16th Sep 2010, 14:14
permalink Post: 375
Keeping her warm
I used to work for BA at BHX (Engineering). BHX was one of the BA diversion airfields for when LHR got fogged out.
A few of us were therefore trained on non BHX based aircraft types in case of diversions. On my shift, I was trained on the B747 and my colleage on Concorde.
Of course we didn't see these aircraft very often, but when we did we had to get out the old course notes to refresh
.
However, whenever Concorde turned up, my overriding memory was of my colleage who was obsessed with 'keeping her warm" - at all costs. I remember an occasion where the GPU, that had been running for a few hours (connected to a Concorde), ran out of diesel and therefore the power dropped off-line. I thought my colleage was going to have a heart attack - he did not come down from orbit until power was restored and everything appeared 'normal' again.
I think that this was something drummed into him whilst on his Concorde training course
A few of us were therefore trained on non BHX based aircraft types in case of diversions. On my shift, I was trained on the B747 and my colleage on Concorde.
Of course we didn't see these aircraft very often, but when we did we had to get out the old course notes to refresh
.
However, whenever Concorde turned up, my overriding memory was of my colleage who was obsessed with 'keeping her warm" - at all costs. I remember an occasion where the GPU, that had been running for a few hours (connected to a Concorde), ran out of diesel and therefore the power dropped off-line. I thought my colleage was going to have a heart attack - he did not come down from orbit until power was restored and everything appeared 'normal' again.
I think that this was something drummed into him whilst on his Concorde training course