After a months-long restoration at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, one of the fastest commercial jets in the world returned home to the Intrepid Museum via one of the slowest methods of transport, tugboat. Early Thursday morning, the record-setting supersonic jet traveled slowly up the Hudson River by barge. It was welcomed back to Pier 86 by a crowd of the public and press, and a giant crane set to lift it back onto the aircraft carrier. Untapped New York Insider Robyn Roth-Moise is on the scene capturing photographs of the jet’s journey.
The journey of this British Airways Concorde Jet started on Wednesday when the plane was transported from the GMD Shipyard in Brooklyn Navy Yard to Weeks Marine in Jersey City where it spent the night. On its journey, the jet passed by notable landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, One World Trade, and Ellis Island.
The jet has been in Brooklyn since August when it was removed from the museum for restoration work. Workers have since given the aircraft a thorough sanding and fresh paint job.
While it is exciting to experience the rare sight of a massive jet traveling by river, the entire process was slow going. Robyn likened the viewing experience to watching the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree get hoisted into place. There is a lot of waiting. Just one couple in the crowd of onlookers, who arrived at the pier at 9:30 am, was smart enough to bring chairs, knowing this would be a long process.
The Intrepid’s jet, Concorde Alpha Delta G-BOAD, is the only British Airways Concorde on display in the Northeast and the only supersonic commercial jet to have ever flown. On February 7, 1996, this aircraft set the record for the fastest transatlantic flight by a commercial aircraft. Flying from Heathrow to JFK Airport, the journey was complete in 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds. The Concorde fleet was retired from service in 2003.
Check out more photos of the jet’s return to the Intrepid in the gallery below, which we’ll update throughout the morning! You can also watch a live stream of the crane hoist on the Intrepid Museum’s YouTube channel here.
