Concorde

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

October 24th 2023 will mark 20 years since Concorde disappeared from our skies. Yet still Mike Bannister, the last Concorde Chief Pilot, faces the same questions-

Why is she no longer flying?
Where is her replacement?
And what really happened on that tragic afternoon in July 2000, when the crash of Flight 4590 grounded the Concorde forever?

Concorde is an enthralling personal account of what it takes to fly planes faster than the speed of sound, and of the events that lay behind 114 needless deaths- the 113 victims of the crash and, ultimately, Concorde herself.

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.