Book excerpt: From the first time Concorde took to the skies on 2 March 1969 until its final flight on 26 November 2003, the supersonic jet captured the imagination of the public. When Air France and British Airways announced their decision to stop flying Concorde there was a feeling of sadness and disbelief amongst the fans of this beautiful aeroplane around the world. But what of the men who flew her? There were fewer Concorde pilots than US astronauts, but only a handful of them ever had public prominence. This is the story of one of those better known pilots, John Hutchinson. From his birth in India in the final decade of British rule and his escape to England following the bloody battles that accompanied Partition, to the present day, this is the tale of John Hutchinson's exciting and sometimes precarious life, featuring near-death experiences and a life-changing personal tragedy. "A superbly interesting read, written about arguably the most eloquent of all Concorde pilot speakers. One of life's true gentleman and a superb pilot, it is a long overdue biography." - PPrune