A sad week for British aviation
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A sad week for British aviation
I've just read Jeremy Clarkson's excellent epitaph, in the Sunday Times, to something that I will sadly miss.
I have never made enough money to fly on her and whilst this has always been in the back of my mind, today it really has got me down. Friday, this week, will see the last ever passenger flight of Concorde.
Whilst I have seen Concorde many times, I have only ever truly seen her once. A holiday on Nantuket involved a return flight from JFK. It was around 6pm and the sun was a massive golden ball, sillouetting the towers of Manhatten. And then she appeared. I did not see her at first, but the sudden silence amongst the thousands in JFK's departure lounge alerted me to something important. I cast my eyes in the direction of the masses and there she was. Nose drooped to the horizontal, standing on her engines, turning base over New York's cathedral's of commerce, the golden sun behind her. Never has anything looked so beautiful.
As she turned final, you could hear a pin drop. What had been a gathering of the loud, the precocious, the delayed and the weary suddenly turned into a collection of people sharing the same feeling. A recognition of something so good and so different that whether you were eight or eighty, it commanded the same respect.
As she touched her wheels down, I felt a tear in my eye. I have never been so proud to be British. In a country that, often rightly, claims to have the best of everything, several thousand people had been silenced by something so beautiful and so timeless that they could only look on in homage. In homage to something so profoundly British.
I will feel the same tear in my eye on Friday, for a different reason.
Concorde, RIP.
I have never made enough money to fly on her and whilst this has always been in the back of my mind, today it really has got me down. Friday, this week, will see the last ever passenger flight of Concorde.
Whilst I have seen Concorde many times, I have only ever truly seen her once. A holiday on Nantuket involved a return flight from JFK. It was around 6pm and the sun was a massive golden ball, sillouetting the towers of Manhatten. And then she appeared. I did not see her at first, but the sudden silence amongst the thousands in JFK's departure lounge alerted me to something important. I cast my eyes in the direction of the masses and there she was. Nose drooped to the horizontal, standing on her engines, turning base over New York's cathedral's of commerce, the golden sun behind her. Never has anything looked so beautiful.
As she turned final, you could hear a pin drop. What had been a gathering of the loud, the precocious, the delayed and the weary suddenly turned into a collection of people sharing the same feeling. A recognition of something so good and so different that whether you were eight or eighty, it commanded the same respect.
As she touched her wheels down, I felt a tear in my eye. I have never been so proud to be British. In a country that, often rightly, claims to have the best of everything, several thousand people had been silenced by something so beautiful and so timeless that they could only look on in homage. In homage to something so profoundly British.
I will feel the same tear in my eye on Friday, for a different reason.
Concorde, RIP.
Last edited by bar shaker; 19th Oct 2003 at 23:37.
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My Concorde memory is 2200 ft east of Reading, en-route to Sywell for the fly-in last year with sennadog. It was a beautiful day with a cloudless blue sky and as we were flying north Concorde climbed out westbound from Heathrow directly over us and a couple of thousand feet above. Wish I had a camera handy, but I'll never forget it. Wonderful. 
My greatest memory of Concorde will be watching from one of the hills around Bristol (Filton) when the British prototype took off on its first flight.
The fields around Filton were filled by what must have been thousands of people to watch this historic event. The skies were blue with some faior weather Cu.
We were not sure whether it was going to he a high speed taxi run or if it would get airborne but as it lifted off there was a huge cheer from everyone around. It was a very special moment and as has been stated above one felt very proud of what had been achieved.
That day was, I believe, April 9th 1969.
Air travel has, to an extent, always been about going faster. Anyone who has travelled from, say, London to Sydney knows only too well what "long haul" means!
What is now needed is a bigger and better Concorde which can carry 250 passengers with some freight over at least 6,000 nm and which is much quieter in the airport environment. Whether this can ever be achieved economically is debatable but there again the sceptics said that Concorde would never work.
The fields around Filton were filled by what must have been thousands of people to watch this historic event. The skies were blue with some faior weather Cu.
We were not sure whether it was going to he a high speed taxi run or if it would get airborne but as it lifted off there was a huge cheer from everyone around. It was a very special moment and as has been stated above one felt very proud of what had been achieved.
That day was, I believe, April 9th 1969.
Air travel has, to an extent, always been about going faster. Anyone who has travelled from, say, London to Sydney knows only too well what "long haul" means!
What is now needed is a bigger and better Concorde which can carry 250 passengers with some freight over at least 6,000 nm and which is much quieter in the airport environment. Whether this can ever be achieved economically is debatable but there again the sceptics said that Concorde would never work.
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Another concorde memory.
A few years ago I was training for my IMC and whilst in the hold at a few thousand feet above the runway my instructor asked me to remove my hood and he had control.
I thought I had done something a little wrong, I mean we were on approach frequency but I was concentrating so hard that I really didn't take any notice of the speedbird callsign.
