Concorde - Ears still ringing

[ShawnD2112]

Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing next to
12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes taxiied into
the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
ceremony. This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park watching
them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site and such a
feeling of being part of history. There are days like this when I love my
job!

Shawn

[Montblack]

I just posted, 25 seconds ago, in the Three Concordes thread.

Do give us the (long) version of your Concorde Day viewing - if you find
time to type it up at work <g>.

--
Montblack

"ShawnD2112"
> Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing next
to
> 12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes taxiied
into
> the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
> ceremony. This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park watching
> them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site and such a
> feeling of being part of history. There are days like this when I love my
> job!

[Jay Honeck]

> Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing next
to
> 12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes taxiied
into
> the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
> ceremony. This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park watching
> them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site and such a
> feeling of being part of history. There are days like this when I love my
> job!

Interesting and ironic enthusiasm. In my opinion, it must have felt like
attending a wake... :-(

Ah, another dream of my misspent youth dashed upon the rocks of reality...

Farewell, Concorde!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[John Gaquin]

"ShawnD2112" > wrote in message

> ....This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park watching
> them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site

I recall one day about 12 or 13 years ago being about #5 for takeoff at EWR
on a truly smutchy day. JFK was down, and both Concordes had diverted to
Newark. We were near min, and our position in line was just about at the
touchdown point. A truly impressive sight to see this plane [actually both,
not quite in sequence] emerge at minimums, vortices wrapping, looking for
all the world like some kind of prehistoric raptor.....

I also recall that the FE had tuned a radio to approach, and we heard at one
point EWR ask BA to slow to 180. He politely replied that he needed to
maintain at least 220 on the approach for fuel economy. Now, that was
impressive!

Regards,

John Gaquin
B727, B747

[John T]

"John Gaquin" > wrote in message

>
> I also recall that the FE had tuned a radio to approach, and we heard
> at one point EWR ask BA to slow to 180. He politely replied that he
> needed to maintain at least 220 on the approach for fuel economy.

The one that flew into Dulles (IAD) on the 14th requested "190 minimum"
until 3 mile final. I wasn't sure whether it was for "stall comfort zone"
or economy.

--
John T
http://tknowlogy.com/tknoFlyer
__________

[David Dyer-Bennet]

"ShawnD2112" > writes:

> Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing next to
> 12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes taxiied into
> the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
> ceremony. This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park watching
> them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site and such a
> feeling of being part of history. There are days like this when I love my
> job!

This stage -- the ending of things -- is not the part of history I
most enjoy being part of, though. (Sour grapes from being thousands
of miles away from where all these things are happening, I suppose.
I've been reading reports all day from various people who saw takeoffs
and landings at various stags in the last flights; some have posted
pictures).
--
David Dyer-Bennet, >, <www.dd-b.net/dd-b/>
RKBA: <noguns-nomoney.com> <www.dd-b.net/carry/>
Photos: <dd-b.lighthunters.net> Snapshots: <www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/>
Dragaera/Steven Brust: <dragaera.info/>

[Mxsmanic]

ShawnD2112 writes:

> Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing next to
> 12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes taxiied into
> the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
> ceremony.

Be glad they were not SR-71s, or you'd be able to hear them from home.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

[ShawnD2112]

>
> Interesting and ironic enthusiasm. In my opinion, it must have felt like
> attending a wake... :-(
>
And the Brits say we Americans don't get irony. You're right, Jay, it was
an ironic mix of emotions the whole day. No one knew whether to celebrate
or mourn. I got nothing of any substance done in the office from the
distraction of watching the last departure out the window to watching bits
on the news to witnessing the last landings and the final shutdowns in front
of the BA hangars. From a purely business perspective, I'm glad to see the
thing on the ground finally so it won't continue to drain cash out of the
corporate coffers and will no longer fuel petty division within the company
(the Concorde Flying Club, as it's always been called).

