The definitive account of the rise and fall of the world's fastest plane from British Airways' former Chief Concorde Pilot.
October 24th, 2023 will mark 20 years since Concorde disappeared from our skies. Yet still Mike Bannister, the last Concorde Chief Pilot, faces the same
Why is she no longer flying?Where is her replacement?And what really happened on that tragic afternoon in July 2000, when the crash of Flight 4590 grounded the Concorde forever? Concorde is an enthralling personal account of what it takes to fly planes faster than the speed of sound, and of the events that lay behind 114 needless deaths—the 113 victims of the crash and, ultimately, Concorde herself.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
A thoroughly comprehensive and extremely readable account of Concorde from its first beginnings to its final withdrawal from airline service in 2003. The author flew the aircraft for many years, rising to become British Airways' chief Concorde pilot. And while his own experiences - including the 'back story' behind the beginnings of his airline career - feature prominently, this is far more than just a pilot's story. We see things from the perspective of engineers, cabin crew and, especially, passengers - from the industry captains and celebrities who used it frequently, to those ordinary people who enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience aboard the iconic machine.
The author was also involved in the investigation following the tragic Air France accident in 2000, as well as some of the subsequent litigation. He provides some fascinating and detailed insights here, proving conclusively that behind the sensationalist headlines, air crashes are complicated, and rarely have one single underlying cause.
And finally, he writes with a nice easy style which keeps the pages turning smoothly. In particular, he has a knack for putting across technical detail in an understandable and accessible way, yet without ever over simplifying or 'talking down' to the reader. Thoroughly recommended.