Jkent95 From Canada, joined Aug 1999, 41 posts, RR: 0 Posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 817 times:
With the impending demise of the fastest airliner ever built I'd thought I would throw out this question.. When was the first time you ever saw a Concorde, either on the ground or in the air? For me it was in 1978. I was at Shannon during a technical stop returning from a high school trip to Rome. There was an Air France Concorde parked at a gate at the end of the terminal. Even sitting still it looked majestic. The first time I saw one in flight was at YYZ when a British Airways speedbird arrived for the first time for its planned display at the Toronto International Air Show which I believe was in the early 1980's.
Airplanetire From United States, joined May 2001, 1809 posts, RR: 2 Reply 2, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 789 times:
My first and only time to date was at CDG in June of 2002. I was on the way home from Spanish/French class trip to Barcelona, southern France, and Paris. We flying Delta back home to ATL from CDG. I was already in love with CDG because of all of the Air France planes (We don't see too many foreign carriers in ATL, so any European airport is really exciting for me!), but I decided that I would walk through the terminal just to see if I could find the Concorde anywhere. I got to the end of the terminal and nearly wet myself with excitement when I saw F-BTSD! I'm sure it was funny for the person in our group that had decided to come on the stroll with me to watch! I quickly went back to our gate, retrieved my camera, went back to the Concorde, and snapped some pictures. The plane was actually at an adjacent terminal, but that gave me a good side view of it and it was still very close. It was truly a beautiful and breathtaking site. One thing that surprised me though is that the fuselage is not really round. It has flat sides where the windows are. I always thought that it was nice and smooth. I liked the flat sides though. They were neat looking. When I got home and developed the pictures, I noticed the top of a tail fin of another Concorde in the background behind a Vietnam Airlines 763 (That 763 was very exotic for my virgin eyes when it comes to foreign airlines! ).
IMissPiedmont From United States, joined May 2001, 5485 posts, RR: 45 Reply 4, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 777 times:
What a tough question. I can't remember driving to work this morning and you want me to remember 25 years ago?
Seriously, I don't remeber the year. I recall a possible Concorde at Transpo '72 (IAD) but am not sure. I know it would have been shortly after at least.
Time to dig out the 31 year old photo album.
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man, though my mind could think I still was a madman
JOSEMEX From Mexico, joined Oct 1999, 1498 posts, RR: 22 Reply 6, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 766 times:
Early 1970's, before it entered commercial service; it was still painted in the BAC/Aerospatiale livery, with the red cheatline. The airplane was on one of those round-the-world PR tours, and it made a stop at Acapulco, Mexico which is where I lived at that time (I must have been 6 or 7 then).
It was a historical event in ACA: I remember my mother taking me out from school mid-morning to go to the airport (thank you, Mom!!). Many of my friends were there with their parents. Almost 30 years later it is almost impossible to grasp all the excitement caused by the only mention of the name "Concorde" back then.
A few years later, after we moved to Mexico City and AF was using Concorde twice a week on the MEX-IAD-CDG route, I would see it overfly my school every Monday and Thursday morning on its way to Paris for as long as that route lasted. I was in primary school then and, whenever we started hearing Concorde's distinctive sound, the entire school would rush out of the classroom and onto the schoolyard to watch her fly overhead; twice a week, every week this would happen, and we were all as amazed as the very first day.
Finally, many years later, in 2000, my dream came true and I was able to fly it JFK-CDG-JFK, a few months before it crashed, on the very same ship that crashed. (BTW, we had an engine failure midflight JFK-CDG and had to return to JFK, so I got an extra landing and takeoff for the same price).
AA727 From United States, joined Apr 2003, 124 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 755 times:
I was flying out of JFK on a TW 727. We were stalled on the tarmac for about an hour due to crappy weather in STL, where we were connecting. Well, my dissapointment was soon gone when I looked out the window and we were sitting right next to a AF Concorde that must have been parked there over night waiting for the morning flight to Paris.
HlywdCatft From United States, joined Jan 2001, 5321 posts, RR: 8 Reply 11, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 726 times:
I saw two at DTW in 1986. They flew in for a charter flight for the Travel group NOMADS.
