Life of a Concorde Pilot – From the Orphanage to the Edge of Space by John Tye

After qualifying as an airline pilot, John joined British Airways and for several years flew subsonic airliners. Then, in 1998, he fulfilled one of his life’s ambitions by joining BA’s Concorde fleet to become one of only 134 pilots to fly the world's only supersonic airliner.

In his talk he will take us through the extensive training course, the toughest in aviation, and then on a virtual flight from Heathrow to New York. He’ll explain some of the unique technical features of Concorde along the way. A few ‘celebrity stories’ and family involvement bring in the human element, before touching briefly upon the tragic accident in Paris in the summer of 2000. The successful ‘return to service programme’ and eventual retirement of Concorde in 2003 will bring the talk to a close.