Concorde Twilight Takeoff (with visible reheat/afterburners)

Concorde taking off from runway 27L at Heathrow Airport at twilight in 2003 shortly before it was retired. Every day towards the end, hundreds of cars took up every available spot, parked up on the grass verge beside a busy dual-carriageway just for a chance to experience this a few more times before she was retired forever. You can hear some of their car-alarms going off towards the end and you may just make out the forward landing gear doors closing as she passes overhead.
It was quite delayed in taking off on this particular evening but this meant it became twilight and the many hundreds of people waiting patiently were rewarded with a breath-taking scene - followed by a strong and sudden swirl of wind vortices that blew leaves and debris for a few seconds.
The sheer speed and the low climb-out angle were unique and it is so hard to get across the mix of emotion you experienced... tingles...excitement...pride...deafness...sadness... all mixed together!
Footage from before the days of HD and sound a bit distorted... but unfortunately, I am unable to do it again ! Thanks for all of your wonderful comments - they help to keep the memory alive.
See the 'Club Concorde' group website at: clubconcorde.co.uk/index.php

[@TheDudeheimer]

The past looked more futuristic.

[@onepalproductions]

The future is propeller aircraft, and almost no international travel, and the removal of combustion engine cars in 9 years.

[@Zebred2001]

People used to believe in the future then!

[@wtficantgetausername]

In many many levels. They went hard at the frontiers which was of course unsustainable; but it was a time of pure courage and ingenuity. Without computing power, real life was the simulation

[@254lele]

@@onepalproductions why no int travels?

[@onepalproductions]

@@254lele Greatly reduced international travel will be on the grounds of pollution reduction, just as the elimination of combustion engine cars - by 2025, the end of the Covid-19 response, the new normal will be in place.

[@macnerd93]

Concorde "Arrive before you leave" that was their best slogan.

[@aigeh1326]

#ArriveBeforeULeave

[@suzannewalsh3341]

@@novemberdelta1282 you're mom

[@drfabriciomnogueira]

You lunch in London and lunch again arriving in NYC xD

[@Brtt4849]

@@suzannewalsh3341 u ment ur mom

[@litamtondy]

"Plus vite que le Soleil" I think the motto from Air France is the best Concorde motto. "Faster than the Sun". You could travel around the globe faster than the Earth rotation, thus beating the Sun. Amazing. Just look how beautiful the ads were. hprints.com/s_img/s_md/61/61323-air-france-1976-concorde-plus-vite-que-le-soleil-m-dubre-62c5d9ef6de1-hprints-com.jpg

[@auntbarbara5576]

It's hard to imagine this ever existed and at same time, that it no longer exists.

[@tasercs]

That's an interesting way to sum it up Aunt Barbara, but it is so true!

[@whoopshey826]

give it 2 years. brb lol

[@auntbarbara5576]

@@tasercs 😉

[@bunzinod1964]

We are always living in the past ...

[@Aeronaut1975]

Touché!

[@JasmineLindros]

The Concord did not take off. Those engines pushed the airport backwards.

[@CooookieMonster2]

I wonder what it felt like inside?

[@Evtingperfect]

He's the reason why the earth rotate

[@funstudio8368]

if it didn't take off then how is it in the air?

[@pb6198]

@@funstudio8368 are you stupid, it's a joke

[@funstudio8368]

@@pb6198 I am also joking.

[@StatikTronik]

"Never to be seen again..." that hit me hard...

[@bavarianaviationvideonews5870]

Reading this almost made me cry

[@MarquisDeSang]

@@bavarianaviationvideonews5870 Knowing I will never see one in real life makes me cry.

[@bavarianaviationvideonews5870]

@@MarquisDeSang ye same thought

[@DiscoDiva747]

Should never have been allowed to happen. What a magnificent piece of machinery

[@tedsmith6137]

I'm pretty sure it was seen when it landed at the destination Airport.

[@michaelc7039]

My Dad was a licensed aircraft engineer who worked on Concorde at Heathrow for 27 years. I used to love hearing her roar above each evening, knowing Dad had sent her on her way and he was on his way home soon.

[@sharonbraselton3135]

Chef nes hire your dad

[@yigidovic]

Awwwwwww😢

[@yigidovic]

BTW my father is farmer

[@Beginnigful12]

Then it exploded and dad failed

[@user-yj8qy7bv3m]

​@@Beginnigful12☠️

[@AS-by8ee]

I flew three times in Concorde. Each time, New York to Paris. Can’t even describe how special was this aircraft.

[@keithemerson6002]

The way it just seems to leap into the air is amazing....it's just basically a fighter jet with 100 seats.

[@mikeandtriciajohnson7241]

I used to work on the ramp at Heathrow and almost everyone would stop and watch when Concorde took off, it was especially spectacular in the dark. It was even more spectacular in the rain in the dark as the afterburner flames would appear purple and would be reflected on the wet runway and would also light up the spray. The sound would always appear louder in the rain, a crackling roar that once heard was never forgotten.

[@dave20thmay]

Watching it go over Hatton Cross Station, lit up by lights in the streets against a very dark sky, with those diamond shock waves. Fortunately my memory is clearer than the video.

[@damiankimmins3880]

I lived under the flight path into Heathrow for around 30 years and never tired of seeing concord! The noise... ....and it was so elegant!

[@TheLoneTrader]

That's cool to read. I wonder why the sound appeared louder in the rain?