But this airplane was never about business. It was, and still is, about
national pride, technological victory, and, much like the space race, doing
something simply to prove that it can be done. Though it's older than most
other jets are when they retire from commercial service, it was the only one
for which everyone would go to the window to watch it take off or land and
people would check their watches to see if she got our most important
passengers away on time. But the affection the British people have for this
aircraft transcends any of those, and it is a mystique I've never fully
understood, though I myself have fallen under her spell. It happened in
August 01 when I'd only been with BA for a couple of months. I wandered
into the hangar one Friday afternoon and it was just me and Concorde alone.
OK, it sounds incredibly corny and I don't expect anyone to really
understand, but standing under her and looking at her up close, I was
smitten. From that perspective, today was an incredibly sad day. I tried
to compare it to the feeling people probably have when any aircraft retires
from service, be it civilian or military. I'm sure the people who flew and
maintained Mustangs mourned when the last one came out of active front line
service. The big difference here, though, is that when any other airplane
has retired, it's usually been replaced with something that does the same
job better. But Concorde's not being replaced by anything. It is the only
machine in the world that does what it does. It's not just the end of the
Concorde era, it's the end of civilian supersonic travel. That increases
the sense of loss, for lack of a better description, for the passing of the
era.

And on the point someone made about not wanting to be part of this bit of
the history, history happens and, if this was going to happen whether I was
there or not, I have to say I felt damned privileged to be one of only a
couple of hundred people in the world who got to see, hear, and feel what I
did today including the new experience of feeling the heat of her engines as
one of them maneuvered on the apron and turned her tail toward me. It was
good to see her go out on such a high note. Standing on the deck of the
building in which I work (a 10 story building with 8 floors of parking
garage in the middle), I was able to see the city of London including the
London Eye because the sky blessed us with uncharacteristic clarity, and
above that skyline I could see the forms of 3 Concordes bearing down on
their final touchdowns on Heathrow tarmac, looking exactly like the raptors
John described them as. As each one passed by on it's glide to the runway,
I made a special point of looking and listening with intent to experience
the moment as fully as possible.

Given a bit of time I could probably write this up a bit better; this is
very much off the cuff tonight, but this largely describes the essence of
the afternoon. I could go into detail of the events, but it's not really
about that. It's about the bigger meaning, the experience of presence, the
emotions involved. I barely even took any pictures as I didn't want to be
too distracted by fumbling with a camera. There'll be plenty of photos to
go around. I did, however, ring my mate, a lifelong Concorde fan, on the
mobile, so he could hear firsthand, the sound of Concorde's last landings at
Heathrow. (after all, what good is mobile phone technology if you can't use
it to share important events with people important to you?) Being able to
share that with a friend made it all the more special.

Going to work on Monday, I'll just be working for another airline, not a
supersonic airline. I'll never get to see Concorde sitting in the hangar or
out on the ramp again. I'll never hear her coming toward my apartment and
rush to the back window to watch her execute her departure turn through 180
degrees as she turns away from Heathrow and off toward Bristol and her
supersonic acceleration out over the Atlantic. I'll miss those things, but
I'm increcibly lucky to have experienced them at all. And, in the scheme of
things, this is small stuff. We have aircraft mechanics in our hangar who
built her and have only ever worked on her. Imagine the sense of loss
they're feeling as their entire working accomplishment in life ceases to be.

So I'll leave you with those sentimental thoughts, knowing that, as brother
pilots, you'll all understand.

Shawn


"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:Jxdmb.18714$Tr4.39348@attbi_s03...
> > Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing next
> to
> > 12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes taxiied
> into
> > the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
> > ceremony. This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park watching
> > them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site and such a
> > feeling of being part of history. There are days like this when I love
my
> > job!
>
> Interesting and ironic enthusiasm. In my opinion, it must have felt like
> attending a wake... :-(
>
> Ah, another dream of my misspent youth dashed upon the rocks of reality...
>
> Farewell, Concorde!
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>
>

[G.R. Patterson III]

ShawnD2112 wrote:
>
> I'll never get to see Concorde sitting in the hangar or
> out on the ramp again. I'll never hear her coming toward my apartment and
> rush to the back window to watch her execute her departure turn through 180
> degrees as she turns away from Heathrow and off toward Bristol and her
> supersonic acceleration out over the Atlantic.

