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Air France Concorde Aircraft Dedication Certificate

National Air and Space Museum

Object Details

Creator
National Air and Space Museum
Air France
Topic
Aeronautics
Airplanes
Supersonic planes
Supersonic transport planes
Provenance
Transferred from National Air and Space Museum Registrar, gift, 1989, NASM.1989.0106
Creator
National Air and Space Museum
Air France
Summary
This decorative certificate was designed to commemorate the occasion on April 16, 1989, when Air France signed a letter of agreement with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) to donate Air France Concorde "Fox Alpha" (r/n F-BVFA) to NASM at the end of the aircraft's operational service.
Biographical / Historical
The first supersonic airliner to enter service, Concorde flew thousands of passengers across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound for over 25 years. Designed and built by Aérospatiale of France and the British Aviation Corporation (BAC), the graceful Concorde was a stunning technological achievement that could not overcome serious economic problems. In 1976 Air France and British Airways jointly inaugurated Concorde service to destinations around the globe. Carrying up to 100 passengers in great comfort, Concorde catered to first class passengers for whom speed was critical. It could cross the Atlantic in fewer than four hours—half the time of a conventional jet airliner—but its high operating costs resulted in very high fares that limited the number of passengers who could afford to fly on it. These problems and a shrinking market eventually forced the reduction of service until all Concordes were retired in 2003. In 1989, two 18th-century copies of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (Déclaration des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen de 1789) and the French Constitution of 1791 were loaned to the Smithsonian by the French National Archives to be exhibited in celebration of the French bicentennial. The documents arrived April 16, 1989, at Dulles International Airport (Chantilly, Virginia) aboard Air France Concorde "Fox Alpha" (r/n F-BVFA). On that day, Air France signed a letter of agreement stating their intention to donate Concorde F-BVFA to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum upon the aircraft's retirement. A historically significant aircraft, Concorde F-BVFA had, in 1976, been the first Air France Concorde to open service to Rio de Janeiro, Washington, DC, and New York. On June 12, 2003, Air France honored that agreement, donating Concorde F-BVFA to the Museum upon the completion of its last flight.
Extent
0.28 Cubic feet (1 folder, Document, 15 x 12 inches (38 x 30 cm))
Date
April 16, 1989
Archival Repository
National Air and Space Museum Archives
Identifier
NASM.1989.0106
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Citation
Air France Concorde Aircraft Dedication Certificate, NASM.1989.0106, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement
None.
Processing Information
Arranged, described, and encoded by Melissa A. N. Keiser, 2023.
Rights
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Scope and Contents
This decorative certificate (15 x 12 inches, 38 x 30 cm) with hand-lettered calligraphy and gold foil embellishments was designed to commemorate the occasion when Air France signed a letter of agreement with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) to donate Air France Concorde "Fox Alpha" (r/n F-BVFA) to NASM at the end of the aircraft's operational service. Dated April 16, 1989, the certificate was signed at Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Virginia, by Dr. Martin Harwitt, National Air and Space Museum Director, and an Air France representative. Note that this is not an official donation certificate but a decorative commemoration of a statement of intent to donate.
Restrictions
No restrictions on access
Related Materials
Air France Concorde "Fox Alpha" (r/n F-BVFA) can be found in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection: Concorde, Fox Alpha, Air France, A20030139000.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1701805500829-1701805500966-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2b8a804a9-8a84-4e62-aa21-0da1d5714d33
Air France Concorde Aircraft Dedication Certificate
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