IT DIDN’T QUITE WORK OUT AS PLANNED
By Jim Zuckerman
Training supervisor
Time: The Mid-90’s
Place: Manhattan and JFK on a snowy winter’s day
Dramatis Personae:
– Jim Zuckerman, USA Training Supervisor
– Robert Surles, USA Human Resources Manager
– Bernard Morel, VP and General Manager, USA
As trainers, we often had to go to Paris to learn new applications before disseminating them to USA staff. I set off for JFK on a snowy day. (In fact, it had been snowing for several days in a row that winter.) Upon arrival at the airport, I learned that my flight was canceled due to the blizzard conditions. I returned home.
I showed up at the office the next day, and spoke to my manager, Robert Surles. I told him the only way I could still get to attend the class in Paris was if I took the Concorde that very day at 1 PM: I would arrive in Paris late that night and be able to attend the class the next day. He said he would run that by Bernard Morel, the top USA honcho, as trainers did not normally have the authority to travel on Concorde for business purposes.
Mr. Morel said yes! So I immediately left the office for JFK. The Concorde was packed as it had been canceled for several days prior due to recurrent snowstorms. I was lucky to get a seat.
We departed on time. How exciting for me to finally experience this aircraft! About an hour and a half from New York, I was looking at the machmeter on the bulkhead, which showed the plane’s speed. It generally showed a 2.0 or thereabouts, meaning it was traveling at more than twice the speed of sound. Suddenly, I noticed the numbers descending. I said to myself: “I didn’t realize that the Concorde slowed down in mid air from time to time. 2.0 – 1.9 – 1.8 etc. until we started approaching 1.0. Yikes!
The captain finally chimed in, telling the passengers that we had lost power in one engine and had to return to JFK at subsonic speed. Remember: many of these passengers had been trying to get to Paris on the Concorde for days on end. There were loud groans. Making matters worse, Concorde did not fly well at subsonic speed; the turbulence was so bad that the crew collected all cutlery and plates and glasses, lest they become projectile weapons. The man sitting beside me crossed himself, he was so frightened.
The captain reassured us that another equipment awaited us at JFK, and we would be immediately transferred to the new plane. It meant that rather than arriving late at night, we would arrive the following morning. I would have to go right to my class.
All 100 passengers exited into the Air France first class lounge. (You should’ve seen the expressions on the JFK employees’ faces: they had been dealing with multiple Concorde weather cancellations and knew these passengers well.)
After about an hour, we finally boarded the replacement aircraft. However, the wait to take off at JFK was huge, as many many planes had been delayed due to the still snowy weather. We must have been number 90 for takeoff. We taxied forever.
In fact we spent so long taxiing that the captain eventually announced that we had run out of fuel, and had to return for refueling. More loud groans from the passengers. But the good news was that the refueling could take place nearby and we did not have to return to the gate.
Additional groans. Astonished faces on the JFK AF staff – again!
On the wing of Concorde at gate 34 of New York JFK, Jim Zucherman with a training group.
© collection Jim Zuckerman
