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Claude DURAND has passed away.

SA is an orphan again, Claude DURAND Flight Engineer, EPNER 1958 promotion, left to join the crew on August 28, 2021, who ferried our plane for their last flight between Toulouse and Orly on May 20, 1976.


Rare image of Claude DURAND descending the SA gangway during a presentation flight.


Bellow on January 10, 1973 Photos of the crew of F-WTSA on arrival of the first flight.


Jean FRANCHI, Jean PINET, Yves PINGRET, Claude DURAND and Jean BESLON.


Between March 13, 1969 and June 7, 1979 Claude DURAND carried out 463 flights and accumulated 1186 hours of flight on Concorde.


The prototypes:


- GB-SST 2

- F-WTSS 146


Pre-production planes:


- G-AXDN 2

- F-WTSA 182


Production planes:


- F-WTSB 43

- F-WTSC 31

- F-BTSC 29

- F-BVFA 13

- F-BVFB 8

- F-BVFC 6

- F-WJAN * 1 * F-BVFF final registration

He totalled:


- 288 test flights,

- 60 demonstration flights,

- 76 endurance, reception and certification flights and

- 39 ferry-flight.

He was on board F-WTSA for its first flight on January 10, 1973 as well as its last flight on May 20, 1976 for its last flight to ORLY. As a test flight engineer he participated in the most important flights such as:


- In September 1973 the Las Palmas / Caracas / Dallas / Washington / Orly.

- In February 1974 Keflavik / Fairbanks / Anchorage the extreme cold tests.

- In May and June 1974 the endurance tests towards Dakar and Rio de Janeiro.

- In June 1974 Boston / Miami / Boston / Paris CDG and to Prestwick

- In November 1974 Gander / Mexico / San Francisco / Anchorage / Los Angeles / Acapulco / Bogota / Lima / Caracas / Las Palmas.


He was the only one to exceed in number of flights Jean BESLON of SNECMA who carried out 166 flights aboard the F-WTSA.


Thanks to Pierre GRANGE, president of APCOS for the photos.


And as always, to know precisely all the flights of Mr Claude DURAND and the Concorde crews, the only reference is the “Borentin” or the “Small encyclopaedia of French Concorde flights” by Philippe BORENTIN.


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