BRITISH Airways conducts first supersonic test flight of Concorde since Paris crash

<br>LONDON (AP) _ A newly modified British Airways Concorde took off Tuesday on the first supersonic test flight since the fleet was grounded last year, following a crash near Paris. <br><br>With chief

Tuesday, July 17th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LONDON (AP) _ A newly modified British Airways Concorde took off Tuesday on the first supersonic test flight since the fleet was grounded last year, following a crash near Paris.

With chief Concorde pilot Capt. Mike Bannister at the controls, the sleek aircraft lifted off from Heathrow airport for a three hour, 40 minute test flight over the Atlantic.

The flight plan, intended to duplicate the operating conditions of Concorde's London-New York route, would take the plane out over the Atlantic to turn around southwest of Iceland and return to a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire.

The Concorde fleets of British Airways and Air France were grounded after an Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris on July 25, killing 113 people.

Authorities believe a stray metal strip on the runway ripped one of the Concorde's tires, and rubber debris smashed into the fuel tanks, causing a leak and fire that brought the plane down.

A four-man crew checked the runway for any debris before Tuesday's test flight.

British Airways has strengthened the wiring in the undercarriages of its seven Concordes, lined the fuel tanks with Kevlar and made other changes meant to prevent fuel leaks. The French tire maker, Michelin, has also developed a new extra-resistant tire to prevent punctures.

The British carrier says it hopes to fly its Concordes commercially again by late summer. Air France, which has conducted Concorde test flights at subsonic speeds, hopes to fly again by autumn.

The BA Concorde has already conducted a satisfactory taxiing trial at Heathrow. On its test flight, the supersonic aircraft was expected to reach a top speed of 1,350 mph _ around twice the speed of sound _ and climb to 60,000 feet.

After the flight, the plane will remain in Oxfordshire for checks by engineers. Further verification flights could follow.