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It was 40 years ago today ...

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It was 40 years ago today ...

Postby RogerS » 22 Nov 2017, 18:06

...that Concorde had its first commercial flight between London and New York.

Such a beautiful aeroplane.

concorde jetway.jpg
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Re: It was 40 years ago today ...

Postby Rod » 22 Nov 2017, 19:06

Yes but sadly ahead of its time.

I used to see it quite often when I worked for a time on a Construction site in Datchet on its flight path from Heathrow.
The sound was deafening but very impressive!

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Re: It was 40 years ago today ...

Postby Malc2098 » 22 Nov 2017, 22:57

When on an M4 or M25 patrol, we'd go and sit up on the Queen Mother reservoir at Datchet at 11 o'clock, I think, each morning and watch the New York flight taking off coming towards us on 27R. This little dart with smoke coming out the back got closer and closer and then went over with a deafening row! Brilliant!
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Re: It was 40 years ago today ...

Postby Rod » 22 Nov 2017, 23:50

Yes 11:00 - you never made a phone call at that time!

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Re: It was 40 years ago today ...

Postby MartinF » 23 Nov 2017, 00:24

I worked in Reading during the latter part of the 1990s. When the office windows rattled at 7.15 pm with the 7.00 pm flight going over, I knew that it was well past my time for going home. Who needs an alarm clock when you have Concord?
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Re: It was 40 years ago today ...

Postby RogerS » 23 Nov 2017, 09:45

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
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Re: It was 40 years ago today ...

Postby Malc2098 » 23 Nov 2017, 10:53

:text-goodpost:
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