R2OK!

ColinB · Guest

She had a beautiful, slender body and she was consistently top of her class. Those who acquainted themselves with her adored her and favoured her over all others. She was a star.

That said, she had a long nose and made a helluva racket when aroused - but boy was she a goer......

Concorde. The best of British (with a bit of help from the French)!

I've been asked to digitally transfer some PR film footage (now on broadcast videotape) of Concorde 002 during its very earliest flights into an out of an unidentified airfield (not Filton in bristol, where she was born) as well as some magnificent air-to-air shots of the craft skimming the clouds at about 30,000 feet over what could be the Bristol channel.

I did think of putting together a short montage edited with accompanying music and uploading it somewhere where others can see it, but I'm not sure I'll be allowed as it's not my footage and therefore not my copyright. Pity - because there's some staggeringly good shots, all of which are camera originals and featuring (among other things) several takes of the plane landing and taking off. In one shot, it has its landing gear down and almost touches down, but the pilot then keeps it at a level altitude before eventually lifting off again. Wow!!!

What a bird, eh?

Rachel · Guest

You can still see and go inside a Concord at the Fleet Air Arm Museum
http://www.fleetairarm.com/en-GB/exhibit/BAC_Concorde/4_6_40.aspx

here's some video of the one you mention...

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=45713

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

Distinctive, elegant - it's a cliché but it did make you feel good and proud to be part of the nation which designed and built it, when you saw it.

Little short of criminal that they would not allow even one of them to remain airworthy for special occasions.

Was it a bird? Well, it made a fearful noise.
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Ron

Lord Evan Elpuss · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 3414 Location: Cloud Cuckoo Land

I've walked through the one at Duxford, as it is another of the prototypes, it's not a glimpse of how the 'other half' travelled. The third pre-production aircraft is at Brooklands. For a price, you can look inside one of the ex BA ones at Manchester Airport.
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Lord Evan Elpuss, Your ideal job is a Lumberjack.

ColinB · Guest

Rachel - the Pathe newsreel is what is often rolled out when early footage is required. The stuff I have here (and which is being digitised into Final Cut Pro as I write!) is specially-shot promotional footage in which the Concorde pilot was responding to the needs of the film director over comms. It's amazing to watch!

The aerial shots are stunning, too. The plane from which the footage was shot was a special aircraft which had a large shaped glass panel on each side of the fuselage through which the camera could shoot and get shots from not only either side of the plane but also underneath. In one shot we are taken from the Concorde's starboard side, then underneath and through to the port side with the camera then dropping back as Concorde then banks off to the left. It's beautifully shot by a cameraman who obviously was top of his game. Fabulous!!!

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

becky sharp · Joined: 01 Dec 2008 Posts: 6787

Rachel · Guest

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

Came across this last night, it must be ten years ago. Couldn't quite get her all in

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Ron