Thousands of people showed up to DTW along the west side of what is now 22L. They had porta potties and food stands set up for the late morning arrivals. Two BA concordes showed up, one in the old Red BA colors, then the other in the dark blue BA colors.
They picked up the passengers, took off, did a fly by and then left. I just remember it being very loud.
Seb146 From United States, joined Nov 1999, 5208 posts, RR: 15 Reply 12, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 725 times:
September 1989.
I was just starting junior college. I got my first car and was going to go alone but it turned into a father/son outing. 4 hour drive to PDX, 3 hours on the parking structure, and 4 hours drive back home. I remember the hundreds of people standing on top of the garage (the old 4-level one) and even more people lined Marine Drive. The bird did a fly-by with gear down, got to the end of the runway, put the gear up, nose up, and put it in high gear! The sound was intense! Nothing you could ever forget! That has since been the only time I have seen the grand bird *sigh*
La Carlota From United States, joined Jun 2001, 356 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 699 times:
1976 at CCS MaiquetÃa airport.
One of the very first services AF had with the Concorde at that time was CDG-CCS (I think with a stop at DKR, but not quite sure about it). Those were another (wealthier) times for Venezuela, as well as or the plane itself.
I was seriously developing my interest in aviation by that time, and the sight of it really impressed me. I was a bit disapointed, since I found it a rather small aircraft.
I spent a couple of hours at the airport terrace while my parents were having lunch (I didn't have lunch that day) hoping to see it departing. It never did while I was there :-(
Anyway, a few years later I accomplished my dream of flying that beautiful plane... and did it both on BA and AF in the same year!!! What a memory!!!
AWspicious From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 686 times:
Some time in the mid 1980s when it was flown into Toronto every fortnight for summer one summer. I watched it from the root of the soon to be decommissioned T1 building.
ERJ135 From Palau, joined Nov 2000, 634 posts, RR: 1 Reply 17, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 682 times:
I've only ever seen it about 5 times, the very first time I think was the prototype doing a world tour. It's a rare visitor to Sydney but as I lived under the flight path it flew over the house and then we rushed inside to see it land at Sydney airport live on TV! Must have been 1970 or so I think, I would have been 8. Much more recently BA used one as part of a tour and the passengers flew to Sydney and then took the QEII cruise liner, During Concords stay my good friend at Qantas made sure I got a look inside. That was way cool, never flown in one though.
Gr325 From Netherlands, joined Jan 2002, 679 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 679 times:
My first time was only last year. As I live in Guernsey the AF002 always fly over the island. IT was most impressive, how quick, the contrail, and of course the sonic boom. Excellent. Since then everyday when the weather is fine I have been looking into the sky between 4pm and 4.10 PM as that is the time that it comes over. Today is nice day again, have to watch out and see if I can get a good pic of its contrail.
Godbless From Sweden, joined Apr 2000, 2734 posts, RR: 16 Reply 19, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 665 times:
March 16th, 2002 at LHR. Too bad that the weather was not the best.
Wow, that was anoisy take off.
After that I saw one again at LHR on September 20th, 2002 and at CDG on March 30th, 2003. Next time will probably be at the Museum in Sinsheim.
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 10267 posts, RR: 70 Reply 20, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 665 times:
21st January 1976, the day services began, BA to Bahrain (G-BOAA), AF to Rio via Dakar (F-BVFA), our school was not far from LHR and our aviation enthusiast teacher brought his airband scanner in and got us all on the top floor of the school.
It was a dull day but we could just see it take off and hear the noise.
Aviasian From Singapore, joined Jan 2001, 1147 posts, RR: 14 Reply 21, posted (5 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 652 times:
I first saw the Concorde when 002 arrived in Singapore in 1972. It flew into Paya Lebar International Airport (which then had an open-air observation deck) on its sales tour of the Far East.
What a beautiful bird then . . . what a beautiful bird it still is!!! This beautiful plane wasn't just designed by engineers . . . it was designed by artists!
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