUNWAY 0.02 2. SV/SLV CONCORDE BEING CHECKED/ PREPARED FOR FLIGHT; PEOPLE WATCHING (6 SHOTS) 0.18 3. SLV/LV CONCORDE TAKING OFF; AV CONCORDE IN FLIGHT; CONCORDE LANDING/TOUCHING DOWN ON RUNWAY AND TAKING OFF AGAIN (6 SHOTS) 1.52 4. MCU (English) GILLES MUSARD, FRENCH CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY SAYING "So today we have Concorde on the airfield for training. In fact there is, the people who are training are the instructors and are here just to restore their qualification as Concorde instructor, because no one flew on Concorde for the last year." 2.11 5. SLV CONCORDE 2.14 6. MCU (English) MUSARD, SAYING "Yeah, that certificate will be restored maybe in a few days in the next coming weeks. But I cannot tell you when exactly. It doesn't depend on me. The GDCA, General Direction of Civil Aviation in France, will give back that certificate to Air France and to Concorde in the coming days." 2.37 7. SLV/MCU PEOPLE WATCHING; MAN WITH BINOCULARS (2 SHOTS) 2.43 8. SSV/LV CONCORDE TAKING OFF/PEOPLE WATCHING (2 SHOTS) 2.56 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 14th September 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CHALONS-EN-CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVAER9XNUJFMXOUKKASA9O62A1VG
  • Story Text: Concorde has been put through its paces as French
    flight instructors practice take-offs and landings for the
    first time since one of the sleek supersonic passenger jets
    crashed last year, killing 113 people.



    French flight instructors have taken Concorde into the
    skies on Thursday (August 30) for the first time since one of
    the sleek supersonic passenger jets crashed last year killing
    113 people.

    The instructors will familiarise themselves with the
    aircraft again with a series of 90 minute training flights
    over the next two days from a freight airport near
    Chalons-en-Champagne in Northeast France.

    Gilles Musard of the French Civil Aviation Authority said
    about the test flights:
    "Today we have Concorde on the airfield for training. In
    fact there is, the people who are training are the instructors
    and are here just to restore their qualification as Concorde
    instructor, because no one flew on Concorde for the last
    year."
    Although Concorde jets have made several flights to test
    safety modifications, most pilots have not been back on board
    since nine crew died along with all 100 passengers on the Air
    France Concorde that crashed near Paris in July last year.

    Four people were also killed on the ground when the plane,
    trailing fuel and fire, smashed into a hotel shortly after
    taking off from Charles de Gaulle airport for New York.

    Concorde, operated by Air France and British Airways, has
    been grounded since last August when aviation authorities
    withdrew its airworthiness certificate.

    Air France and British Airways have since been working on
    modifications to the aircraft in order to get the green light
    to resume commercial flights.

    A decision from British and French civil aviation
    authorities on reinstating the aircraft's airworthiness
    certificate is expected shortly.

    Commercial flights would then resume once the two airlines
    had refitted the remaining 12 aircraft with the modifications,
    including lining fuel tanks with a kevlar protective shell,
    adding tougher tyres and modifying undercarriage wiring.

    "That certificate will be restored maybe in a few days in
    the next coming weeks. But I cannot tell you when exactly. It
    doesn't depend on me. The GDCA, General Direction of Civil
    Aviation in France, will give back that certificate to Air
    France and to Concorde in the coming days," Musard said.

    Aviation law requires that when more than 90 days have
    lapsed between flights, Concorde pilots need to have further
    training to keep their qualifications up to date.

    Air France said in a statement the instructors had trained
    in simulators, but these flights would allow them to practice
    take-offs and landings.


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