Concorde: The thrilling account of history’s most extraordinary airliner

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Mr Holmes, who worked in the testing department at the works, recalls how some of the innovations which made the project possible were being pioneered as early as the 1940s. The book can be divided into three parts, Learning to Fly, Concorde and the End of Concorde. While the first part wasn't what I was reading for, it was instrumental in laying a foundation for the reader who may be a lay-person in aviation. This is important for the reader to understand just how much of a technical achievement Concorde was, especially in the age it came from as well as the political achievement it represented for Britain, France and their respective Airlines. Mine involves taxying out at Heathrow and me as a young aviation obsessed 6 year old spotting Concorde off the left hand side of my aeroplane taxying out for a trip. I proceed to yell with such excitement whilst glued to the window “Concorde, look Grandma Concorde” that everyone, not just the other children on board stared and marvelled at her. My Grandparents still tell me about that day with fond smiles.

Today, Mike ploughs his energy into various charitable concerns, including the PCC of the Parish of Staines, the governing board of two local schools, and Brooklands Museum Trust, where he serves as vice chairman. The book is both Mike’s journey and the story of Concorde. In detail he describes the latter’s change in fortunes from loss-making behemoth to profitable national icon. An interesting area was discussion of the 1980s BA revamp under Lord King. Concorde thereafter gained a new lease of life, notably branching out into the lucrative charter market.Mike also provides a novel glimpse at what it meant to be an airline pilot in the glory days of post-war air travel. His early counterparts are ex-bomber pilots who display exceptional handling skills, but would certainly struggle in the era of CVRs and FDM.

image(15711421, type="article-full", alt="British Airways Concorde made just under 50,000 flights and flew more than 2.5m passengers supersonically") Alongside its famous LHR–JFK route, British Airways’ seven-strong Concorde fleet also flew between Heathrow and the likes of Washington DC, Bahrain and Barbados – but Mike also remembers the ‘fantastic’ one-off routes commissioned by private companies and wealthy individuals. Neil Armstrong observed it was an amazing technological achievement, and that whilst flying to the moon had lasted only a few years, Concorde was in service for nearly 30 years. On some occasions, Concorde was chartered for a full trip around the world, an “air cruise" holiday, with passengers staying in six-star hotels in every destination,’ he says. If you’re an aviation enthusiast, I’d recommend you read this book. The author creates a compelling narrative.

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There’s simply nobody else in the world better able to bring to life the incredible story of an aeroplane that meant so much to so many people.’ image(15711422, type="article-full", alt="Mike and Fernando Alonso at BA's Engineering Base at Heathrow. 'He was there with his Benetton F1 car and I with my Concorde,' says Mike. 'We were doing a PR shoot comparing the fastest aircraft with the fastest car. Concorde has a higher top speed (up to 250mph on the ground) and could, initially, out accelerate the F1 car. It was taken on September 5, 2003 as part of the celebrations running up to Concorde's retirement the following month. 'We chatted for hours. There were so many similarities, but one very big difference: he spends his professional career trying to operate at 100 per cent of his capacity and I spend mine trying to never operate at 100 per cent – always keeping something in reserve for the "what ifs".'") One thing I do wish was perhaps having a little more insight from Bannister about the future of commercial supersonic flight and where he visions it, rather than the few lines about Boom Overture. Concorde entered service for scheduled flights on January 21, 1976, London to Bahrain and Paris to Rio de Janeiro (via Dakar) routes.