[@TheLoneTrader]

@@mikeandtriciajohnson7241 That's really cool to know. Thank you.

[@haditjandradjaja8403]

RICH COUNTRIES SHOULD HAVE RE-BIRTH THIS HEAVEN BIRD !!!

[@1111MJR]

I miss that thing. It used to fly over my office at 5:15 every evening on its way into Heathrow. Noisy as hell. Always signalled it was home time.

[@sanatvarma2083]

Very evocative! Thanks for sharing!

[@seamasterist]

I remember shortly after graduating in Bristol in the very early nineties sitting on a cliff head by Portishead with friends, a summer evening, we were all drinking and smoking something we shouldn't have been. Clear blue sky, Concord came over after leaving Heathrow, probably at 20k+ feet. As it passed the coast, the reheats went on. Priceless memory!

[@Patrick73787]

I saw this flying only once in my life. I agree it was pretty noisy, if I didn't look up the sky I would have thought it was a fighter jet passing by.

[@floydjohnson7888]

@@seamasterist "Planespotting" is probably an over-generalization

[@SgtSteel1]

@1111MJR I guess that was New York? Nice. Such a shame what happened because of one accident.

[@asensibleyoungman2978]

The most iconic, beautiful, exotic aircraft ever. I can't think of any other plane that generates so much, affection and excitement from people whenever they saw it.

[@tasercs]

Very true... and will any other plane ever achieve such high praise again? Unlikely.

[@shrimpflea]

The first time I saw Concorde take off I was about 10 years old at JFK from the observation deck.. I'll never forget it. The only other plane would be the SR-71 Blackbird which I also had the pleasure of seeing take off.

[@asensibleyoungman2978]

@@shrimpflea I derive no pleasure from seeing instruments of death like the Blackbird.

[@jacobbrashears]

@@asensibleyoungman2978"Instrument of death"? The SR-71 might be the least deadly aircraft ever built.

[@asensibleyoungman2978]

@@jacobbrashears It was built to deliver flowers, was it?

[@evilryuss3]

We had these in the 70s and 80s and now we fly in what??? Bring these back... 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@Ladynipchick2]

The hairs on my legs stood up, brrr, beautiful.

[@willarterberry3392]

probably the most gorgeous jet ever built imo

[@thatguyinthecockpit7379]

Greased Lightning xd everyone has then but their too small

[@thatguyinthecockpit7379]

Unless you do some kind of surgery or whatever

[@sideshowbob5237]

One of the most powerful videos on KZbin - literally. Four Olympus 593's on reheat: 4 x 37000 = 148,000 lbs total static thrust. We need a thrust and speed to work out a horsepower equivalent. At cruise the engines are throttled back to 10.000 lb thrust each which at Mach 2.05 cruise speed translates to 36,000 hp PER ENGINE. (Bristol designed and made engines too.)

[@jeffreylebowski4927]

Are you Joe Biden or why are you talking about your leg hair?

[@rtbird2500]

This aircraft was a masterpiece

[@tullo5564]

This ugly ass aircraft? Are you sure?

[@rtbird2500]

@@tullo5564 متأكد جداً مما قلته بالأعلى

[@topdog8645]

@@tullo5564 Sorry but Concorde doesn’t have a Yee Yee ass haircut.

[@sparky4878]

Beautiful for any aircraft, especially so for an airliner.

[@rtbird2500]

@@topdog8645 🤣

[@truckertom3323]

I can still remember many times as a Truck driver on the M25 stuck in a traffic, put the kettle on, made a pot of Tea, then just as i had filled my mug and took a sip, there she was taking off from Heathrow, that feeling you get in your chest as you look at her and she just effortlessly flies away to her destination. It's not every day that you are lucky enough to see such an amazing Beauty as Concorde while sitting in comfort of a Volvo FH12 drinking Mug of Tea, i am lucky enough to have seen her on a number of times at different locations whilst driving around the M25.

[@naufalpratama1516]

If I could make a wish, I would take today's digital camera, back to the past and record this majestic plane in 4k

[@1arritechno]

Yeah , you only needed to use a large format film Camera of the 80"s to exceed 4k..! Not everything today is better, whether it's Concorde OR Pro Cameras , the only thing better today is "pretending" on a Computer....

[@ultracubes1304]

No, make it 8K

[@amct1019]

What kills me is that in the late '70s and '80s many people would have wondered what amazing planes we would have in the 21st century if we already have a plane like concorde in 1980. Little did they know aviation would take a huge step backwards as the years went on.

[@RainfulPhenix]

AMCT 101 It's a huge shame. Being part of the industry was as highly regarded as medicine at one point. It kills me to see that its been reduced into a huge lump of money making shit. It's a shame to see that these days pilots are so broke and poorly treated by their companies that they ride on the same bus to the terminal as the passengers do...

[@bilalaltnsk3290]

AMCT 101 well we have amazing planes, amazing plane doesn't mean you have to fly supersonic. the planes we have right now are amazing! they are enviromental, more efficient than the concorde ever will be and they fly ethemselves. in fact a pilot controls the plane, mabye only for 4 minutes during a flight between europe and america. now if thats not amazing, i dont know what is

[@amct1019]

Bilal Altınışık Concorde also had autopilot...

[@krishnbimanagar]

AMCT 101 Might not be relevant, but I would feel the same about music. Queen, Sabbath, Kraftwerks and all of the greatest music came in the 70s. Like some devolution, we have nasty hip-hop, pop crap these days.