When the hood was removed my instructor asked to look down at the approach and there she was. The sun glistening off her white skin, beautifully gliding down the glideslope of the ILS to a nice touchdown rollout.
After which I couldn't really concentrate so we left the hold and flew a Procedural ILS approach to the runway.
Later in the day after she had returned once again from her Bay of Biscay trip, we all stood at the "playpen" an area of apron that private general aviation aircraft are parked up on. This is conveniently the closest we could stand to the runway, about the same distance as a holding point line. She rotated a little bit past us with the unbelievable noise of her avtur guzzling Rolls-Royce Olympus engines.
This day was a year or so before the tragic accident in France which I believe started the ball rolling to the end of the supersonic era.
Once again on Thursday, I, together with many friends, will be standing on the same "play pen" to once again witness her arrival and departure. It shall be a very tearful occassion when we see her dissapear into the airways for the last time from our home base.
"She" will be sorely missed by not only those who built her, the nations who built and flew her, but everyone else around the world who admired the amazing grace that she still has thirty years on.
Best wishes,
Charlie Zulu.
A few years ago I was training for my IMC and whilst in the hold at a few thousand feet above the runway my instructor asked me to remove my hood and he had control.
I thought I had done something a little wrong, I mean we were on approach frequency but I was concentrating so hard that I really didn't take any notice of the speedbird callsign.
When the hood was removed my instructor asked to look down at the approach and there she was. The sun glistening off her white skin, beautifully gliding down the glideslope of the ILS to a nice touchdown rollout.
After which I couldn't really concentrate so we left the hold and flew a Procedural ILS approach to the runway.
Later in the day after she had returned once again from her Bay of Biscay trip, we all stood at the "playpen" an area of apron that private general aviation aircraft are parked up on. This is conveniently the closest we could stand to the runway, about the same distance as a holding point line. She rotated a little bit past us with the unbelievable noise of her avtur guzzling Rolls-Royce Olympus engines.
This day was a year or so before the tragic accident in France which I believe started the ball rolling to the end of the supersonic era.
Once again on Thursday, I, together with many friends, will be standing on the same "play pen" to once again witness her arrival and departure. It shall be a very tearful occassion when we see her dissapear into the airways for the last time from our home base.
"She" will be sorely missed by not only those who built her, the nations who built and flew her, but everyone else around the world who admired the amazing grace that she still has thirty years on.
Best wishes,
Charlie Zulu.
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Agreed with all the above. What a sad day for Great Britain that we had to let the beancounters kill something so beautiful and inspiring. Like very few other icons, the world recognised the best of Britain. Of course France had a little to do with this but the world over thought it British. I do not want to start any kind of conspiracy theory BUT is there more to this than meets the eye. i well remember when Harold Wilson killed TSR2. not only was the programme abandoned but it was made certain that it could never be resurrected. Is the same happening with Concorde and if so why?
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My memory: Concorde bashing the cct at Brize Norton every so often. Could keep it tighter than a VC10/L1011 and would always draw a crowd.
British or French, a truly INSPIRING milestone in aviation.
British or French, a truly INSPIRING milestone in aviation.
There were always more complaints at Brize when Concorde was due to be flying some training and didn;t make it than ever there were noise complaints when she did.
Taxiing out in a VC10 with an American exchange co-pilot in the right hand seat once, I remarked "Got many of those in the States?" as Concorde was in the circuit. Upon reaching the holding position we were asked "Are you ready for departure immediate, Concorde is at 10 miles".
All together "NO! We'll sit and watch!"
It won't be a sad day on the 24th, it'll be an utterly tragic one. For not only will the 9/11 terrorists have won another victory, but Britain will no longer be Great.
To hell with the spineless bean counters at ba - and to hell with the French assassins who brought about her premature death. For after their totally avoidable accident, they never recovered their seat occupancy rates. So it was hardly suprising that it was a French company who decided that it could no longer support her economically. Convenient that......
Taxiing out in a VC10 with an American exchange co-pilot in the right hand seat once, I remarked "Got many of those in the States?" as Concorde was in the circuit. Upon reaching the holding position we were asked "Are you ready for departure immediate, Concorde is at 10 miles".
All together "NO! We'll sit and watch!"
It won't be a sad day on the 24th, it'll be an utterly tragic one. For not only will the 9/11 terrorists have won another victory, but Britain will no longer be Great.
To hell with the spineless bean counters at ba - and to hell with the French assassins who brought about her premature death. For after their totally avoidable accident, they never recovered their seat occupancy rates. So it was hardly suprising that it was a French company who decided that it could no longer support her economically. Convenient that......
Another memory of Concorde was when I was flying for a "leading" leisure airline on the A320. We often flew to Funchal (Madeira) from Manchester and the flight times were such that very often on climb out past Brecon we would hear "Speedbird Concorde" on climb out from LHR on its way to JFK.
Not a lot thats too notable about that you might say except that we then often heard it on descent on its way back into LHR. The only difference is that we had flown to Funchal and back (Flight Time approx 3.45 each way) but in the same time Concorde had been to JFK and back! You could almost set your watch by it.
