Concorde: The thrilling account of history’s most extraordinary airliner

Mike Bannister

Sep 2022 · Random House

About this ebook

The definitive account of the rise and fall of the iconic Concorde plane from British Airways' former Chief Concorde Pilot

'A remarkable story' DAILY EXPRESS
'A stonking good read' FLYER
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What's it like to fly faster than a bullet?
Could you really glimpse the edge of space?
Why will we never see Concorde's like again?

Mike Bannister was British Airways' Chief Concorde Pilot. One of the few in that legendary aircraft's quarter-century of flight to fully understand both the plane's intricate engineering and what it took to fly her at supersonic speeds.

In this definitive account of the rise and fall of the world's greatest aircraft, Bannister explores its origins, development, service, highs, lows and, finally, the terrible crash which ended its flying life.

Part celebration, part history, part detective story and part courtroom drama, it's almost as riveting as flying in Concorde itself - almost . . .
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'Concorde represented the sheer wondrous genius of the human race' JEREMY CLARKSON

About the author

Mike Bannister is an aviation consultant and former pilot. He became the youngest pilot on the Concorde fleet in 1977, was appointed the airline's Chief Concorde Pilot in 1995 and regularly flew as Captain on all of the aircraft's routes worldwide. He was at the controls when the British Airways' Supersonic Flagship returned to service in November 2001, and commanded and flew the final Concorde commercial flight from New York to London on October 24th 2004. By the time Concorde retired Mike had amassed over 9,200 Concorde flight hours - around 6,900 at supersonic speeds. For over 10 years he was extensively involved as an expert witness and lead technical advisor in the 'Air France Concorde Trial.' He now runs an Aviation Consultancy and resides in Middlesex, UK.