Concorde

[237SJ]

Hard to believe it was that long ago really https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/celebrations-across-britain-to-mark-50th-anniversary-of-first-concorde-flight-a4079826.html

[Dudley]

I was lucky enough to travel on it twice. The first time from London to Toronto and we left Heathrow at 9am and arrived in Toronto at 8am. We therefore had a 29 hour day and were very tired mid evening. As others have said, it wasn't overly comfortable but that was more than made up with the time save. Second time was returning from New York to London and it was interesting to watch the screens to see that we were travelling at 1450 mph at an altitude of 60,000 feet. It should still be flying today. Wonderful aircraft.

[sanmac]

The closest I came to the Concorde was on a lay-over at JFK in the mid '80s. It was interesting to watch the various types of passengers who were going to board it. They ran the gamut from bejeweled and furred rich folks to what appeared to be scruffily dressed members of a rock band.

[hereIam]

It used to fly over my parents house in Cheshire every year on Grand National Day and you could hear it coming well before you saw it, so we never missed it. It was a joy to behold and I agree with Dudley, it should still be flying today.

[Khandro]

We lived near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, at the time, nearby was Fairford airfield, the American air-force base, where Concorde was test- flown before its official release and we were among the first watch it fly pass on its early flights.
50 years ago, Hmmm!

[Deskdiary]

I am enormously jealous of anybody who has had the opportunity to fly on this engineering masterpiece.

But what saddens me even more than never having flown on it, is that there isn't a replacement. In the early noughties I was using a Nokia that made calls, I could text by hitting the number 2 three time to produce a C, and I could play Snake. Fast forward not even 20 years and our phones are an absolute marvel....and yet I'm having to fly sub-sonic.

I cannot think of a single instance where we've gone backwards.

We (not me alas) used to be able to get to New York before we left. I genuinely find this really sad that we can no longer do this.

Plus it looked the absolute dog's nuts.

[Theland]

I think the first test flight was controlled by, ( Brian), Trubshaw.
Remember it well.
"CONCORDE FLIES,"

[Gromit]

Concorde was a great plane - it was just built at the wrong time.
By the time it came into service, the market had changed and it was rather still born.

[Gromit]

The Boeing 787 carries twice as many passengers as Concorde did, while using less than half the fuel for the same trip.

Which is why it won’t return, and why there has been no replacement.