I remember the 1950's type toggle switches on the panels. The very thick insulation around one of the internal door mountings that was conducting the heat from the outside skin into the aircraft. Very warm to the touch...God knows what the mounting temperature was.
And three very short videos
[youtube]HgusCExVRSs[/youtube]
[youtube]yr-apqOK2to[/youtube]
[youtube]rhO9f7IyzVU[/youtube]
I too was working near Datchet at the time when Concorde, having been temporarily out of service after the French disaster, was due to make its first flight after the redesign. There were several of us up on one of the bridges over the motorway waiting. The departure time came and went and no sign of the beautiful bird. Plenty of other planes in the sky taking off and landing. We waited and waited but still no sign. We thought we'd missed her and despondently started to walk back to our offices when all of a sudden the sky went completely still. No planes on finals. None taking off. In tribute, as out of silence came that wonderful ear-splitting roar and the graceful white bird finally took to the skies again.
I was at Heathrow when the three last commercial flights of Concorde all came in one after the other as a final tribute. If anyone is interested then this 12 minute audio is from ATC as they organised this last (and to many of us present at Heathrow) a very moving moment. Not many dry eyes about.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d9hrigy85v7cm ... 3.wav?dl=0
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.