This also meant he could rise up the ranks being one of the early star pilots and getting a perspective from higher in the business. His character shows through his book, one which to me embodies what I believe to be the perfect pilot; assured, fair and passionate about what he does but humble enough to admit his mistakes. It’s the story of Concorde and its history in BA, including the politics and economics as well as technical details about the aeroplane and what it took to fly it.

Sure, it does whet the appetite in a way that appeals to those of us who identify as aerosexuals, but it’s subtle and very well done, considering this book isn’t written just for us. 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 book is not only an interesting read for all of those fascinated by Concorde, it is also very readable / approachable to those new to the topic of Concorde or aviation itself. From displaying Concorde with the Red Arrows over London to landing her back at Heathrow in her last scheduled flight in October 2003, he has seen Concorde's full journey. million passengers on flights they'll never forget, soaring at up to 1,350mph to the very edge of inky space at 60,000 feet.

What is quite shocking is how the French team removed components the British wanted to examine and claimed records such as those about the fuel tanks had been lost. Concorde thereafter gained a new lease of life, notably branching out into the lucrative charter market. Once he was established, Mike gives a good feel of what it was like in the early days when Concorde was in its prime and gives a few amusing anecdotes of a bygone age when passengers could wander onto the flight deck. He explains in very easy to understand language the various technical aspects of flying Concorde - how it was different from every other aircraft.

As Bannister points out, there is a lot of history and national pride wrapped up in Concorde, and he does an excellent job of attending to every detail in this account of its conception, operation, and eventual end.Add to this the entire list of anecdotes obtained from his experience as Concordes Chief Pilot and you arrive at a book, that tells the story of this magnificent machine from a technical, but also emotional perspective. But that perhaps is what makes it interesting - yet if you are looking into deep insights into the background of Concorde’s design and build, you aren’t going to get it. What is of somewhat shocking interest is the large volume devoted to the real story of the crash of Air France 4590. From there he worked for a time in heavy industry and later on the design and construction of projects as diverse as lock-gate machinery, cranes, bridges, and hydraulic pumps.

It takes us through his early years of becoming a pilot, then as an airline pilot and then, his dream job, flying Concorde.The first UK-built Concorde flew from the British Aircraft Corporation's Filton factory in Bristol to RAF Fairford on April 9, 1969. And what really happened on that tragic afternoon in July 2000, when the crash of Flight 4590 grounded the Concorde forever? However, a slight caveat, although the cover and the blurb suggests it is all about Concorde - it kind of isn’t and is a slight auto-biography of Mike Bannister.