Jouko Vallikari fears passion overcame political realism when it came to keeping Concorde in the air (Flight International, 23-29 September).
He is right. It is the same passion, along with a sense of pride, determination and dedication that means we all had the chance to see this beautiful aircraft fly in the first place. Without the passion, tenacity and visionary engineering that prevailed in the 1960s, the world would never have been privileged enough to marvel at the wonders that only a supersonic transport can provide.
The "political realism" to which he seems to be a martyr would have dictated that such a massive undertaking was not possible, and Concorde would never have existed as more than a few components on a forgotten drawing board.
Are there any other technological marvels he feels that we should consign to the scrapheap simply because of politics?
Philip Lewin
Loughborough, Leicestershire. UK
Source: Flight International
