Concorde Pocket Manual

First flown in 1969, Concorde was the first supersonic aircraft to go into commercial service in 1976 and made her final flight in 2003. She was operated primarily by British Airways and Air France. British Airways' Concordes made just under 50,000 flights and flew more than 2.5m passengers supersonically. A typical London to New York crossing would take a little less than three and a half hours compared to around eight hours for a 'subsonic flight'. In November 1986 a Concorde flew around the world, covering 28,238 miles in 29 hours, 59 minutes. Today, Concordes can be viewed at museums across the UK and in France, including at IWM Duxford, Brooklands and Fleet Air Arm Museum, as well as at Heathrow, Manchester and Paris-Orly airports. However, there have been recent reports suggesting that Concorde may start operating commercially again. Through a series of key documents the book tells the story of how the aircraft was designed and developed as well as ground-breaking moments in her commercial history.

First flown in 1969, Concorde was the first supersonic aircraft to go into commercial service in 1976 and made her final flight in 2003. She was operated primarily by British Airways and Air France. British Airways' Concordes made just under 50,000 flights and flew more than 2.5m passengers supersonically. A typical London to New York crossing would take a little less than three and a half hours compared to around eight hours for a 'subsonic flight'. In November 1986 a Concorde flew around the world, covering 28,238 miles in 29 hours, 59 minutes. Today, Concordes can be viewed at museums across the UK and in France, including at IWM Duxford, Brooklands and Fleet Air Arm Museum, as well as at Heathrow, Manchester and Paris-Orly airports. However, there have been recent reports suggesting that Concorde may start operating commercially again. Through a series of key documents the book tells the story of how the aircraft was designed and developed as well as ground-breaking moments in her commercial history.

Concentrating on the technical and engineering aspects of Concorde, this Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde manual gives rare insights into owning, operating, servicing and flying the supersonic airliner. Although the British and French Concorde fleets were prematurely retired in 2003, interest in this marvel of design and technology remains undiminished and all who admire Concorde will relish the unique information provided in this innovative title.

The inside story of this world-famous supersonic passenger jet by the former British chief test pilot.

As chief test pilot for BAC in the 1960s, Brian Trubshaw was closely involved with the Anglo-French Concorde program and flew the supersonic aircraft on its maiden flight in 1969, remaining a key member of the test program after the aircraft entered airline service in 1967. This close association with Concorde affords him his unique position in offering the inside story of the aircraft, from the early days of its planning in the 1950s, through design and pre-flight testing, maiden flight and demonstrations, to certification and airline service. He also covers many other aspects of the program, from the cripplingly high development and construction costs to sales and post-delivery modification. The book reviews Concorde's 43-year service record with British Airways and Air France, along with the prospects for its continuation in airline service into the 21st century. The author also offers his views on the next generation of supersonic passenger transport aircraft.