Britain: Concorde flew home to Britain on its last passenger flight yesterday to an emotional welcome from thousands of aviation enthusiasts mourning the passing of the supersonic era.
The sleek symbol of jet-set elegance landed at London's Heathrow Airport after roaring across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound from New York.
Now the drop-nosed queen of the skies is headed for a sedentary life in aviation museums.
From actress Joan Collins to model Christie Brinkley, the plane was packed with celebrities drinking champagne and eating caviar aboard the ultimate status symbol for the rich and famous.
For 27 years Concorde had set the standard for transatlantic air travel. But the high running costs, deafeningly loud engines and sonic booms turned environmentalists against it and the plane quickly became little more than an exclusive toy for superstars.
The beginning of the end came in July 2000 when an Air France flight crashed outside Paris, killing 113 people and grounding the entire French and British fleets.
Concorde resumed flying in late 2001 during the severe downturn in transatlantic air travel that followed the September 11th attacks. Then plane-maker Airbus said this year it would stop supplying parts and maintenance, sealing the jet's fate.
Concorde's supersonic adventure formally began in 1962 when French president Charles de Gaulle and British prime minister Harold Macmillan gave it their blessing, though the idea of a supersonic airliner had already caught the public imagination in the late 1950s.
Despite spending over $34 billion of taxpayers' money on the project, at today's prices, the British and French government only ever persuaded their national carriers to adopt Concorde - and even then they had to give the planes away.
Some of the biggest regrets about Concorde's demise are being voiced by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.
The Virgin Atlantic boss offered to take over Concorde from his arch-rival but British Airways declined.
Reflecting on the end of a chapter in aviation history, he said: "The idea that it will never fly again just seems completely and utterly wrong."