Donal wrote:

Concorde had it's final commercial flight today.

For the last 27 years, I've watched her take off and land. ... There is no other aircraft that
conjures up the same sense of pure awe.

.... or hate!

... It sounded like two very loud hammer blows on the hull in quick succession. .. I
... was surprised to see a tiny aircraft at about 35,000 ft.

I was at a horse show the first time it flew out of Dullus. A over dozen
horses broke their halters and galloped off in terror thanks to that
tiny aircraft, spreading noise and soot over 1000s of square miles every
afternoon, just so the idle rich could get to Europe a few hours early,
subsidized by taxing folks who could never afford to fly in it. It was
at once an economical and ecological disaster. Good riddance!