Concorde
Just a few of my thoughts.
Unfortunately, I have never flown on Concorde, but I have been on board the Man airport BA exhibit (brilliant), and the 2 (test) Concordes at Duxford and the Fleet Air Arm museum, Yeovilton. The latter had her engine panels open & engine illuminated last year, I spent 1/2 hour in utter amazement gawping at the complex engineering. Even the bottom drop-down access panel doubled as a liquid holding tank.
Superb machine - But, like my old 1973 3.5 litre V8 Rover P5, Concorde was "of its day". Both are void of todays complex electronics, and both are known "gas guzzlers" !!!. I sat in the engineers seat (at Man - a couple of years ago), and again was amazed at the cramped complexity of the engineers panel. Hundreds of switches laid on line diagrams. 1960's science fiction stuff.
Yes she could still fly today, but circumstances are 100% against her, HUGE cost, lack of technical backup, and her last cockpit crews probably now mostly retired, but those still flying certainly not "supersonically up to date". As time passes, this skill base will diminish.
The Air France loss was tragic for all concerned, yet BA refitted their fleet, but the triple whammy of loss of technical support, rising fuel costs and 9/11 sealed her fate.
I saw the programme, with wet eyes as the final 3 landed at Heathrow. She had a very grand finale.
Aviation took a huge step backward that day, and, I suspect, we will never fly supersonic, routinely, daily, ever again.
Lid