Nigel Moll

Concorde flew its last commercial service 12 years ago, but the pilot who first took the Anglo-French SST into the sky survived up until this week. Andre Turcat, who commanded the four-man crew that made Concorde’s 27-minute first flight from Toulouse-Blagnac on March 2, 1969, died at his home in Aix-en-Provence on Monday at the age of 94. He had joined the Free French air force in World War II and later, during the Indochina War, flew C-47s with enough panache to earn a place at France’s EPNER test-pilot school at Istres.

 


Long before Concorde went supersonic, Turcat was no stranger to the Machmeter, having earned the Harmon Trophy in 1958 (handed to him by 36th Vice President of the U.S. Richard Nixon) for taking the ramjet-powered Nord 1500 Griffon to Mach 2.19. The following year he broke the world speed record by flying the Griffon at an average of 1,021 mph/1,643 km/hr over 100 km.

 


At the conclusion of the Griffon experiments, Turcat left the military and joined Sud Aviation as it was embarking on the Concorde program. Turcat became chief test pilot for the program’s French effort; Brian Trubshaw (who died in March 2001 at the age of 77) held that post for the British effort. Turcat was also at the controls when Concorde first ventured beyond Mach 1 on Oct. 1, 1969.

Pioneer Concorde Test Pilot Andre Turcat Dies

Turcat became chief test pilot for the Concorde program’s French effort and was the first to take the supersonic aircraft beyond Mach 1.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN