JC Fitzmaurice – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB06/03/202303/06/2023

Aviation Heritage Vol. 54 No. 1 (March 2023) Contents Listing

The latest quarterly edition (March 2023) of the AHSA journal – Aviation Heritage – has recently been posted to members. The full contents are...

1972 The supersonic Concorde airliner prototype (serial 002, G-BSST) made its first visit to Melbourne on Tuesday 20 June 1972. Protesters concerned about the environmental impact of sonic booms and ozone depletion were again present at the landing. During the aircraft's stay in Melbourne Sir Reginald Ansett, chairman of Ansett Airlines, said he would order the Concorde supersonic airliner if Ansett was allowed to fly it on the New Zealand route. Sir Reginald spoke after a supersonic demonstration flight as part of the aircraft's world tour. He said in a statement to reporters in Melbourne that he would sign the order immediately he got the New Zealand route and approval for supersonic operations in Australia. Sir Reginald gave his conditions to the Australian Civil Aviation Minister, Senator Robert Cotton, and the Civil Aviation Director-General, Sir Donald Anderson, who were also on the flight. Sources: Melbourne Airport website; 'Ansett keen on Concordes', Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, 22 June, p. 6. , http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article250298373; https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/from-the-archives-1972-concorde-s-002-booms-into-melbourne-20220616-p5au6t.html