One of my proudest possessions is a certificate signed by Brian Trubshaw, for a flight in Concorde G-BBDG on 29th August 1974, M 2.05, Max Altitude 57,500 ft, supersonic 46 minutes out of 76. We flew from AUH to the East, out over the Indian Ocean, level turn at M2.05 and back, decelerating over DXB and down to AUH. All guests were given a few minutes on the Flight Deck; my turn came on the way back. The contrail from the outward leg was a few hundred metres to starboard, and showed what M2.05 at 57,500 ft looks like.
I had two more jump seat rides on local joy-ride flights in the 80's; sub-sonic to the acceleration point in the Bristol Channel, watching the westbound schedule from LHR reach the point, nose up, afterburners on, disappear in a cloud of smoke. "Hmmm, never seen that before", said the Captain. Supersonic round Land's End, up the English Channel and back.
Hand landing by the FO on a shortish runway had me rigid with fright as we appeared to be far too high, heading for the middle of the runway and a ball of flame at the end, when the MLG touched down precisely on the TDZ. What impressed me is that he seemed to be using stick and throttle to control speed and descent rate pretty much as you would in a Tiger Moth, but perhaps I got that wrong.
I was sad to see the aircraft grounded, but even sadder that her career ended as it did, and not in safe retirement when she reached retirement age as it should have done.