[@bilalaltnsk3290]

***** As i said, the planes nowadays have some other awesome features, the biggest one is the fuel efficiency!!! And that my friend is a really big point nowadays! The Airbus A380 burns 3 litres of fuel per passenger per 100 kilometres, while the concorde burned 17 litres of fuel per passenger per 100 kilometres. So if you calculate it the A380 can transport 5 times more passengers than concorde and still burns 12% less fuel. Concorde: 100 passengers * 17 litres = 1700 litres A380: 500 passengers + 3 litres = 1500 litres = 88,24% of concordes fuel consumption you can't compare the efficiency of any old plane to the a380 or the new boeing 747, which is even more efficient than the a380

[@timtube1663]

The only time I was glad to be stuck in traffic on the M25 was when Concorde took off over my head!

[@Turbomgzt]

Tim Wright I used to work in Colnbrook. Night shift. God I miss her! Those Olympus afterburners were a sight and sound to die for.

[@user-ky6vw5up9m]

Yes if i was dropping a traveller off at LHR i would linger at the airport for an hour or two to catch a Concorde take-off. Usually from the car park roofs.

[@hughjaanus6680]

Was it really over your head? Maybe to the side.

[@hughjaanus6680]

@@Turbomgzt Would you really want to die for that?

[@timtube1663]

Yes Hugh. That's why I have no hair.

[@PRECISIONXV]

"Never to be seen again" even after years that still hits deep

[@aviationlba747]

Possibly some of the best Concorde footage on KZbin, absolutely incredible!

[@korbakouak]

2800 FLYING HOURS IN THIS AEROPLANE on the right pilot seat

[@korbakouak]

FABULEUX

[@kirkjamestkirk]

OTHNIN-GIRARD Roland Une formidable machine en effet. 2800 heures de vol à bord de cet oiseau : Quelle chance ! ;-)

[@frenchy35mm]

Je vous plains de vivre en 2014 !!!! Pouce levée pour vous les héros des années 70-80, vous avez fait rêver tous les gamins de France et d'Angleterre , respect .

[@stevehopwood6392]

Hi Othnin could at least one go throw a modernisation? Install digital flight controls and new engine option of the olympos after burning engines mabey have for typhoon fighter jet engine's installed?

[@philmontejano5971]

Did the most senior guys fly Concorde? I'm sure BA 747 captains are senior pilots. One was interviewed recently who flew BOAC retro 747 flew Tristars before 74s. Know him?

[@brethaskers8265]

Just imagine, when this video was shot, Concorde was already 35 year old tech.

[@danny-ce1sd]

My parents were kids in ‘68!

[@Damidas]

Airplane transportation is a joke, the technology is beyond antiquated and has been essentially been kept the same for the last 50 years purely to keep the demand of fossil fuels in place because it generates so much money

[@koolhoven6342]

@@Damidas your so wrong its funny

[@Damidas]

@@koolhoven6342 so funny

[@thientran9461]

@@Damidas got any bright ideas Al Gore?

[@MaidenCanada]

I wish I could have seen this gorgeous bird fly in and out of Toronto . So proud and honoured it flew here in Canada 😊❤❤

[@pillsareyummy]

I lived close to Pearson Airport in the mid 00s, I saw it leave the airport on its last flight out of Toronto.

[@MaidenCanada]

@pillsareyummy wow! It must have been amazing seeing her taking off. I wish there was more videos/ photos of Concorde being in Toronto

[@Alexiosftw]

Concorde was truly a marvel of engineering and a beautiful aircraft

[@stephenclose9996]

I went on it in 1998, the take off was breathtaking.

[@sharonbraselton3135]

Soo dud chef 300 stitan schol fo k d trip on 3 conced problem saw chjef

[@chrishulk1]

I could watch this all day.

[@chicobicalho5621]

In the early 1970s, I saw the exact same scene in front of my eyes in Rio de Janeiro (yes, Air France had a Paris/Dakar/Rio rout in the 70s), and the thunderous noise from Concorde was definitely the loudest sound I have ever heard, and it left people dumbfounded for a while after it went by.

[@StuartH2709]

I remember standing at the end of the runway on the motorway in the early-mid 90's with my dad many times watching concorde take off. The sound was incredible and ear-drum busting. Great times. This video also captures the familiar car alarms going off as well 😂.

[@heyyo162]

"Never to be seen again..." Replay button: "Hold my beer".

[@Mateyhv1]

Lol!

[@niccadoodles]

makes it sound like the plane crashed.

[@onemoremisfit]

Nobody: Will it fit in my Honda? Hold my beer Am I a joke to you? Asking for a friend Everybody gangsta End this man’s whole career He protecc, he attacc … Sexual/genitalia innuendo Scatological/potty joke Question of quantity answered yes Plot twist Left/entered the chat Gaming reference Dislikes are from I’m a simple man Not gonna lie Last time I was this early Legend has it That’ll buff right out Fun fact (X) be like (X) intensifies (X) wants to know your location YT algorithm counting down years Who’s watching in current year? You Tube recommendations So you've chosen death? Understandable, have a great day Punch line below read more

[@onemoremisfit]

@@In_Need_of_a_Savior I'm going out to the garage to work on my truck.

[@user-zy5po1sp4w]

Oh, my stomach..

