I was very lucky to be on that flight. Actually it was not this Corncorde that was planned to be going out that day, but the one we were loaded on first had a problem with the reverse thrusters, which they said would be needed on what was a relatively short runway in Barbados for a Concorde plane. So we sat on board for a little while, then they off loaded us while an engineer was sought to fix it. We went back to the Concorde lounge and were fed some amazing nibbles and filled with plenty of champagne and about 2 hours passed very fast. Then they announced that the the repair would take too long, so the flagship concorde (the original one) BOAE was made ready and we boarded that instead. Flight was unforgettable, as you would expect. I took photos of the maximum mach speed and height on the real time read out at the front bulkhead of the compartment, now in our old photo album. We reached Barbaros we flew across the island then took a flight path all down the west coast, dipping our wing over the beaches in salute, which had been advertised ahead of time in Barbados, so the west coast beach hotels had organised Concorde parties on the beaches. We landed at Grantley Adams to find a full ministerial greeting, all the government officials in dress uniform or formal dress, lined up on the tarmac. Local musicians and dancers also performed on the tarmac. A flight of steps was fitted to the aircraft. We disembarked down that, not straight into the terminal and every passenger was presented to the various officials to shake hands and greet, before we went into the terminal. One of the very best days I will ever know. Unforgettable.
I’m watching this video, 20 years; two decades to the date; Friday, 17th November 2023. Where has the time gone to? 🤷🏾♂️ Long live the Concorde forever ♾️ and forever ♾️ .
@@supersonic1246 Quite right, I was in BA Concorde Engineering between 1997-2003, this was the last of my flights on it, one of 75 BA staffers on board. Nice to see it from the outside.
