Concorde

In desperation for a blip tonight I looked around my cubby hole desk at the OM's house (I have my own work space under the stairs!) My eyes settled on my glass of wine and a picture of Concorde and I realised I haven't shared with you my my personal history with Concorde.

Concorde was designed and built by British Aircraft Corporation (now British Aerospace at Brooklands in Weybridge. My Dad got a job in 1969 working on it and that is why we moved to Surrey from Essex.

Concorde made its first commercial flight in January 1976. I can remember being at primary school and my class being taken out onto the school playing field to watch it take off from Heathrow that day.

After that it went over my house twice a day - 11am and 7.30pm - for another 27 years. Boy you knew when it was going over! You heard it before you saw it. Conversations stopped and you looked up, every time. The novelty never wore off. Nothing else sounded or looked like, it was a one-off, unique aircraft.

Phil Collins was able to perform at Live Aid in both London and Philadelphia in July 1985 by managing to arrive in Philadelphia before he left London!

I never had the opportunity to fly in it but I did go on the one they have at Yeovilton (not quite the same thing!)

I cried when it was de-commissioned. It was doomed after the aircrash in Paris in 2000. Its final flight was in Novcember 2003.