[@EvieAviation]

I grew up near Heathrow, and I still miss standing in the street watching Concorde roar over head, leaving a trail of car alarms in her wake!

[@byteme9718]

Never happened. It wasn't that loud.

[@EvieAviation]

@@byteme9718 I heard it set alarms off many times. As I heard a 777 set off a car alarm during a go around last year during storm Eunice. Not sure why you would think it didn’t happen?

[@byteme9718]

@@EvieAviation I only mention it because I never found it that loud. The BAC 111s I found noisier and certainly more annoying.

[@richardfreer3372]

I remember seeing Concorde coming in to land at LHR and, as you say, the car alarms were all going off in the car park at the eastern end of the runway.

[@satireofcircumstance6458]

Wow! Stunning. Just look at her go! Power, precision and beauty. I just watched this about 10 times lol.

[@jdmbeats]

Lol, the car alarms going off in the background. What a loud, but beautiful bird ✈

[@alexdonnedavis]

Beautiful and sad at the same time!

[@ferdyholim5687]

It takes 3.5 hour for Concorde to fly from London to New York. If she departs at 18:00 GMT from London, she will arrive in New York at 16:30 EST (the EST is 5 hours behind the GMT). The time goes backward and you see the sun raise again from the west during your journey!

[@Stephen-lx9nm]

Getting to the airport took longer than the flight😂

[@TheEulerID]

I used to work in a building about 1 kilometre north-west of the end of runway 9L. Concorde taking off was the only aeroplane where the sound would penetrate the triple glazing. A the west end of the building from the third or fourth floor we could get a magnificent view of Concorde taking off on the early evening flight to New York. On a crisp, clear winters night on full after-burners with those "dancing diamonds", it was an amazing sight.

[@lbtobl83]

Obligatory car alarms going off. 👍 What a beast that was!

[@PrinceWesterburg]

Still awe inspiring! I remember her flying over, I stopped work as this tiny triangle in the sky yet the whole garage rumbled with the bass. Just incredible!

[@graham542]

Never loses it's magic - can't watch it too many times.

[@johntreherne4611]

you have to admire the kind of engineering that allows a passenger plane to fly faster than the majority of military jets ever built.

[@sharonbraselton3135]

Yes stoll d I se

[@OFFICIALUND]

Wrong. The Concorde had about the same top speed as an F4 phantom . . . one of the earlier military jets. Most military jets built after the F4 have been faster than the Concorde . . . and by substantial amounts.

[@fergusuan7371]

​​​​@@OFFICIALUNDactually he's completely correct. The theoretical top speeds of modern fighters are only achieved with clean wings and no external stores. Such speeds can only be maintained for minutes, due to lack of fuel. Aircraft in theatre often fly with tanks, targeting and jamming pods etc, greatly limiting performance. Concorde supercruised at mach 2 without using reheat. It was another level. To find something faster over that distance you need a Blackbird and a network of tankers.

[@OFFICIALUND]

@@fergusuan7371 that’s some impressive mental gymnastics, but it’s still wrong. No one thinks that “faster than most military jets ever built” involves a kinematics calculation. It’s a comparison of top speeds. Nice try though.

[@fergusuan7371]

@@OFFICIALUND no mate, "top speeds" are irrelevant if you can't reach them.

[@thomaswp2706]

God I will never get tired of this Video and this Aircraft. Who cares if she burned through more fuel than an American pickup truck or was louder than anything flying commercially at that time. She is and will always be a marvel of technology and beauty. And if anything her being loud makes it all the better cause she made people turn there heads at stare in awe of her sleek lines and 4 afterburning turbojets all with a cracking fighter jet like roar to go with it

[@biff5856]

Right on. What a hypocritical premise, burning too much fuel. What about all the rockets the US has sent into space? What about fuel burned at drag strips? Car races, etc. At least the Concorde provided a service to the public. (Albeit a wealthy one) In a manner never to be forgotten.

[@airmagebobby7269]

​@@biff5856 Uh, well. Fuel is expensive. I don't mean to be too annoying, but it's not that hypocritical because they didn't get rid of them for much else than that. As far as I can tell at least-- not being at all educated in the field. In the case of rockets, the US's NASA, Russia's CCCP and other nations and their corresponding space agencies were given money and told, "Go launch rockets that go into space." So, they did. Drag strips exist exclusively to have a place to make loud noises and go fast (I think), and car fuel isn't usually quite as refined as jet fuel. Both space agencies and the drag strip accomplish what they intend to by consuming high amounts of fuel. The commercial airline companies want to make money, so by running a fuel intensive plane, they do not. When it comes down to it, I guess it's a matter of intended function. Also, satellites are really quite convenient.

[@biff5856]

@@airmagebobby7269 Well my aforementioned examples would appear to have the wherewithal to piss that expensive fuel away. You really think your comments are valid? They're shoddy excuses .

[@airmagebobby7269]

@@biff5856 Wow. Thats great biff.

[@warrax111]

@@biff5856libtards and their ideas are always absurd, as their argument. They are out of this planet, like from the Mars. These green activists are almost always libtards.

[@dukeoversteer]

What a glorious sight those afterburners in action. Those pilots and passengers were a privileged few.

[@Purler2010]

+dukeoversteer Surely that was her problem; only the privileged few could use her. That and the sonic boom and the sheer noise would have done for her even without that tyre.

[@edawg792]

+Susan Platter Well said

[@rwboa22]

@@Purler2010 also the high consumption of jet fuel didn't help either. Thankfully with both the advancements in using composites (by both Boeing for the 787 and Scaled Composites for SpaceShipOne), the next generation of SSTs could build off of the 50+ years of advancements made. And most likely when Virgin Galactic gets off the ground with paying customers that Sir Richard Branson will focus on the next generation of SSTs, taking advantage of flying them over the Arctic (and Canada's sparsely-populated Northwest Passage) to connect with places like Alaska, Seoul, Tokyo, and Sydney (in addition to the traditional NYC-London and NYC-Paris routes).

[@agt155]

@@rwboa22 Per 1st class passenger Concorde was more fuel efficient than the 747.

[@agt155]

@Kilo Byte That's why I said per 1st class passenger. In other words if a 747 was all 1st class it would be less fuel efficient per passenger than Concorde.

[@BadenCityFire]

no words needed !!!!!! simply stunning !

[@dezzadiggler3693]

A short but excellent recording of an iconic masterpiece! Thanks for posting this!

[@markeone]

I have lived around Heathrow all my life, in my youth, I worked as a courier. I drove past this lady many many many times, always in awe. Later when I worked in the office, we'd get the multiple take offs and landings a day, I missed the morning one, but the arrivals always had people on the other end of the phone asking 'what the hell was that!'. On one occasion, I happened to be stopped at a red light on the northern perimetre road. As the traffic light went green, this lady roarded up to full afterburners on the runway next to me. Watching her depart was one of the best sights and feelings of my life! A lot like what you see in this video!

[@8-bitsteve500]

Utterly gorgeous aircraft, I miss her so so much.

[@GoukiCastle]

Him*😊

[@komv123]

​@@GoukiCastle Her* Vehicles, especially ships and planes are female. It's hard to find them with masculine names.

[@leokimvideo]

So important to put the copyright sign on this video. Sadly these days so many people rip off, crop and flip videos and upload them to facebook or back on this site.

[@therocinante3443]

Yeah... Now there's TikTok AKA Chinese (copyright) infringement at it's WORST

[@EdVonPelt]

Nothing AI can't remove on the go. Hell, for images, photoshop can deal with even the most invasive watermarks imaginable.

[@craiglizt8074]

Makes me shed a tear. Its incredible

[@HeathrowAircraft]

Beautiful Craig. The dusk really shows off the afterburners to amazing effect. Great catch of a truly historic aircraft. Best wishes Steve

[@tasercs]

Thanks Steve. I look forward to looking through your videos :)

[@ICEMANZIDANE]

It looks surreal and i cant imagine how the next generations will react when they see this. This looks crazier than in a war or movie. What a crazy beautiful plane.

[@fredscratchet1355]

Young kid- Siri what was Concorde? Siri- The future

[@e30kitty]

[@pushinglimits3285]

Such a beautiful looking plane.! Damn that thing was amazing

[@robw7676]

Probably the single most incredible aircraft ever built. As I grew up with Concorde existing, I never really realised that at the time. I saw them flying many times and thought they were cool, but would be replaced with something even faster that was bigger and more comfortable within my lifetime. I didn’t truly appreciate how mind-boggling an achievement it was. I wish to god I had, and had flown on one when I could have saved up and done so in my teens and early 20s.

[@raalaa121]

My manager at work always bangs on about how she went on the Concorde. I get why she always shows off. It's a stunning aircraft.

[@Spamcan81]

Awesome. I was lucky enough to fly Concorde once and the takeoff made all other jets seem tame. Thanks for sharing.

[@BigBear81]

I played golf in Arizona with a retired gentleman from England. I asked what his profession was. I took a great liking to him. As the conversation grew, he shared a story of a time a rented a Concord Jet for an employee appreciation trip he hosted from England to Spain. Every-time I see a Concord I think of the golf round. I hope he is well.

[@peterrabbit5431]

Great video, thank you for capturing a moment of history.

[@mrmullett1067]

Saw her come in over Chiswick in 1976 after the first commercial flight. All of London was watching. We used to go out to the Little Green Man pub to watch her take off overhead. What a time that was. Awesome is insufficient .. too much is not enough. Magic is perfect !!

[@gjonno]

I think it was 1970. I was 14 yrs old and travelling down M5 near Bristol on our way to Torquay for our family summer holiday. My brother screamed at me to look out of the window, he’d seen it come into view. Concord took off right over the top of our car, so close you felt you could touch it. What a sight, what a sound, what an experience. At 14 yrs old I had seen and witnessed a beautiful miracle of science. Never to be forgotten. I can still see it now, 50 years on.....

[@GuyIngram]

One of the most amazing things I've ever seen. It set off all the car alarms in the long stay car park!

[@sharonbraselton3135]

Top gun too

[@chriswilson2431]

A bit of history there beautifully captured and hopefully saved elsewhere for future generations to see what she was like and how she sounds. Fantastic.

[@maxustaxus]

What an awe inspiring sight. Cathedrals took a century to build....but people in miserable ancient times devoted their one and only chance in a whole lifetime to escape from the village they lived in to journey to such places to marvel at the spectacle of glass, lights, towering stone, and splendor. Cathedrals don't make sense. You can't live in them, you can't heat them, you can't even use the space for anything except marvel. And yet they were built, and inspired generation after generation. Because they lift the human spirit. You get the point. Concorde did not have to make commercial sense to be worth keeping. We all know that she flying at take off burnt more fuel than a small medieval village would for the whole of a winter. And yet, she inspires the soul. Some things can't simply don't make sense, yet are worth keeping. Concorde was one of those things.

