The Concorde Story: Seventh Edition (General Aviation) Hardcover – Illustrated, April 19, 2011

I've previously bought "Concorde", the abridged version of this book. I found it so interesting, albeit short, that I wanted to check the complete book.Orlebar's "The Concorde Story" is a very attractive book that covers events from development through operation to retirement, including the only accident in 27 years of service.I have to say this is one of the most thorough books about Concorde. It has lots of information, many illustrations, an accessible language and even a description of what was like to fly it. I liked it very much that almost every aspect of this unique airplane appears on the book. Even the "Concorde B" proposed development is mentioned. It doesn't dig deep into political or technical details which made Concorde unique, but that's understandable: if it covered every aspect up close, it would have been much bigger and perhaps more tiresome to read. There are, however, other books that complement this one, like Brian Calvert's "Flying Concorde", which I also recommend.Great reading to realize what a technological marvel it was, which first flew 50 years ago.Capt. Orlebar's book is surely a must-have for all aviation fans. "The Concorde Story" does an excellent job telling the story of the world's only successful SST. It's an homage to all those who dedicated their lives working hard to see her fly.

This is a very wonderful and complete history of a remarkable aircraft. The book reviews the history of both airframe and engine development from roughly the early 1940s that made possible the final culmination of this amazing supersonic transport. It is complete in its discussion of the Concorde's flight parameters and place in society. There are several books on the Concorde; I bought this one, because it is recommended by a retired British Airways Concorde captain whom I heard speak. I highly recommend reading this well written and well illustrated book.

It seems odd, that the most futuristic passenger airliner ever built belongs to the past. Concordes flew from 1969 to 2003. One would think, that with the experience gained designing and operating the Concorde for all of those years, that a Concorde 2 would be built: a little faster, more efficient, greater capacity, quieter, and with a mitigation of its sonic boom.There was a proposal in 1976 for a redesigned Concorde with a different wing plus other improvements. But by that time, British Airways and Air France had all the SSTs they needed and no other airlines expressed any interest in buying the Concorde. Alas, with no market and a shortage of money, no follow-on version would be built . . . .Coolest photo, page 91: The Concorde looks like a spaceship taking off in the night with all four afterburners ablaze.2nd coolest photo, page 132: Four Concordes flying abreast high above a white blanket of clouds.Worst graphic, pages 152-153: You will need a microscope to read the fine print on this drawing which shows the locations of scorching and debris left on the runway by an ill-fated Concorde that crashed shortly after takeoff in 2000.Prettiest photo, pages 194-195: A radiantly white Concorde flying above the long, narrow Clifton suspension bridge.Best graphic, pages 228-229: A two page spread of a cutaway drawing of the Concorde.Overall: The author does an excellent job providing all the details, from the initial concept of the Concorde to their final destination after each had clocked their final hour. This seventh edition is quiet complete.

Excellent book with lot of technical details of this mytical plane, but being sponsored by British Airways I feel the focus, the photos are 90% of BA Concordes, I think more artistic photos, more recent in high definition would improve the book that also deserve a larger format, is rather small for the kind of photos this technical marvel deserve.

Comprehensive look at the Concorde airplane, very interesting book with lots of detailed pictures and photographs.

Great read! Good writting.

Great book and quick shipping. Thanks!

nice amount of photos,i buy and rate books for their photo content,can critique the writing content