jamierwilliams
31st Dec 2003, 22:03
What is your favourite aviation breakthrough or event of 2003?
Charlie Zulu
1st Jan 2004, 00:19
This year started out quite well, being the one hundred year celebrations that were due December 2003.
Then, during the northern hemisphere's spring, we witnessed the shock announcement from both British Airways and Air France that they were to retire their Concorde fleet by the end of October. Air France retired theirs by the end of May with British Airways being the only Supersonic Airline for five months.
So it is now just over one hundred years since the Wright Brothers and we once had a 1,350 mile per hour airliner that was capable of hauling one hundred people plus crew across the pond in three to three and a half hours.
Now what do we have? Airliners that will take the same trip in around seven to eight hours at around five hundred miles an hour sometimes bumping around in the high clouds, with anywhere between 100 and 500 seats.
The most memorable day for flying for me would be the 17th December 2003... excellent vis and clear crisp blue skies for a trip to busy Rochester and back.
Anyway safe flying to everyone and a happy new year,
Best wishes,
Charlie Zulu.
ModernDinosaur
1st Jan 2004, 02:47
Favourite: the 88-mile final (no, that's not a typo) into RNAS Yeovilton (airfield in-sight from 22 miles) when I flew there to commemorate the first flight by the Wright brothers.
Shocking: the retirement of Concorde.
Happy New Year!
MD.