Days the Shook the World -Concorde

[Kolibear]

Days the Shook the world, BBC2 Thurs 22/01 7:00. Concorde's first supersonic trans-atlantic flight.

I'd just like to say a big thank you to the BBC for providing me with the best laugh I've had all year.

The programme itself wasn't bad, it starred two large noisy ladies, one was Concorde, the other lived in New York.

Bear with me while I set the scene......

The New York large noisy lady, (LNL) was an anti-SST demonstrator and the programme was told from the points of view of the two LNLs .

Cut to prog...."Mrs LNL has lived by JFK for 22 years and when she first lived there, only 9 flights an hour arrived.

Cut to shot of approaching DC-6/DC-7 followed by rear view of Constellation just about to touch down.

Then ( and I'm still smiling about it), cut to view of Bristol Freighter opening its front cargo doors to reveal rear of 1960 british car :) :)

I can vividly remember the sight & sound of Bristol Freighters climbing up out of Southend en route to Le Touquet in the 1960s, but I can't imagine them turning right at The Straits of Dover en route for JFK.

So thank you Beeb, if there's ever a job vacancy for a 'aviation archive film checker' can I apply please!

[BEagle]

Well, I thought that the programme was pretty good. Whilst some of the archive footage might not have been terribly relevant - such as that of the Bristol Freighter - and may have had the spotters running for their notebooks, the overall programme content showed very well how daft the loud-mouthed ani-SST lobby truly were.

And how scandalous it was that Skippy was allowed to get away with killing off such an icon.

[yakker]

I thought it was good when the anti-noise brigade drove to the airport in their cars, sounding their horns, shouting and making a din! Noise is okay as long as they were making it, not hard for Yanks!
The program did not say anything about Concorde practicising the approach/departure in South Africa before going to the US. Hence the Yanks did not get the high noise readings they expected!