Concorde nose droops after 37 years following IWM Duxford restoration

Volunteers spent 18 months restoring Concorde's nose mechanism

Volunteers have restored a Concorde enabling its nose cone to "droop" for the first time in 37 years.

The aircraft is housed at Imperial War Museum Duxford, in Cambridgeshire.

Its electrical and hydraulics systems, last operated in 1977, were restored making it the only one in the UK with a working nose cone, the museum said.

It was unveiled to mark the 11th anniversary of the last commercial Concorde flight which took place on 24 October 2003.

The museum's model is owned by the Duxford Aviation Society whose members carried out the cockpit restoration with the help of Heritage Concorde, a group of ex-Concorde engineers and enthusiasts.

The cockpit lighting systems were also restored

Concorde G-AXDN was the British pre-production model used for testing. It was donated to the society in 1977 when it was no longer required.

Steve Jeal, from the society, said: "Sadly, it will never fly again but we have been determined to bring some life back to this unique aircraft.

"Detailed inspection of the circuitry, including checks for corrosion and overall condition revealed that the system was in a perfectly serviceable condition, quite remarkable after such a long time."

The Concorde at the museum was used for testing but has not flown since 1977

As well as the "famous nose droop", the cockpit lighting was also restored, he said.

Concorde began operating commercial services in 1976.

The last flight touched down at Heathrow Airport 11 years ago.