Concorde - Softcover

When British Airways and Air France announced that Concorde was to be retired from service in October 2003, it signaled the end of nearly three decades of supersonic passenger flights. Concorde had flown for years without a major incident, but in July 2000 an Air France Concorde crashed near Paris, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground. By the time the modified aircraft went back into service in November 2001, both BA and Air France faced mounting problems that eventually spelled the end for Concorde. The former British chief test pilot, Brian Trubshaw reveals the inside story of this world-famous supersonic passenger jet. Illustrated with 200 photographs and illustrations, this updated edition covers the Paris crash, Concorde's brief return to service, and its decommissioning in 2004.

BRIAN TRUBSHAW was chief test pilot of the British prototype Concorde 002 during its development phase. He was regarded as one of Britain's most famous names in aviation. As test pilot for Vickers-Armstrongs he test flew the Viscount, the Valiant, the VC10 and Super VC10. He test flew the 1-11 for the British Aircraft Corporation before reaching the pinnacle of his career as Chief Test Pilot for of Concorde. In 1980 he became Director and General Manager of Filton until he retired in 1986, but remained on the board of the Civil Aviation Authority, until his death in 2001.