Big Bird bids a final farewell to the Big Apple

FOR some it was their first time, for others it was the umpteenth time, but for all it would prove the very last time they would ever fly on Concorde.

On board, a mood of celebration, fuelled by champagne and caviar, was tinged with sadness as the last Concorde passenger flight from New York to London took off, sending the supersonic icon into aviation history.

On landing at Heathrow to a tumultuous welcome from thousands of spectators and airport staff, Concorde chief pilot Mike Bannister summed up everyone's thoughts by saying: "Concorde was born from dreams, built with vision, and operated with pride."