§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make a statement about the 61-year-old pilot who flew Concorde immediately prior to its grounding; and what instructions he was given.
§ Mr. CorfieldIn the course of a test flight on 20th July, Concorde was taken momentarily just beyond its current operating limits. This was none the less below the load at which structural problems could be expected. Immediate examination has shown no indication of damage. Advantage is being taken of a routine period of maintenance to check the aircraft thoroughly. The flight test programme is expected to continue in about a fortnight.
At the time, the aircraft was under the captaincy of B.A.C.'s Chief Test Pilot, with Captain Scott-Flower, the Director of Flight Development of Pan American Airways flying the aircraft as co-pilot. Captain Scott-Flower is a very experienced pilot in current flying practice, and had flown Concorde the previous day.
This was one of a series of flights to provide handling experience for the senior pilots of potential airline customers. A similar programme is being 113W followed with the French prototype. These flights are confined to experienced airline captains, and are preceded by a full briefing on the handling characteristics of the aircraft. I see no grounds to alter the present arrangements.