Air France Concorde ~99

[Nigel C]

Originally Posted by chris d

Nigel: I'll do some asking and find out for sure. Being 1999 and Concorde Fox-Charlie narrows it down and should make it easy to find out exact dates and the whole entire schedule.

The attachment is the 1998 one from Intrav. It doesn't match the AF4604 flight number - it is 4608 through to 4612, but the schedule matches in with Andi O's recollection.

We'll find out for sure - and this is sure one of the more interesting topics in recent times. It's great just seeing all these wonderful photos!

You can blame Bernie P for the creation of this thread. It was his posting of a Concorde take-off video on Stalkerbook that prompted me to go digging through an old box full of photos, hoping I could find the take-off series of which some are shown here.

I was chatting to one of the ATC'ers late last night about Air France and the Concorde visits to Sydney. They had some real eye-opening stories to tell about 'non-standard' departures!

[Bernie P]

Hahaha Nigel, too funny!!

I like the photos that you've posted, and thanks for doing them. Sadly, it was before my interest in aviation, and photography for that matter, so to see these type of movements, is about the best I can do!!

[Nigel C]

Oh I bet - I've heard about some of the Concorde departures first hand from those that did them, and know of some of the operational tricks they came up with to fly that thing very efficiently.

No no...not that sort of non-standard, more like the 'We are not arrogant, we are French!' style of non-standard!

[Andi O]

I could have a typo on my records, so I'll check into that.

If you have a copy of Australian Aviation Oct or Nov 99, Gordon's traffic section would surely have all of the details....oh well of to the attic to dust off some records!!

Thanks Nigel

[Nigel C]

Here's some more photos...

[Nigel C]

You're most welcome. This is the first time they've been shown to anyone other than family, and they hadn't seen the light of day for more than 10 years until now.

It does bring back good memories though. To have had the opportunity to see such an amazing piece of history from so close up is something I'll never forget. It truly was an amazing bird.
I can remember parking next to one of them (pretty sure it was an Air France bird) on Bay 25 T1 at 2am with a former colleague and we walked around and underneath it for about half an hour, totally undisturbed. The smell of jet fuel slowly leaking from it was unmistakable, and the sight of canvas showing through on the tyres is a memory that still brings a wry smile to my face...pride of the fleet and it's looking like that?!?!?! The tourist stickers on the nose gear from around the world (including one from our own Kendall Airlines) was another feature not seen on any other airline

[Dean D]

Back on Fri 15th Feb 1985 "Speedbird Concorde 9061 Charlie" (callsign) took off from SYD at 1628L on 16. This was G-BOAE routing SYD-PER-CMB-BAH-LHR. Capt David Leeney. Although I didn't actually see the plane, I heard the pilot on my $20 Tandy Electronics VHF radio in Wollongong! At 1642 they tracked direct to Canberra and then direct to Mount Gambier. I think by the time the pilot said his callsign they would have travelled from horizon to horizon !

Back on Fri 14 Oct 1994 F-BVFF, AF4845 took off from 16R (16L was under construction), at 1054L tracking direct to Katoomba, bound to DPS & HKG. It was certainly loud when viewed from the old ATC tower/ beach area.

I can also recall back in the late 80s early 90s there was a BA Concorde that landed from CHC with part of the rudder or tail missing. Someone can clarify this I'm sure.

[Jim M]

Dean,interesting you bring up the trip with Concorde Alpha Echo. If i'm not mistaken,flying this trip with Capt David Leeney,was a veteran Concorde pilot, Capt Hector McMullin who was on his last trip before retirement.

I believe that this was the trip.

Cheers
Jim

[Grahame Hutchison]

Love the shot of the other three Concordes peeling off from the formation.

[Nigel C]

This topic has really got you going, hasn't it Chris?!