[@hedkandicaine]

***** You and maxustaxus say it perfectly and beautifully. Concorde made us believe we could do great things, there has yet to be anything built technologically advanced or stunning since she was retired, and its that step backwards that is what makes it so utterly sad. We all feel it.

[@chris-rfs]

But Concorde was making money in its last few years so it could have carried on doing so. It is a real tragedy,we have gone backwards in aviation.

[@bustabanana]

I agree

[@uberkelvin]

this right here is one of the most beautiful youtube comments i've ever read

[@peterbradshaw8018]

I agree. From a book keeper in training.

[@lm1584]

Having witnessed a Concorde take off, this video IN NO WAY, presents how LOUD that ship is on departure.

[@9carcottrell246]

L H well said sir we had 6,000 complaints on noise and 5,000 on sonic boom 💥

[@jimgemmell2831]

You had no noise complaints 9 car. You had nothing to do with Concorde.

[@AJ-qn6gd]

Designed by engineers with pencil and paper no CAD back then, respect to those guys 👍🏻🇬🇧

[@Aeronaut1975]

And no pocket claculators either, it was slide rules.

[@blacksand.]

missing one flag ! 🇫🇷

[@psychm4787]

The most beautiful site in aviation history !

[@chris-rfs]

Crazy that this is no longer flying. The science of the 21st century went in reverse when this was retired .I flew in this in 1995 and what an experience. We have gone from flying in a Formula 1 car to flying in a Ford Saloon.!!

[@rodholland4389]

WHAT A REMINDER. Its absolutely unforgettable to anyone, especially red blooded guys to watch Concorde but for me, to this day, I remember it as I saw it. A special evening in early December 1996...a cold frosty late Friday evening with a clear sky and the lights of London in the background while I was waiting alone round the back of an industrial unit somewhere near the end of the Heathrow runway, all the area quiet now with it being the end of the week, having driven all the way from Yorkshire to pick up some goods. Wasn't thinking of planes or Concorde. Didn't have a clue where i was and the supplier was very late and I had got used to the planes passing above me. Its around 9pm and from nowhere or at least somewhere not far away a rising crescendo of engine noise just like nothing else. OMG head turning....like nothing else. A huge monstrous roaring. I looked up and there above the nearby units, coming towards me was the rising underbelly of this beautiful machine. Mesmeric, staggeringly beautiful looking up at maybe 200 or more feet above me. Seeing the navigation lights and and cabin windows and the massive wings overhead. and feeling the noise. So iconic, so majestic. What really impressed, almost jaw dropping, were the massive afterburner jets. Pinks and Purples and White & Orange flaming exhausts and the crackling roar of those engines on maximum thrust. At moments like that time stands still and it seemed like 30 seconds or more of being spellbound as Concorde lifted up and away to the west. Wow and then I realised what i had seen. I will never experience anything like that again. So unexpected and utterly amazing. I'm sorry that none of you could experience it...this video is only a taste of the true experience. I later learnt that this late Friday flight was always heavily loaded out to New York and therefore was on maximum burn straining to get airborne. Yep I was lucky that night.

[@ChristinaChrisR]

Even though I’m jealous....your beautiful writing took me there, to that night. I felt it.

[@Enzo_q]

I remember flying on the Concorde for the first time.. it was so special and different from every other flight I‘ve ever taken. The whole ambiance was way different back then. Sadly the flights were always way too short😭 but yeah..

[@pierreo33]

So beautiful. Timeless design. Looks like a spaceship or something !

[@Peter-lm3ic]

I live in South East London Uk and Concorde used to regularly fly over my house after takeoff from Heathrow and it was always an awe inspiring sight and sound! Much missed!

[@itzfaroff456]

When it said never to be seen again that broke my heart

[@swansong007]

Concorde had the power to stop you in your tracks to watch her take off or land. Her beauty was out of this world. No other plane will every do this again. It makes me sad to see her now like a ghost from the past.

[@edhale6528]

Saw it taking off once in my life. In the middle of a school track meet I stopped and watched it fly overhead. So glad I did as I wasn't going to win anyway.

[@martineames2491]

What an era that was, by far my most favourite aircraft ever made. Must’ve been amazing to fly in it. These regularly flew over the old Carryfast warehouse (now the UPS depot). My dad used to take me to work sometimes during the school holidays and I’d await every take off & landing with awe at this exact spectacle. Thank you for posting - pure nostalgia!!

[@tasercs]

We may never have flown on Concorde but it sounds like we both have life-long memories to savour forever. So lucky to have seen it in person.

[@lyndonfisher299]

I saw it frequently working in London going in to land at Heathrow in the 80's but never saw its jets burn like this on take-off. Magnificent! Really miss it. Brings back great memories. Thank you for this video sir!

[@aerofoil74]

Absolutely awesome night footage of this amazing aircraft.

[@PacoSmith]

What an awesome spectacle! I wish I could have experienced it, first-hand. Thanks for sharing.

[@tasercs]

Thank you Paco. I too wish you could have experienced Concorde for yourself.

[@Predikant]

Asides from the awesome spectacle of that amazing aircraft, the fact that the delivery van drove off with the titles is equally impressive!

