Flying high in a beautiful machine

IT is difficult to explain the feelings one experiences when the throttles are opened to full and the brakes are released - the rush of the acceleration pushing you back into your seat as the aircraft reaches around 200mph before the nose lifts and the incredibly beautiful machine climbs 11 miles above the earth and speeds to mach 2.2 - about 1400 mph.

The view as the aircraft reaches its cruising height of 60,000 feet is stunning - the curvature of the earth and the deep blue colour of the atmosphere is awe-inspiring.

I enjoyed the wonder of the Concorde eight times (I think), my first flight being in 1977, one year after it was put into service.

That was to Washington DC, and I made that journey several times including once to Dallas Fort Worth, on my way to Mexico.

Braniff Airlines of Texas had teamed up with British Airways to offer transatlantic flights to their clients.

The Concorde flew supersonic to Washington where a Braniff crew took over to complete the journey, at sub-sonic speeds to DFW. For insurance purposes, there had to be a British crew aboard during this part of the journey.

This arrangement with the Texas airline came to an end in 1980, having lasted just one year. Braniff collapsed shortly afterwards.

Similarly, I flew on a London to Singapore service in 1979 or 1980. That journey was via Bahrain (subsonic) then supersonic to Singapore.

The port side of the aircraft was in the Singapore Airlines colours whilst the starboard side retained the BA livery. That was some journey - when we arrived at Bahrain the red carpet was out and there was a guard of honour complete with a military band.

But the reception committee was not for us - they awaited the arrival of a member of the Bahrain royal family.

We were parked on the apron for about 25 minutes and the pilot was ordered to shut down the engines. It was stifling in the cabin and the crew had to open the doors to give us some air. Eventually, we got into the airport as the Concorde was refuelled.

A Singapore Airlines crew took over from the BA personnel and, boy, did they provide some service.

ALTHOUGH the BA crew had provided the passengers with a first-class service, they were not a patch on the Singapore girls, dressed in their Pierre Balmain-designed Malay sarong kebayas. I will never forget being served tea by a beautiful young Malay girl who knelt beside my seat as she poured from a silver teapot - a bit over the top maybe, but unforgettable.

In March 1980, Bennet Travel of Edinburgh arranged a weekend break in Paris - the return trip was to be by Concorde and I managed to get seats on that flight for my son and daughter and my ex-wife and myself.

It would be the first time a Concorde had landed at Edinburgh. Thousands of people went out to the airport and took other vantage points to see the beautiful Air France Concorde land at Turnhouse on Sunday, March 23.

The flight was from Charles de Gaulle and went out over the Bay of Biscay to reach its ultimate speed and then up the North Sea before coming into Edinburgh. Each passenger was given a signed certificate confirming that we had flown on Concorde at twice the speed of sound.

I flew to Tennessee on several business trips. After the Concorde arrived at Washington Dulles International, I was whisked by limousine to Washington National Airport along the freeway from which we had great views of the White House and Capitol Hill.

The onward journey - to Tri City Airport serving Knoxville, Johnston City and Bristol - was made by a 727. What a contrast that was to the Concorde part of the journey! The young man who checked us in popped up again at the aircraft steps to collect our boarding cards - and again as one of the two stewards on the flight!

On one of these trips there was only one other passenger on board and he turned out to be from Scotland and was on his way to an electronics factory in Johnston City.

WHEN Air France and BA announced the withdrawal of Concorde from service I was angry and sad in turn. Now, I am just sad; sad to think that these companies’ lack of vision - and sense of tradition - has brought an end to one of the finest times in aviation and to the legend of one of the greatest achievements in the history of our inventiveness and skill.

Andy Baillie, the Scot who flew the last Concorde from London to Edinburgh in October 2003, was recently quoted as saying: "When it [Concorde] stopped, aviation took a step backwards. We have stagnated and nothing will replace Concorde."

How true. My son, who lives in Blackheath, London, went out into the street - which is almost directly under the westbound flight path to Heathrow - to see the last three Concordes make their final final approaches to the airport. He was joined by about a dozen of his neighbours - all men, young and old.

As the roar of the third-to-pass aircraft died away, my son noticed that, like him, all of his neighbours were crying. Such is the depth of emotion that this symbol of this country’s ingenuity can evoke. Another nail in the coffin of Britain’s greatness.

• Norman Bryce is an Edinburgh-based retired journalist. He has donated his Concorde certificate commemorating the first landing in Edinburgh to the Museum of Flight. The certificate is now on show as part of the Concorde exhibition along with other mementoes from other Concorde flights he took.