THE dream of returning Concorde to the skies is being kept alive by a dedicated band of French aviation engineers who are quietly keeping one of the supersonic aircraft in a near-airworthy condition.

However, British enthusiasts may have to swallow their pride because the aircraft in question carries Air France livery and would take off from an airport in Paris.

British Airways has refused to co-operate with Concorde fans who want to bring an aircraft out of retirement for fly-pasts on special occasions, such as the opening of the 2012 Olympics.

BA ordered all the hydraulic pipes to be drained and electrical systems disabled on its seven Concordes, a decision that Jock Lowe, the airline’s former chief Concorde pilot and fleet manager, described as an act of vandalism.

The systems have not been switched on for almost three years, making any attempt to get a BA Concorde airborne again very difficult and extremely expensive.

But a group of Air France Concorde engineers is being allowed daily access to Sierra Delta, one the youngest of the 19 surviving aircraft. It is on display at the Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget airport in Paris.

The engineers carry out basic checks and run the systems, including the hydraulics and electrics, at least three times a week. They also lower and raise the famous pointed nose.

Gérard Feldzer, the museum director, said that he supported the group’s plan to restart Sierra Delta’s engines and taxi it around the airport.

Ultimately, the group is determined to see it take to the skies once again.

Pascal Touzeau, the president of the Maintenance Concorde association, who spent 13 years as a ground engineer working on Air France Concordes, said: “We are keeping Concorde alive and ready for the time when funding is found to let it fly again. We have no problem finding volunteers with the necessary expertise because they all love this plane. People don’t feel the same passion about modern aircraft.”

Mr Touzeau, who watched the Concorde crash in Paris in 2000 only minutes after he had waved the pilots off, said that he was surprised by BA’s attitude. “We always felt the British loved Concorde more than the French so we cannot understand why nothing is being done with the BA Concordes.” Members of the group will travel to the Toulouse headquarters of Airbus next week to discuss gaining access to spare parts.

The association estimates that it would cost £3 million to prepare the aircraft for flight. This compares with the £15 million that Mr Lowe calculates would be needed to get a BA Concorde off the ground.

Mr Lowe said: “It was an act of vandalism by BA to drain off all the fluids. It will be embarrassing for Britain if only a French Concorde flies again because it was always a joint project between the two countries.”

Mr Lowe dismissed BA’s claim that it would be impossible to get a manufacturer’s safety certificate, which would be required by the Civil Aviation Authority. “That’s nonsense. If Airbus wasn’t willing to take it on, a special company could be formed to hold the certificate. They just need access to the manufacturer’s designs.”

A BA spokeswoman said that the systems had been decommissioned for safety reasons. Asked whether another organisation could seek approval to fly a BA Concorde, she said: “It’s not debatable because we own them.”

Steve Falder, spokesman for the Save Concorde Group, which is campaigning to return a BA Concorde to flight, said: “We would also have plenty of well-qualified volunteers if only BA would give them the chance. It is disgraceful that these aircraft, an important part of Britain’s industrial heritage, are being allowed slowly to deteriorate.”

It's Captain Webster on a tour of the Sierra Delta

A GROUP of French schoolchildren looked on enviously as I was ushered through the glass door that separates the cockpit from the public area on board Sierra Delta.

Alexandra Jolivet, Air France’s only female Concorde engineer, flicked a switch and the museum piece sprang to life.

Needles swayed on numerous dials, air conditioning roared and the gloomy interior was suddenly illuminated by hundreds of miniature green, orange and red lights.

Alexandra guided my hand to the lever that controls the nose. Two notches down tilted it to the landing position, which would allow the pilot to see the runway. In my case, it revealed Japanese tourists taking photos.

Before leaving the cockpit, Captain Webster could not resist sliding back a side window marked “Do not open in flight” and waving to the visitors below. At the rear of the cockpit, I came across a panel covered in graffiti written by crew on some of the last flights in 2003. A pilot had written: “Concorde est toujours vivant, il n’est qu’en sommeil.” (Concorde lives on, it is only sleeping).

CONCORDE IN RETIREMENT

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