They're making noises about keeping one of them running for exhibitions and
shows (I'll bet Oshkosh counts as one of those). It's a real long shot, though.
Parts support was expensive enough with the small fleet they had; it'll cost
the earth for just one.

George Patterson
You can dress a hog in a tuxedo, but he still wants to roll in the mud.

[mike regish]

What? No video?

mike regish

"ShawnD2112" > wrote in message
...
> Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing next
to
> 12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes taxiied
into
> the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
> ceremony. This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park watching
> them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site and such a
> feeling of being part of history. There are days like this when I love my
> job!
>
> Shawn
>
>

[Jay Honeck]

> Given a bit of time I could probably write this up a bit better

No, Shawn, you have done it well, and done it right.

I shed a tear for Concorde, and our youthful dreams. Thanks for sharing
your experience.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Montblack]

("G.R. Patterson III" wrote)
> They're making noises about keeping one of them running for exhibitions
and
> shows (I'll bet Oshkosh counts as one of those). It's a real long shot,
though.
> Parts support was expensive enough with the small fleet they had; it'll
cost
> the earth for just one.

Ever eat boiled people George?

Please don't say yes,

....it was a rhetorical question. <g>

--
Montblack

[ShawnD2112]

I reckoned there were enough cameras around the necks of people I knew that
I'll be able to get hundreds of stills and videos that others took of an
event I attended. I wanted the experience as fully as I could get it. I
ran into one guy in the elevator who was distraught because the batteries
(and spares) in his camera died. It ruined the experience for him because
getting pictures was more important to him than just being there. I didn't
want that to happen to me. I did get a couple of photos but only ones I
knew would be unique to me.

I first got this perspective on things when I was sailing a tall ship a few
years ago. We were cruising along under near full sail on a beautiful sunny
day in the Canary Islands and I and another guy were on the foredeck
clearing up the deck from handling sails. Suddenly a pod of dolphins
appeared off the starboard bow and rapidly turned toward us to ride our bow
wave. Because we were already on the foredeck, we were able to dash up to
the bowsprit and look staight down into the sea onto the backs of the
dolphins enjoying the ride. I lamented to my mate that I if I went for my
camera, they'd be gone before I got back. He told me not to sweat it but
just to enjoy the experience and relish the memory of that for the rest of
my life. "This kid's a genius", I thought. What a revelation. Be present
for the experience. And he was quite a few years younger than me, too! And
I did enjoy it fully. I have no pictures of the event, but I remember
seeing the muscles move on their backs, I remember the pattern of spots and
other markings on their backs, and I remember marvelling at the perfection
of their form and movement. No photo is ever going to enhance that
experience for me. The only problem is that I can't really share that with
anyone else, but that's the tradeoff, I suppose. With Concorde, there'll be
many more photos taken by people much better at it than I am.

Shawn
"mike regish" > wrote in message
news:MDjmb.9298$275.17487@attbi_s53...
> What? No video?
>
> mike regish
>
> "ShawnD2112" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing next
> to
> > 12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes taxiied
> into
> > the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
> > ceremony. This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park watching
> > them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site and such a
> > feeling of being part of history. There are days like this when I love
my
> > job!
> >
> > Shawn
> >
> >
>
>

[ShawnD2112]

I think you're right on that one, George. I don't think even a single
flying example is sustainable and, last I heard, all 5 airworthy ones are
destined for museum homes. The two non-flyers are due to be gate guards,
one at Heathrow, the other somewhere else which escapes me at the moment.
Sad but true.

Shawn
"G.R. Patterson III" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> ShawnD2112 wrote:
> >
> > I'll never get to see Concorde sitting in the hangar or
> > out on the ramp again. I'll never hear her coming toward my apartment
and
> > rush to the back window to watch her execute her departure turn through
180
> > degrees as she turns away from Heathrow and off toward Bristol and her
> > supersonic acceleration out over the Atlantic.
>
> They're making noises about keeping one of them running for exhibitions
and
> shows (I'll bet Oshkosh counts as one of those). It's a real long shot,
though.
> Parts support was expensive enough with the small fleet they had; it'll
cost
> the earth for just one.
>
> George Patterson
> You can dress a hog in a tuxedo, but he still wants to roll in the
mud.

[ShawnD2112]

Thanks, Mike. It was an awesome day. The really hard thing for me was to
feel privileged to be a part of it over feeling sad that it had to happen.

Shawn
"Michael Nouak" > wrote in message
...
> What an awesome write-up - Thanks!
>
> Mike
>
> "ShawnD2112" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
> ...
> > >
> > > snip
>
>

[ShawnD2112]

Cheers, Jay.
"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:%ulmb.20964$Fm2.11319@attbi_s04...
> > Given a bit of time I could probably write this up a bit better
>
> No, Shawn, you have done it well, and done it right.
>
> I shed a tear for Concorde, and our youthful dreams. Thanks for sharing
> your experience.
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>
>

[Martin Hotze]

On Fri, 24 Oct 2003 23:55:25 +0100, ShawnD2112 wrote:

>> Interesting and ironic enthusiasm. In my opinion, it must have felt like
>> attending a wake... :-(
>>
>And the Brits say we Americans don't get irony. You're right, Jay, it was
>an ironic mix of emotions the whole day.

Jay has German ancestors, so this might be an excuse :-)

#m
--
>> Are these pilots going to court and what
>> is their fine/penance/restitution/etc.?
> They are sentenced to spend an entire day with Bush.
Wouldn't shooting be more merciful? [Brian Burger in r.a.p.]

[G.R. Patterson III]

Montblack wrote:
>
> Ever eat boiled people George?
>
> Please don't say yes,

Ok. I won't say yes.

George Patterson
You can dress a hog in a tuxedo, but he still wants to roll in the mud.

[mike regish]

Check these out.

http://lorendjones.com/concorde/

mike regish

"ShawnD2112" > wrote in message
...
> Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing next
to
> 12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes taxiied
into
> the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
> ceremony. This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park watching
> them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site and such a
> feeling of being part of history. There are days like this when I love my
> job!
>
> Shawn
>
>

[ShawnD2112]

Superb photos. These are from the Queen's Jubilee, aren't they?

Shawn
"mike regish" > wrote in message
news:g9Gmb.24859$ao4.34498@attbi_s51...
> Check these out.
>
> http://lorendjones.com/concorde/
>
> mike regish
>
> "ShawnD2112" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing next
> to
> > 12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes taxiied
> into
> > the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
> > ceremony. This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park watching
> > them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site and such a
> > feeling of being part of history. There are days like this when I love
my
> > job!
> >
> > Shawn
> >
> >
>
>

[mike regish]

Don't know. I got the link from a Piper list I'm on.

mike regish

"ShawnD2112" > wrote in message
...
> Superb photos. These are from the Queen's Jubilee, aren't they?
>
> Shawn
> "mike regish" > wrote in message
> news:g9Gmb.24859$ao4.34498@attbi_s51...
> > Check these out.
> >
> > http://lorendjones.com/concorde/
> >
> > mike regish
> >
> > "ShawnD2112" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing
next
> > to
> > > 12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes
taxiied
> > into
> > > the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
> > > ceremony. This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park
watching
> > > them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site and such a
> > > feeling of being part of history. There are days like this when I
love
> my
> > > job!
> > >
> > > Shawn
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

[Dave]

Yes, it was from the Queens Jubilee

Dave

"mike regish" > wrote in message
news:35Pmb.33030$Fm2.13547@attbi_s04...
> Don't know. I got the link from a Piper list I'm on.
>
> mike regish
>
> "ShawnD2112" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Superb photos. These are from the Queen's Jubilee, aren't they?
> >
> > Shawn
> > "mike regish" > wrote in message
> > news:g9Gmb.24859$ao4.34498@attbi_s51...
> > > Check these out.
> > >
> > > http://lorendjones.com/concorde/
> > >
> > > mike regish
> > >
> > > "ShawnD2112" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > > Just got home from work and my ears are still ringing from standing
> next
> > > to
> > > > 12 Olympus turbojets at idle thrust as the last three Concordes
> taxiied
> > > into
> > > > the BA Engineering base and shut down to be towed to the retirement
> > > > ceremony. This after standing on the 8th floor of the car park
> watching
> > > > them come in to land one after the other. An amazing site and such
a
> > > > feeling of being part of history. There are days like this when I
> love
> > my
> > > > job!
> > > >
> > > > Shawn
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

[Morgans]

"mike regish" > wrote in message
news:g9Gmb.24859$ao4.34498@attbi_s51...
> Check these out.
>
> http://lorendjones.com/concorde/
>
> mike regish

What do you have to do to save one of these as a jpg, for a background?
Superb.
--
Jim in NC

[G.R. Patterson III]

Morgans wrote:
>
> What do you have to do to save one of these as a jpg, for a background?

Put the cursor on the image and click the right mouse button. Select the action
you want from the menu. I would save it to a file on the C drive and take it
from there.

George Patterson
You can dress a hog in a tuxedo, but he still wants to roll in the mud.

[Jay Honeck]

> Check these out.
>
> http://lorendjones.com/concorde/

Great pix.

Anyone else struck by the similarities between these photos and the ones
taken of the Mach 3 XB-70 Valkyrie bomber and a flight of fighters -- right
before an F-104 Starfighter was caught in the wingtip vortices, and flipped
up, over and into the XB-70? The ensuing crash killed everyone on board
both planes, IIRC.

I suspect the Red Arrows may have received a careful briefing about staying
away from Concorde's wingtips...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Paul Sengupta]

Concorde and the Red Arrows have flown many times in
formation for various events...though I guess the pilots were
different on each occasion.

I was there for the Jubilee flypast, I was there for the last
(and last but one) departure for New York, I was there for
the retirement.

The best photos I have are when Concorde was at Cardiff.
Since I was a member of the flying club, I stood on the south
side of the runway and took pictures from there as it took off.
I was standing on my own, others watched from back at the
club. I didn't get TOO close though! :-)

As for British Airways, I just for an e-mail to say I haven't flown
with them for a while and to offer me some air miles for booking
a flight. Well, I had hoped that one day I would get to fly on
Concorde - heck, I know two ex-Concorde pilots! One flies a
Luscombe from the field where I'm based. Now BA becomes
just another airline. The last business flight I took, I flew on
Lufthansa as BA had their strikes and we couldn't afford any
delay. Now I guess we'll just book the cheapest (non-budget)
carrier now that BA doesn't have the status that Concorde
afforded it. I wonder if this will cost BA much in lost business?

Paul

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:810nb.37997$Tr4.78116@attbi_s03...
> I suspect the Red Arrows may have received a careful briefing about
staying
> away from Concorde's wingtips...

[ShawnD2112]

I would doubt if retiring Concorde will cost BA much in lost revenue in the
subsonic fleet. Not many passengers buy a ticket on a 747 or an Airbus A320
because of other airplanes an airline flies. Sounds like you had a great
experience at Cardiff, though!

Shawn
"Paul Sengupta" > wrote in message
...
> Concorde and the Red Arrows have flown many times in
> formation for various events...though I guess the pilots were
> different on each occasion.
>
> I was there for the Jubilee flypast, I was there for the last
> (and last but one) departure for New York, I was there for
> the retirement.
>
> The best photos I have are when Concorde was at Cardiff.
> Since I was a member of the flying club, I stood on the south
> side of the runway and took pictures from there as it took off.
> I was standing on my own, others watched from back at the
> club. I didn't get TOO close though! :-)
>
> As for British Airways, I just for an e-mail to say I haven't flown
> with them for a while and to offer me some air miles for booking
> a flight. Well, I had hoped that one day I would get to fly on
> Concorde - heck, I know two ex-Concorde pilots! One flies a
> Luscombe from the field where I'm based. Now BA becomes
> just another airline. The last business flight I took, I flew on
> Lufthansa as BA had their strikes and we couldn't afford any
> delay. Now I guess we'll just book the cheapest (non-budget)
> carrier now that BA doesn't have the status that Concorde
> afforded it. I wonder if this will cost BA much in lost business?
>
> Paul
>
> "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> news:810nb.37997$Tr4.78116@attbi_s03...
> > I suspect the Red Arrows may have received a careful briefing about
> staying
> > away from Concorde's wingtips...
>
>