This book is in effect a partial biography of the Concorde aircraft, at least the part when it was operational. Mike Bannister was a pilot for over 20 years and started not long after Concorde came into service. By the time he finished, he had risen to a management position that allowed some flying time and was well a huge part of the investigation into the Paris accident in 2000 which grounded the aircraft for over a year.

Loved and missed like no other aeroplane, Concorde is part celebration, part history, part detective story and part courtroom drama. But the brilliant cross-Channel avionic collaboration first forged in 1962 was tested to the limit when one of the French aircraft crashed shortly after take-off in Paris in 2000, killing 113 people.

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An excellent read. For a change, I listened to the audiobook version, narrated flawlessly by Mike himself. Tom was an absolutely charming chap," recalls Mike. "He brought the trophy up and allowed us to take photos. When the stewardess said his lunch was ready, he left the trophy with us. I was on Concorde for 22 years, so I felt I needed to capture the story of an incredible aeroplane," he says. Part celebration, part history, part detective story and part courtroom drama, it's almost as riveting as flying in Concorde itself - almost . . .

He does so by outlining the necessary technical terms in a manner, that is always to the point and enhances the narrative not only when explaining the ins and outs of the aircraft, but also when analyzing the minute details of the accident at Gonesse. Bookings must be made in advance. Book online 7 days in advance from 8.00am. Exercise Referral Classes are only available to members on the Exercise Referral Scheme I listened to the audio version of this book, read by the author Mike Bannister. This book can almost be summarised into three parts: 1) Mike’s mini autobiography starting from his 7 year old self gazing up at the sky dreaming of becoming a pilot; 2) the manufacture and history of the British Airways Concorde and 3) the details of the sequence of events that led to the tragic Concorde Air France disaster on 25 July, 2000. But most of all, this book is a love letter from Mike Bannister to Concorde herself. I am not a plane buff. I have never been to an airshow. But I do live on planet earth, and am old enough to know Concorde. If the author is as good a pilot as he is a writer, I want him flying me. He is a better writer than a lot of actual writers, and he is WAY better at narration than most professionals. He is better than 99.9% of author narrators too. Now he shares the inside story of this unique and awe-inspiring aircraft for the first time, including his role in the investigation to uncover what really happened when Concorde fell to earth on 25th July 2000.Our gym is equipped with the latest cardio and resistance kit to help meet all your fitness needs. We're kitted out with cardio stations including treadmills and cross trainers all with touchscreens and internet access, bikes, resistance kit machines, large free weights areaand dedicated functional training zone. You'll be welcomed by our knowledgeable and experienced fitness team who are always on hand to offer support and guidance whenever you need it. Mike also provides a novel glimpse at what it meant to be an airline pilot in the glory days of post-war air travel. His early counterparts are ex-bomber pilots who display exceptional handling skills, but would certainly struggle in the era of CVRs and FDM. If you’re an aviation enthusiast, I’d recommend you read this book. The author creates a compelling narrative. This is really three books in one. It’s Mike’s autobiography, starting from the seven year old child gazing up at aeroplanes and deciding he wanted to be a pilot. It’s the story of Concorde and its history in BA, including the politics and economics as well as technical details about the aeroplane and what it took to fly it.

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. This book is not only an interesting read for all of those fascinated by Concorde, it is also very readable / approachable to those new to the topic of Concorde or aviation itself. As boss of the UK Concorde fleet, Mike was closely involved in trying to unravel what had happened in France. He discovered considerably more fuel had been pumped into the aircraft than there should have been and that one fuel tank had ruptured from within.For all the books written on Concorde, it is surprising that until now there has been none written by Mr Concorde himself, Mike Bannister. As someone who spent 22 years on the aircraft, rising from First Officer to Chief Pilot his perspective adds a new viewpoint to the existing material. Add to this the entire list of anecdotes obtained from his experience as Concordes Chief Pilot and you arrive at a book, that tells the story of this magnificent machine from a technical, but also emotional perspective. The author describes how because it was supersonic there were many things to flying Concorde that were quite different to conventional airliners. It must have been incredible to fly at sixty thousand feet and see the curvature of the earth. Bookings can be transferred, where sessions are available within 7 days of the original booking, only if more than 24 hours notice is given of the original booking taking place.

The definitive account of the rise and fall of the iconic Concorde plane from British Airways' former Chief Concorde PilotFlying over Windsor Castle, she once remarked: "I can see my sister's home - the Royal Standard is flying." BA engineers even made a special seat for the Queen, giving her a little extra room to work. Through the high times, and the low times of this sensational and unique flying machine, this book is a welcome opportunity for me to pay a deserving tribute to the truly remarkable aircraft that shaped my life – the life of that seven-year-old boy.’ He and Concorde are a key reason why I have pursued and achieved my dream of flying commercial large swept wing jets at the age of 26. His character shows through his book, one which to me embodies what I believe to be the perfect pilot; assured, fair and passionate about what he does but humble enough to admit his mistakes.