[@tasercs]

Brilliant! Well spotted :)

[@johnbower7452]

Gone but she'll never be forgotten. Glad I have lived when I did; youngsters now will never see this beauty for real as I have.

[@tasercs]

Couldn't agree more John - well said.

[@danstarone]

One of the best shots of an unbelievable beast of the sky's!

[@Kaarna5]

"sky's"

[@StephenJohnWaring]

I was lucky enough to be in an abandoned takeoff in Concorde at Cairo. A glass of champers was offered to while away the time whilst they tested the engines (faulty throttle amplifier). They were not supposed to serve drinks until cruising altitude, but they were hardly going to take the drinks off us. So I am one of very few people to take off in Concorde with a glass of champagne in my hand.

[@Mateyhv1]

What is an abandoned take off?

[@-_James_-]

@@Mateyhv1 Power up, start rolling, detect problem, power down, and taxi back to the terminal. Of course you can only do that if you haven't reached the point of no return on the runway. I.e, the point where you don't have enough runway left to stop safely. If you've reached that point, you're committed to taking off, flying around, and (hopefully) landing again. That brings in a whole host of new problems though. Most planes can't safely land with a full tank of fuel because the total weight will exceed the safety specifications of the landing gear.

[@StephenJohnWaring]

On this occasion we sat at the end of the runway whilst they ran the engines up. Eventually we flew back on the throttle amplifier we flew out on. It was great to be in the cockpit talking to the first officer and flight engineer whilst flying at Mach 2.

[@Mateyhv1]

@@-_James_- ok, rejected TO 😂

[@goldorak3251]

I am one of the very few people to see AF Concorde from Acapulco Control Tower during its around the world record in 1995.

[@Legotyres]

I once heard it around Leeds train station (UK) and when I saw it, I it was massive then then pilot gave it some beans and it was amazing to see how quickly it shank. I’ve never seen or heard anything quite it before or since. It was mesmerising to witness

[@javianjohnson8746]

One of the greatest aviation videos of all time...🔥

[@mockingbird-media-uk]

Absolutely beautiful sight ! The raw power being delivered by those rolls Royce Olympus engines where magnificent

[@richardharrold9736]

The days when air travel could still be glamorous. Not any more. If ever I cross the Atlantic, it'll be by Cunard!

[@richardharrold9736]

@Captain it's a miserable experience for most these days, and there's nothing that will do even half Concorde's cruising speed...

[@raccoon874]

*the way this plane LEAPS into the frame and keeps going, it's like... no, cannot even make a parallel..*

[@happydayz7366]

Concorde to me is everything that was great about growing up in north london in the 70,s and 80,s , people sometimes ask who was the first girl you ever loved !! The first girl i ever loved was concord and i remember the first time i ever laid eyes on her ,she took my breath away ,i was a snotty nosed long haired 6 year old kid in the play ground at school playing a very important game of marbles (i was a very skilled flicker) and at the time one of the best players for my age ,i heard the roar of her engines and i looked up and saw the most beautiful thing i had ever seen ,i instantly knew what it was like to fall in love ,i was absolutely speechless i just gazed in utter amazement and when i finally looked round to say to someone ,did you fxxxking see that ,the whole school play ground was gazing up to the sky !!! My friends and i used to sneak on the London underground to Heathrow airport in the late 70,s and watch concorde take off and land and we used to go to arrivals lounge and watch all the movie stars come through customs and i used to think ,you dont know how lucky you are !!! It was a very sad day when she was retired,even sadder that they didn't even keep one of the beautiful birds maintained to fly at air shows and special events ,i would of loved my boys to have seen one in flight and felt the thunder from those rolls royce Olympus engines with the afterburners lit up like something out of star wars !! Both British Airways and Air France are a discrace in the way they just threw them on the scrap heap and basically didnt want any thing more to do with them !! Apparently Richard Branson had inquired to purchase them and keep them flying but true to its word ,it said " no way " to the man that coined the phrase "No way BA/AA !! When they tried to put virgin out of business with the bullying tacticts !!

[@tasercs]

Some amazing memories there! Most people who comment here feel a similar mix of nostalgia and sadness. Concorde was a national treasure that was allowed to slip away. You can't help feeling that something that symbolised just how amazing Britain once was when great minds worked together to achieve greatness - was more of a loss than can easily be quantified...

[@mikemars5984]

Was a tad noisy.You would never get away with that now. Living in London you could hear it coming and everyone used to rush for a look. So uplifting you never got tired of it. I was driving past Heathrow one day in the evening. As I approached Concorde was landing and for a few moments our lives were in sync. It was parellel and about 50 feet off the ground. Beautiful sight I will never forget.

[@sl4983]

Amazing story, thank you.

[@robinhooduk8255]

it was extremely noisy. im sure the only reason it wasnt stopped was because it was only afew times a day that you would be deafened. i watched it take off when making a delivery to an office on north peremiter road one morning, i honestly thought it was so loud it was gonna blow the windows from the building.

[@bavarianaviationvideonews5870]

That Text at the End brought tears into my eyes... even tho i have never seen this beauty in action Aviation will never get boring but it will never be as exciting as it was ! 😓

[@dannymcnamara2554]

Great video Craig!!She was a wonderful aircraft.Cheers mate from Edmonton,Alberta.👍🏼🇨🇦🇬🇧

[@tasercs]

Thanks for the message Glenn. Happy New Year from London

[@Peergint67]

I so remember that experience. It was great!! An airshow each day!