Tributes must also go to everyone who has been involved in Concorde's operation from manufacture through to airline service. I guess that flying a supersonic airliner can be quite challenging and all credit to the crews who have flown her so successfully over the years. This must of course include the crews of Air France and our condolences still go to families and friends of those lost in the Paris accident. Sometimes pioneers have to take the arrows - lets hopes its not too long before another SST appears in our skies again.
Not a lot thats too notable about that you might say except that we then often heard it on descent on its way back into LHR. The only difference is that we had flown to Funchal and back (Flight Time approx 3.45 each way) but in the same time Concorde had been to JFK and back! You could almost set your watch by it.
Tributes must also go to everyone who has been involved in Concorde's operation from manufacture through to airline service. I guess that flying a supersonic airliner can be quite challenging and all credit to the crews who have flown her so successfully over the years. This must of course include the crews of Air France and our condolences still go to families and friends of those lost in the Paris accident. Sometimes pioneers have to take the arrows - lets hopes its not too long before another SST appears in our skies again.
I can't help thinking that, for all her faults, if that old bat with the handbag was still in No. 10, Skippy would have been invited round for a 'no tea, no biscuits' chat.......
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My memory is watching the mach meter going through 2.0, looking out of the tiny window at the navy blue sky, seeing the curve of the earth we were so high up, and nobody wanting to get off when we were on the chocs. I'll miss her flying over my house every day, too. Been there, done that, got the certificate, and it was worth every bLoody penny. Thank you, Conc. XXX
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I've just watched the BBC2 'love' documentry and although it glossed over alot of the isseus, was still enjoyable.
My lasting memory from my trip back from JFK in her is of feeling the heat come in through the windows whilst at Mach 2, 55,000' and with an OAT -56 C. The closest thing to space & re-entry I'm sure I'll ever get.
Something to tell the kids.
My lasting memory from my trip back from JFK in her is of feeling the heat come in through the windows whilst at Mach 2, 55,000' and with an OAT -56 C. The closest thing to space & re-entry I'm sure I'll ever get.
Something to tell the kids.
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I certainly treasure my Concorde experience. PA38's post makes me wonder if that might have been 'my' flight - I waved back from the cockpit side-window to all those frantically waving enthusiasts in the garden of the Airport Hotel at Manch that fine August morning. And seeing the whole operation first hand from push back, to mach 2.02 at 60,000 feet, to landing in Paris from the jump seat I regard as as a fabulous privaledge and a true highlight in my life.
I shall raise a glass on Friday, and perhaps shed a tear when the last Concorde landing has taken place, which will presumably be the at the termination of the last 'final resting place' delivery flight.
SSD
I shall raise a glass on Friday, and perhaps shed a tear when the last Concorde landing has taken place, which will presumably be the at the termination of the last 'final resting place' delivery flight.
SSD
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My best Concorde moment happened when I was playing hockey in Marlow. Ironically we were playing a BA-related team (Silver Wings social club?) and we had just equalised to make the score 1-1 when the ref blew up for no apparent reason. Naturally we all yelled "What was that for ?" and the ref simply pointed up and said "Look, it's Concorde" Amazingly there wasn't a single complaint and all 22 players stood and watched it climb out of sight. Doesn't happen a lot with Boeings.
(By the way we won 2-1 in extra time!)
(By the way we won 2-1 in extra time!)
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I spent a couple of years at primary school in Brize in the 70's and at lunchtimes we used to run down to the perimeter fench and watch Concorde's touch & gos. Even then, we knew it was cool. And yesterday evening, I flew an approach to 07 at White Waltham as Concorde approached 09 at LHR just over my right shoulder. We were the only aircraft in the sky that I could see. Sad to think it'll never happen again.
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I've been watching every program that has come on TV about it but never seen it 1st hand.
After reading these post i've just had to book the day off work and go to Manchester to see it!
Wonder what the chances of flying into Manc are on wed! I'll easily get in before it with a 70kt app' :/
After reading these post i've just had to book the day off work and go to Manchester to see it!
Wonder what the chances of flying into Manc are on wed! I'll easily get in before it with a 70kt app' :/
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Absolutley cracking photo of her coming into Heathrow this month on airliners.net
Speaks a thousand words.
Speaks a thousand words.
Speedbird 252
That picture is my screensaver now, absolutely awesome.
Having been a spotter, some years lapsed now, I can honestly say that even the hardened LHR spotters stopped what they were doing in the park at Mrytle Road to watch Concorde land on 27L.
Will indeed be another nail in the coffin of British industry and technology.
That picture is my screensaver now, absolutely awesome.
Having been a spotter, some years lapsed now, I can honestly say that even the hardened LHR spotters stopped what they were doing in the park at Mrytle Road to watch Concorde land on 27L.
Will indeed be another nail in the coffin of British industry and technology.