This specimen is a fragment of a high-pressure compressor vane taken from the jet engine of the Concorde. The original titanium vane was divided into long, thin slices using a high energy cutter, after which each slice was hand-polished and cut into the "delta-wing" shape you see here. This is the same process we used to produce the specimen in the Mini Museum itself, but this larger specimen measures approximately 1 cm in length.

Please note that this specimen is very sharp. We've enclosed it in an acrylic specimen jar for safety. The jar is housed in a glass-topped riker display box measuring 4x3x1 (inches). A small information card will accompany the specimen.

About the Concorde

"I've always thought of the Concorde as a magical object, a symbol, a miracle." ~ Andrée Putman (1925-2013), legendary French designer responsible for the 1994 revamp of the Air France Concorde interior

On January 1, 1976, the Concorde became the first supersonic commercial aircraft in history. With a Space Age design that signaled the arrival of the future, the joint project between British and French engineers fulfilled a decades-old dream of faster-than-sound passenger travel. For nearly thirty years, these magnificent aircraft cruised at altitudes twice as high as their subsonic counterparts, twice the speed of sound, and with ticket prices twice the price of their most expensive luxury rivals. While the program operated above cost, the profits were not enough to save the Concorde as it reached the end of its technical lifespan. The last Concorde flight occurred on October 24, 2003.

This specimen is a fragment from a flown, high-pressure compressor vane, an integral part of the four turbojet engines that allowed the Concorde to cruise above Mach 2. Produced by Britain's Rolls Royce and Snecma Moteurs of France, the Olympus 593 Mk 610 were the most powerful transport certified engines in the world at the time of their introduction.