Aeronautics
In the 20th Century, Bristol's manufacturing activities expanded to include aircraft production at Filton (six miles north of the city centre) by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, including the key British role in the Anglo-French Concorde supersonic airliner project.
Concorde components were manufactured in British and French factories and shipped to the two final assembly plants by road, sea and air. The French assembly lines were in Toulouse in southern France with the British lines in Filton. Luckily the very large three-bayed hangar built for the Bristol Brabazon was available.
The French manufactured the centre fuselage and centre wing and the British the nose, rear fuselage, fin and wingtips. The largest proportion of the British share of the work was the powerplant, the Rolls-Royce/Snecma 593. The engine's manufacture was split between British Aircraft Corporation, Rolls-Royce (Filton) and SNECMA at Villaroche near Paris.
The British Concorde prototype G-BSST made its 22 minute maiden flight from Filton to RAF Fairford on 9th April 1969, the French prototype F-WTSS had flown from Toulouse five weeks earlier. Most of the employees of BAC and Rolls Royce, plus a huge crowd, watched from around the airfield. Fairford was chosen as the test airfield for Concorde because the runway at Filton was rejected for test flying, its length was inadequate and there were problems with the slope, and the first 1000 feet of the runway at its eastern (A38) end could not be used. However, from the end of 1977, all test flying on the second production aircraft G-BBDG was done from Filton, following the closure of the BAC Fairford test base.
In 2003 the two airlines using Concorde (British Airways and Air France) and the company supplying spares and support (Airbus) made the decision to cease flying the aircraft and to retire them to locations (mostly museums) around the world. For the precise location of all the aircraft see Concorde.
The last ever flight of any Concorde, 26th November 2003. The aircraft is seen here overflying Filton airfield before making a wide circle to say farewell to the people of the Bristol area. The aircraft then returned to Filton, to land on the runway from which she first flew in 1979. The age of supersonic passenger flight had ended.
On November 26th 2003, Concorde 216 (G-BOAF) made the final ever Concorde flight, returning to Filton airfield to be kept there permanently as the centrepiece of a projected air museum. This museum will include the existing Bristol Aero Collection which is currently kept in a hangar at Kemble Airfield, forty miles from Filton. This collection includes a Bristol Britannia aircraft which would presumably also be brought to Bristol.
Another major aeronautical company in the city is Cameron Balloons, the worlds largest manufacturer of hot air balloons. Annually, in August, the city is host to the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, one of Europes largest hot air balloon events.
Arts and leisure
The city has two significant football clubs: Bristol City F.C who play in the English Second Division and Bristol Rovers F.C who play in the Third Division. The city is also home to a Rugby Union club currently known as Bristol Shoguns and a first-class cricket side, Gloucestershire C.C.C
Each summer the grounds of Ashton Court to the west of the city play host to the Bristol Balloon Fiesta, a major event for followers of the sport of hot-air ballooning in Great Britain. The "Fiesta" draws a substantial crowd even for the early morning lift that typically begins at about 6.30am and a fairground atmosphere is sustained throughout the day. A second mass ascent is normally scheduled for the early evening, again taking advantage of lower wind speeds.
