Flying Concorde [Paperback]

Brian Calvert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2002

This new edition of what has become one of the major references to the world's first and only supersonic airliner, has an added section that covers the cause of the Paris tragedy and the remedies and improvements that have been made in the light of the accident report. It also brings the reader up to date with many other improvements that have been made to the aeroplane that will keep it in service for many years to come."Flying Concorde is written in a manner which gives anyone who knows the author as well as I do a feeling of talking to him in person. He knows the aeroplane, and he writes about it in such a way that even the most technical aspects can be readily understood. It is a delight to read.The story of Concorde is a large subject, concerning as it does both the technical history of the aircraft and its struggle to be accepted as an airliner. I am sure that those who read this book will enjoy it as much as I have." -Brian Trubshaw, Chief Test Pilot

Editorial Reviews

Review

'FLYING CONCORDE is written in a manner which gives anyone who knows the author as well as I do a feeling of talking to him in person. He knows the aeroplane, and he writes about it in such a way that even the most technical aspects can be readily understood. It is a delight to read. The story of Concorde is a large subject, concerning as it does both the technical history of the aircraft and its struggle to be accepted as an airliner. I am sure that those who read this book will enjoy it as much as I have.' Brian Trubshaw, Chief Test Pilot

About the Author

During Concorde's entry into service with British Airways, Brian Calvert was Flight Manager (Technical) and responsible for deciding the methods by which Concorde would be flown, the flying qualities of the aircraft and its suitability for potential routes. He carried out acceptance trials and flew several of its inaugural flights.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Crowood; 3rd edition (August 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840373520
• ISBN-13: 978-1840373523
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,852,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable reading, January 18, 2002

By 

"b_debnath" (Ithaca, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flying Concorde (Hardcover)

This book talks about the design of the aircraft and flight operations first. Then it goes on to describe flight testing and the history of the aircraft.

It is a special plane and it is flown in a special way. It is a must have for those curious about the concorde.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction and thorough, July 5, 2003

By 

Carl Seglem (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flying Concorde (Paperback)

I looked at a number of Concorde books, and this one and Orlebar's Concorde Story stood out.

This one is easy to read, very informative, talks about the technology without getting too detailed and talks about some of the politics and difficulty without getting caught up on it.

It's black and white and medium format, so the Orlebar makes a nice color complement to it.

Enjoy

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story of development and testing thru actual airline use, December 7, 2011

By 

Loving Healing Press "www.LovingHealing.com" (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flying Concorde (Paperback)

Brian Calvert had the unique perspective of flying both pre-production and in-service models of the Concorde which is pretty rare in this business. Often test pilots test and airline pilots fly passengers, rarely is there crossover. Additionally, Brian was among one of the first pilots at many different destinations with the Concorde. I read the 2nd Edition which is not as updated as the one for sale now, it only went up through 1989 which things were looking very good for the craft.

It has a good balance of technical vs. stories so the non-pilot will never be bored. The sheer number of innovations on the machine are fascinating to hear about and how it's competitors all failed to be built with the exception of the TU-144 which was its own horrorshow. Most interesting fact: they did NOT test a two-engine failure at Mach 2 because the same type of testing crashed two American B-58 Hustlers and they knew that loss of a single test article would mean the end of the program. I did enjoy learning the stories behind the FUD campaign (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) with respect to SST engine noise and sonic booms which were two things the public did not know the difference about.