October 24, 2003: Concorde's last commercial flight.

[SeattleVet]

4. We watched G-BOAG come in to Boeing Field on it's final flight.

It was scheduled to come in at something like 3:00, so we decided to go way early to get a good spot by the fence at the Museum of Flight to watch it come in. Glad we got there early, since the aircraft ALSO got there about 40 minutes early, setting the JFK to Seattle record in the process. They had received permission from Canada to fly supersonic over their territory. I saw it coming in with Mount Rainier in the background, and a short time later it landed right in front of us, then was towed (after some trouble with a broken towbar) to a temporary spot on the Museum grounds. It now sits proudly in the Pavillion, along with the first 747, JFK's Air Force One, and several other historical artifacts.

When the plane was flying at supersonic speed, it would expand. When it expanded, gaps opened up between the panels on the flight deck. The flight engineer removed his hat and stuck the edge of it between the panels before they started their descent, and the hat was permanently wedged between the panels. Unfortunately, some yahoo decided to cut it off and take it as a souvenir, which almost caused British Airways to take the plane back. The hat was returned and restored. Also, as the crew and VIP guests exited the aircraft after landing they all signed the frame of the doorway in Sharpie. You can see all of the signatures if you walk through the Concorde at the Museum.