Was First To Fly The Supersonic Jetliner In 1969

The test pilot who first flew the Concorde supersonic jetliner, and the first to fly the airplane beyond the speed of sound, passed away Monday at his home in southern France.

Andre Turcat was 94.

According to a report from the BBC, Turcat was chief test pilot for the Concorde program. The 27-minute first flight was achieved without incident, with the landing gear remaining down and the airplane's nose in its drooping landing configuration.

Turcat had been a pilot for France in the war in what was then Indochina in 1947. He became chief test pilot for the specialized aviation center in France, and when the joint French-British Concorde program was announced, he was chosen as chief test pilot for the French.

Turcat's career rose and fell with the Concorde, and he remained a vocal supporter of the airplane even after the accident in 2000 that led to the airplane's ultimate retirement.

He took an early retirement at the age of 54, and began a career in politics. He was deputy mayor of Toulouse from 1971-1977, and a member of the European Parliament from 1980-1981.

In 2005, he was named a Grand Officier of the Legion of Honour, one of the highest civilian commendations in France.

(Image from file)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde