One super sunny day in August 1999. BA Concorde G-BOAD. SSD on the jumpseat for the entire flight from pushback at Manchester, out over the Severn Estuary at 40,000 feet and mach 0.95, and on up to 60,000 feet and mach 2.02. Then a subsonic cruise to a lovely landing at CDG.
Sad to see the old girl on a barge in NY this week, but I have a set of memories (and a 'Pilot' article
) I will treasure for ever from that flight.
And landing Chipmunk G-BCSL in the deerpark at Woburn Abbey for this years DH Moth rally was pretty cool, too.
Reading ChrisVJ's post below reminded me of another. Sometime in 1990s in the Chippy flying south in Manchester LLR Manch calls Battle of Britain Memorial Flight to me as opposite direction traffic. Sure enough, I see and report a Lancaster in sight in my 11:00 with a single engine piston fighter on each wing. Manch calls me as traffic to the BBMF; "roger, we have the Chippy" says the captain of the Lanc.
As we draw level, the Spitfire (on the Lanc's left wing, on 'my' side) peels off, performs a perfect barrel roll, and then re-positions on the Lanc's wingtip. One ex-RAF taildragger saluting another
A magic moment
SSD