From Filton to Fairford

Cherry

By luigi_pagano

Tue, 26 May 2020
  • 753 reads
4 comments
 

In Nineteen-sixty-nine
on April the Ninth
Concorde flew low
over the roof
of my bungalow.
The jet's roaring sound
is what I heard
before catching sight
of that mighty bird.

I was in the garden
and caught on the hop
while pruning the roses
but I had to stop
to watch the live show.
It was later I learnt
that the test pilot's name
was Brian Trubshaw.

He took the plane on a flight
from Filton to Fairford
and with many schoolboys
this deed struck a chord.
They had found an icon
- more real than Dan Dare -
who could fly at Mach 2
with considerable flair.

 

© Luigi Pagano 2020

Certificate U
Poem
Mutevoli pensieri
Historical Fiction

Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

You bought back my own memories Luigi. I never caught sight of Concorde flying, but when I lived near Avonmouth you could hear its mighty roar. I did live in Filton at one point and used to pass the airport while on the bus coming and going into Bristol, where Concorde sat, it was certainly a spectacular sight just grounded. It must have been amazing to see it fly.

Thanks for the memory.

Jenny. xx

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Quite a coincidence, Jenny, that I should write about this particular event and that you lived in one of the places I mention, Filton. I often look back with nostalgia and can recall happy but also unexpected occasions like this one which literally came out of the blue. Looking up I could see the underside of Concorde and it was an awesome sight.

Luigi xx

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

This was in the time of the space race and moon landings, very interesting Luigi except for the Mach 2? Incredible, and in 1969 you say?

The project was an Anglo-French cooperation and what a beautiful airplane it is a work of art. The whole idea of course was to build a commercial passenger aircraft that would fly faster than the speed of sound.

Yes and one of those engineering wonders that was deemed totally impractical (for their time) I think also of the rotary (wankel) engine that was actually in production by Mazda, don't know, probably other car makes too. Another would be large hovercraft.

This kind of stuff is very informative Luigi! Keep on! Tom Brown

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Hi Tom. They were prototypes that were being tested in 1969. Although they were capable of reaching  a speed of Mach 2.4 they didn't go above 300mph during testing.
You are absolutely right the project was an Anglo-French cooperation. It was a technological success but a financial failure. Being too expensive it never attracted enough passengers to make it a viable proposition.

Best wishes, Luigi.