Concorde

By: Mike Bannister

Narrated by: Mike Bannister

Brought to you by Penguin.

The definitive account of the rise and fall of the world's fastest plane from British Airways' former Chief Concorde Pilot.

October 24th, 2023 will mark 20 years since Concorde disappeared from our skies. Yet still Mike Bannister, the last Concorde Chief Pilot, faces the same questions:

• Why is she no longer flying?
• Where is her replacement?
• And what really happened on that tragic afternoon in July 2000, when the crash of Flight 4590 grounded the Concorde forever?

Concorde is an enthralling personal account of what it takes to fly planes faster than the speed of sound, and of the events that lay behind 114 needless deaths—the 113 victims of the crash and, ultimately, Concorde herself.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Mike Bannister (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Absolutely beyond words, incredible

With so many books that we enjoy, we enjoyed them because the author made something up that was fun to listen to. This book show shows how flimsy a premise that can be. This book is based on a lifetime of learning, of experience, of investigation, of facts. This is the most enjoyable Reid I can recall, and it is all based on a lifetime of research and grounded in reality.

Worth reading and listening

The author is a rare bird. He writes well and he has a great voice for narrating books. His book gives a great perspective and insight into Concorde. It also highlights my sadness at never having flown abroad her. Like him and many others I fail to understand why Concorde remains the only commercial SST. It makes no sense that no other major country and country has developed their own SST. The story is written by someone that obviously loves the Concorde and loved flying it. Did I say I am sad not to have flown on her. The reverence he shows the aircraft is on clear display. Concorde was not just beautiful but a remarkable achievement. Airbus should build a new one. Boeing appears incapable of doing so. Leaving Airbus as the only company to do so. The few companies trying to build one now are half hearted efforts. Concorde flew Mach 2.2 not 1.7. And the fact that she could not over fly the United States was a US problem. I suspect in the vastness of our country an effort to find a suitable flight path for her could have been successful. No matter this book is in my view worth a read/listen.

Simply Fantastic! Bravo Capt Bannister!

Loved this wonderful book! I really appreciated the insight into the AF crash. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. As a pilot, I felt as if I were on the flight deck with you all for those amazing trips you chose to share with us.

So Much Better Than I Anticipated

I am an aviation enthusiast, which is why I read this book. I thought it would be OK, but it was so much better. It is an autobiography wrapped around late 20th Century aviation history and a real life mystery: What caused the Air France Concorde crash.

This book is well-written and really moves along--appropriate for its subject matter. More surprisingly, the Captain is an outstanding narrator, which is unusual in books read by the author.

Great read and lots of information.

Finally understand the Concorde story

I always wondered what happened to the Concorde and this story provides the details. Well done.