Monday 27th November - 1845 for 1930
'Coal Gas to Concorde – WW2 to Concorde - Presented by Peter Griffiths
Peter Griffiths comes back to Air ACES, to tell the second half of the remarkable story of the development of passenger aviation.
This time, he will be covering the period between the WW2 and Concorde.
Previously he told us about the attempts to cross the Atlantic, firstly by balloons filled with coal gas, then seaplanes, airships and legendary pilots, including Alcock & Brown in the early aeroplanes.
In this talk Peter will tell the story of the development of the various types of aircraft crossing the Atlantic, from the end of WW2 right up to the world’s first supersonic passenger aircraft, Concorde.
This inspiring talk will include coverage of early in-flight refueling, piggy-back flights, the Comet, Boeing 707 and then Concorde itself!
Monday 11th December - 1845 for 1930
‘Concorde – The Legend’. Presented by Phil Holt - A wonderful opportunity to rediscover the grace and glamour of perhaps the most beautiful aircraft in history, with this nostalgic presentation from the superb speaker, retired Air Traffic Controller, Phil Holt. Concorde was the first aircraft that Phil spoke to ‘live’ after being posted to Heathrow Airport in 1978.
How fast, far and high did Concorde fly? Where did the name Concorde come from? Why was Concorde retired? How much did Concorde cost? Will one ever fly again? These are just some of the questions Phil will answer on perhaps the most beautiful aircraft ever to grace the skies.
He will reflect on the ingenuity and expertise from the designers to the international development teams and the crews who flew Concorde. But it wasn’t all plain sailing.
The Americans and the fuel crisis conspired to almost bring an end to her life in the 70s and 80s, but the loyalty of Concorde’s passengers carried her through. Nevertheless Concorde was prematurely retired in October 2003.
The grace, beauty and romance is rekindled as Phil recalls the celebrities, the humour, the engineering and involves you in the Concorde experience!
“You can be in London at 10 o’clock and in New York at 10 o'clock.
I have never found another way of being in two places at once” – Sir David Frost.
AirACES is an aviation talk society, providing its members with regular talks, given by experts in many different fields related to the world of aviation.
For further information about AirACES, please see www.airaces.org.uk or call David Batcock on 01243 823007
NEW VENUE
The talks are now held at the Avisford Park Hotel, Yapton Lane, Walberton, Arundel, BN18 0JS. 7pm for 7.30 start. Members £5, Non-members £7 and under 16s FREE. Doors open at 6.45 no pre-booking, no reserved seating