[@A340DICTATOR]

This brings back sooooo many memories! Liked a lot!

[@meilmontigny9201]

The French & the English built an unbelievable aircraft back in the late 60's that still hasn't been matched.

[@ubu852]

Jawdropping. The car alarm being triggered at the end is a nice touch.

[@perrymaskell3508]

Will we every see such a thing built again where pride of Nation, beauty and elegance is ahead of pure profit? Concorde commands your attention and evokes your emotions like little else.

[@tasercs]

You have certainly summed up what Concorde was Perry. Sadly, I don't think we will be proud of something in such a similar way again, well not something that took the amount of money, effort and collaboration Concorde took, as you say. I was born at just the right time though and so very grateful to have seen (and felt) Concorde in person.

[@ryansimpson4781]

Love that full burner, pitch up. Right before Concorde begins to climb.

[@bluepricklesaviation4626]

I need this to be my alarm in the morning

[@Miss_Scarlett]

Such grace and beauty

[@wincrasher2007]

makes you wonder how it carried enough fuel to get where it was going.

[@Mateyhv1]

Bcause AB was only used on take off and on breaking sound barrier

[@Barnabe51Reims]

@@Mateyhv1 : And was flying at 60.000 ft

[@nopenopeson1097]

Travelling back in time of course

[@carmadme]

It only had just enough fuel to make the journey I think they had to get special permission to fly as the reserve was so low and landing was treated as an emergency landing by the airport due to this (don’t quote me I’m not 100%) Oh and as a sidenote my avatar is of the testing labs ngte pyestock where these engines among many others were developed

[@horsenuts1831]

@@carmadme There was one occasion when either the pilot or co-pilot, running a bit low on fuel, decided against refuelling in Ireland. They made it to London, only to run out of fuel while taxiing to the gate. I think somebody lost their job over that.

[@johnmastrangelo4791]

The Concorde was the greatest passenger aircraft ever designed. This aircraft was something out of fictional movies, but yet it became a reality. This craft was sleek and beautiful. Its safety record was impeccable. The only crash to occur was due to human error. A piece of metal stripping, which fell onto the runway moments before the Concorde would be coming down the same runway caused the left rear tire to explode. The fragments from the tire severed the landing gears wires and tire fragment slammed into the bottom of the wing were the fuel tank was located. This caused a wave in the fuel in the tank to expand to the point that it caused a leak in the tank. The fuel then bled through the top of the wing. The fuel was than believed to have ignited by the severed landing gear wires when sparking as touched each other during flight. After the crash, Concorde grounded all flights and investigated the cause of the crash. After determining the cause of the crash, Concorde reinforced the fuel tanks, and used a newly designed tire that was more puncture proof. But when flights resumed in November 2001, bookings on the Concorde declined. At the time we were at war with Iraq. We had an embargo in place with Iraq. France continued to trade with Iraq. President Bush made it clear to the French that the U. S. would not stand for the French not placing pressure on Iraq. Many U. S. Citizens evidently felt the same. When air flights resumed for the Concorde in November 2001, the French Concorde was booking on the average of 10 passengers per flight. The British were booking 50 to 60 passengers per, or filling more than 50% of the plane's capacity. The French were losing money on their flights so they decided that they would discontinue service. The company providing maintenance for the French and the British, decided to stop providing maintenance on the Concorde. As a result British Airways decided to discontinue service. On October 3, 2003, the Concorde made its last flight to JFK. Aviation once again moves at a snails pace, in relationship to the speed and safety of Concorde. This is shameful. If one looks at a present day passenger aircraft such as a Boeing 787, and then one looks at the Concorde, it is like looking at a 1924 Ford, and then looking at a 2014 Lambergini. We must once again build our dreams, as did the designers and engineers of the Concorde. If we do not, we will remain stagnant and boring.

[@fernando13e]

" If one looks at a present day passenger aircraft such as a Boeing 787, and then one looks at the Concorde, it is like looking at a 1924 Ford, and then looking at a 2014 Lambergini." The truth could not be more clear excellent choice of words, since 2004 we are living a life of monotony where manufacturers just satisfy the consumer demand they are lazy and it seems that they arent looking or at least planning an ambicious, sleek project like the Concorde was.

[@tonyt7196]

The 787/Concorde comparison with Ford/Lamborghini might be apt, but the years should be flipped (with 1924 bumped up to the '60s). 787 is a thoroughly refined modern aircraft, albeit in subtler unexciting ways, whereas Concorde was a high performance machine of decidedly old school conception (tailless delta configuration, analogue flight deck) - a classic that still looks great.

[@george385]

Tony T Analogue flightdeck.......with Supercruise and Fly by Wire?

[@tonyt7196]

george385 Um, yes...all three of those (independent) things.

[@99domini99]

george385 Yup steam cockpit.

[@TripReviews]

Flying from Orlando FL to Toronto away back we were near Washington DC. The pilot came on in the PA and announced if we looked to the port side left side of the plane the Concord was passing us. What a sight!

[@johntate5050]

The most iconic, beautiful plane ever.

[@boahneelassmal]

That car alarm just casually going of in the background

[@JJamesLow666]

Yeah, the afterburners popped out the alarm

[@hughjaanus6680]

They are engrossed, watching the concord now's the time to rob their car.

[@claudiocarbone2225]

Concorde powa