Pc12Fan From United States of America, joined Jan 2007, 2263 posts, RR: 5 Reply 1, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 1225 times:
This must be a typo or something. It can't be four years already!!
Just when I think you've said the stupidest thing ever, you keep talkin'!
CV990 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 1221 times:
Hi!
I cannot post any memories or pictures, but I was living in California at that time and I was very sad to see that the Concorde was actually ending their flights...I had a secret hope to have it still flying in 2012, when I was turning my 25th. wedding aniversary and wanted to fly with my wife to JFK! Well, I guess I need to find something unique in a matter of 5 years!!!
Regards
PlymSpotter From Spain, joined Jun 2004, 11256 posts, RR: 63 Reply 3, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 1206 times:
This means that four years ago I was stood in a muddy field beside Filton's runway with thousands of other people, waiting to see her last for the last time. It was quite staggering that literally tens of thousands of people turned out from all over the UK and even the world to watch her fly over Bristol and touch down for the final time - such was the public's love for Concorde, which is something you will never see again with any other aircraft.
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12736 posts, RR: 79 Reply 4, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 1146 times:
For me, also my very last day in BA Concorde Engineering.
The very final act, the week before I'd flown on G-BOAE to it's retirement in BGI.
I took a half day, I was going to see G-BOAF go from the runway, not hear it in the hangar.
But, we were literally down to our last few pax safety cards, the rest being souvenirs now.
Remember, these are legally required on a pax flight, and G-BOAF was full of BA staff, for it's supersonic trip ending finally, fittingly, at FZO.
After every nook and cranny search found sufficient cards (just), another problem.
Someone had also nicked (for E-Bay?) all the fuelling sheets, something else legally required.
I had been going through all the vast Concorde technical paperwork as we drew down, what had to be legally kept for a time, what should be donated to museums, what could be destroyed.
I remember seeing some fuelling sheets, they came in a book, last used for OAE back in 1984.
Still, the fuel capacity and numbers of tanks had not changed, they'd do.
But, it's in another building, to get the key to where they are, I have to go to a third building on the base.
The aircraft was waiting.
After a lot of dashing about, I rushed back to our hangar, stuffing the fuel sheet book into the hand of a colleague who promptly jumped into a Land rover and drove to the Central area and OAF.
Now I could leave.
To the perimeter, a big crowd again.
One was a young man with a white stick and closed eyes, he was here to hear and feel Concorde, one last time.
The last magnificent roar, G-BOAF was gone, forever.
I had flown on her 3 times, including my first and second Concorde flights, she was almost my Concorde.
Home was very near, so a brief walk with, I admit, wet eyes.
Now? Sure I miss her still, but since we got to 2006/7 it's lessened, for in any event, had things been different, we'd have almost certainly retired it around this time.
EGTESkyGod From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2005, 1700 posts, RR: 14 Reply 5, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 1080 times:
My memories of that day... I remember I'd taken the day off work, but hadn't decided if I was going to go up to Filton or not. I'd only passed my driving test 6 weeks before, and I had a crappy 1988 Nissan Micra, 988cc with only 4 gears... At 11.30 I decided that I would indeed bomb up the M5 (my first motorway trip) to Bristol.
I got to Gordano's, and phoned a friend in Bristol, he said it's not due until 1pm... that gave me half an hour to find Filton. I didn't really know Bristol at all at that stage, so just aimed for Cribbs Causeway. I got there and people were EVERYWHERE!!! There were fences on the roads to stop people crossing, the car park was full to the brim! I abandoned mine in the loading bay at Marks and Spencers and ran over to the grass bank with an average view of the runway... 10 mins of waiting then a few people pointed to the East... there she was... a hush fell over the crowd as they all spotted her and trained their camera's on the last flypast. I took 3 pictures and promptly ran out of film... As she disappeared over Weston-Super-Mare, I ran into Marks and Spencer, and bumped into 2 friends from school who asked what the hell I was doing there!!! I said "I'm here to see the last ever Concorde flight." Their reaction left me dumbfounded... "Concorde?! Here?! Oh, is that why it's so busy outside?!"
I found a camera shop and bought a film, stuffed it in the camera and ran outside just as she did the flypast over the Clifton Suspension bridge, as she passed just South of the field and off towards establishing on Final approach. As she appeared again, the swan-like sihouette appeared, gear down, nose down... the hush fell over again, the noise gradually getting closer and closer... then all the camera shutters go off, as she touched down for the last time. Then the crescendo of sound as she applied reverse thrust... and as that died down, there was another roar, this time from the crowd, all clapping and cheering and waving for Concorde. That was it, it was over. She would never fly again.
After she bowed to the crowds, I had to make a quick escape as I had arranged to meet my mate near the Downs, and until that day I had never been to Bristol so I had to leave enough time. After a few hours, watching the news reports and the likes, I had to leave again... to drive from Bristol to Torquay, to give a friend a lift to Paignton!!!
26th November will always be a date I'll never forget.
26th November 1993, my cousin was born.
26th November 2003, G-BOAF Flew for the last time.
26th November 2004, I officially started full-time employment in my first Aviation job, at a flying school.
26th November 2005, I flew one of my solo flights in a C152.
26th November 2006, I made my U24s debut for Macquarie Uni Cricket Club in Sydney, Australia.
26th November 2007... 4th Anniversary of Concorde's last flight, 3rd anniversary of my job... I still work there.
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