New stamps mark 50th anniversary of Concorde’s maiden flight

A set of stamps has been released to mark the 50th anniversary of the first commercial Concorde flights.

Royal Mail has produced 12 stamps which it said paid tribute to the supersonic aircraft’s “innovation, elegance and engineering excellence”.

Concorde’s colossal speed of 1,350mph (2172km/h) — twice the speed of sound — was a marvel of modern engineering when it launched on 21 January 1976.

A spokesman for Royal Mail described Concorde as “one of the most iconic achievements in aviation history”, adding the service was “proud to celebrate its legacy”.

The main set of eight Concorde stamps features photography of British Airways’ Concordes throughout their history, including the first and last commercial flights.

One of the stamps depicts four Concordes flying in formation to celebrate 10 years of service, while a further four stamps are presented in a miniature sheet.

Concorde has close links to Bristol as some of its prototypes were developed by the British Aircraft Corporation in Filton.

When the aircraft retired from service in 2003, the last Concorde to take flight landed at Filton Airport. The Alpha Foxtrot has been housed in a purpose-built hangar at Aerospace Bristol ever since.

David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: “These designs pay tribute to the innovation, elegance and engineering excellence that made Concorde a symbol of British ingenuity and ambition.”

Concorde planes have distinctive hydraulically operated nose cones designed to move down during take-off and landing to give pilots better visibility of runways.

Aircraft housed at Aerospace Bristol, Manchester Airport Runway Visitor Park and the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire will take part in a co-ordinated “nose drop” later.

The nose cones will be moved simultaneously at 11:40 GMT to mark the moment the first commercial Concorde flights departed.