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Concorde Crash...The Nerdy Details

A very sobering video. Brings back many memories of life on the flight deck and a reminder of how complex aviation is.

Thanks for posting.
 
I haven’t the time to watch this video yet. Does it add anything new?
I remember seeing it a while back.
Does it add anything new? If you’re an aviation nerd ( like you & me I guess) then probably not.
I worked on Concorde as a ground engineer for a year or so during my apprenticeship, “back in the day”.
Still worth watching though, even if it’s a bit harrowing.
 
I've watched the National Geographic "Air Crash Investigation" (great series) on the Concorde Crash. It was a good watch. Concorde and its passengers and crew were rather unlucky to suffer as it did.
 
I took one from Paris shortly before this happened and I've never wanted to look too closely in case it involved that one.
 
Concorde was an old 1960's plane. These things won't happen with modern planes, like the fancy Boeing MAX ones...

Still, it's must safer to fly than travelling in a car.
 
I remember seeing it a while back.
Does it add anything new? If you’re an aviation nerd ( like you & me I guess) then probably not.
I worked on Concorde as a ground engineer for a year or so during my apprenticeship, “back in the day”.
Still worth watching though, even if it’s a bit harrowing.

Was it this video as it was only posted yesterday?

I like the way this guy presents and I didn't think I've ever seen a commercial airline pilot do one on Concorde.

It's interesting they took off 'heavy' with more of a tailwind than the pilot had expected. I hadn't known about the check-in system issue that meant they were carrying more luggage than had appeared on the passenger manifest. Not that those things causes the crash, but the things really did stack up against them on that day.
 
If anyone is interested in Concorde they may find these pages worth a look:

http://jcgl.orpheusweb.co.uk/history/concorde/ChaseTheSun.html This is the first of a set of three pages with some photos of Concorde, etc, from 1973.


http://jcgl.orpheusweb.co.uk/history/EclipseDocs/EclipseDocuments.html This isn't yet quite finished, but has some related documents including a map of the Aerospat site at the time and the flight-path for the test flight. Currently doing this as a result of a French pilot asking me for info.
 
My Father-in-law used Concorde many times and has a collection of bits and bobs picked up on the flights.
Unfortunately he has dementia now, but I did speak to him many years ago. He used it for business. I recall that he enjoyed it.
 
A guy at the Pub often tells the tale of how he had always wanted to fly on Concorde and saved for many years. No sooner had he saved enough for a ticket the Air France crash occurred and the fleet was grounded.
 
Despite its faults & cost, Concorde will always be an aviation icon in the same way a Spitfire is. It will generate memories & stories like very few other planes can.
 
The closest I've ever been to Concorde was when one of them flew directly overhead when I was at secondary school on its approach to Glasgow airport (sometime between '85-'89). Unmistakable and a real thing of beauty. It was a semi-cloudy day as well and it happened to coincide with lunchtime or a break so it was sheer luck that I managed to look up at just the right time and there she was.

I think I remember hearing a few years ago that there have been more astronauts than pilots of Concorde - it really was an elite club!
 
A guy at the Pub often tells the tale of how he had always wanted to fly on Concorde and saved for many years. No sooner had he saved enough for a ticket the Air France crash occurred and the fleet was grounded.
They came back into service after modifications for a short while but were finally retired on economic grounds.
 
Back around 1970 I was at a news conference where Brian Trubshaw explained away a nose wheel dropping off on a test flight.
 
I remember the plane taking off from Heathrow, we lived in Shepperton and some of the flights banked straight over our house.. always rushed outside to see it fly overhead as a kid - you always knew it would be overhead with about 20 seconds notice with afterburners on full - all 4 Olympus cracking the air. It was magnificent.

I have a friend who was in it regularly when he worked for an American bank. Arrived there before breakfast and back home the same day. :cool: He said that it was a HUGE disappointment getting on a 747 when it stopped.
 
I spend some weeks working at the NPL during a summer in the 1980s. Everyone used to go for a coffee break when Concorde took off and flew over. It was so loud that it made conversation difficult! If you were near it on the tarmac your ears would go nonlinear! ;->
 
I remember the plane taking off from Heathrow, we lived in Shepperton and some of the flights banked straight over our house.. always rushed outside to see it fly overhead as a kid - you always knew it would be overhead with about 20 seconds notice with afterburners on full - all 4 Olympus cracking the air. It was magnificent.
The first time I laid eyes on a Concorde at Heathrow, the first thing that struck me was how small it was. The second thing that struck me was how loud it was on take off. I remember British Airways had a different lounge for Concorde passengers that was even flashier than the First Class lounge. Not surprising given the fare was typically double First Class, as I recall. Never flown Concorde, unfortunately.

I have a friend who was in it regularly when he worked for an American bank. Arrived there before breakfast and back home the same day. :cool: He said that it was a HUGE disappointment getting on a 747 when it stopped.
I think I'd rather have the space of the first class cabin on a 747 than the cramped quarters of a Concorde if saving time is not my priority.
 
A relative used to do the NY and back in a day to attend v important meetings. He often had tales of "thing" dropping off the Concorde. Sadly I missed out on the Concorde, one of my work colleagues flying from Atlanta (or some place near) was flying home and the return flight was cancelled, he was offered a Concorde flight from NY to LHR the next day and a flight to NY to get ready for the NY to LHR flight. He was most impressed with the Concorde.

My best value flight was LHR to Phoenix in First Class for £200 less than the Club class fare. Value is not a strictly accurate term to use.
 


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