My brother used to work for BA ticketing (DBA) and he told me that Concorde was profitable towards the end of its life and always full.
I think he said that it was the charter flights that brought it the money.
I think he said that it was the charter flights that brought it the money.
My uncle was involved from the radar side and recounts how amusing it was to watch the Lightning fighters try to scramble to perform a mock interception; they could peak at Mach > 2.2 but that wasn't anywhere near sufficient. They could only manage it if held airborne with a tanker ahead of the flight path and given lots of warning.
Later the Lightnings were 'replaced' by the Tornado F3, which was so anemic in performance that they didn't even try for a firing solution. They used to have to engage partial reheat to keep-up with the turboprop Soviet 'Bears'!
My most lasting memory of it, though was the pollution - the air was brown behind it when it initially thrusted up, and the smell was really intense. A great machine, but not a friend of the environment, sadly!
Can't remember runway minima etc, but I remember watching one leave Leeds-Bradford that also ran some charters near end of life.
Right to the end of the runway, then full short takeoff tactics. Spin up engines and fire reheat on the brakes, then release. Noise and smoke as you'd expect - engines were in the power and on reheat before it even moves. One thing afterburners can never be is environmental.
Still managed to look like it used most of the runway before unsticking!