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q CAPTAIN MIKE BANNISTER - FLIGHT MANAGER, CONCORDE FLEET
Captain Mike Bannister is Flight Manager, Concorde Fleet, for British Airways. He is responsible for its Flight Operations, technical performance, Flight Crew training and management together with developing and maintaining standards for flying crew on the airline's flagship supersonic fleet of seven Concorde aircraft. He is based at British Airways worldwide operational headquarters at London's Heathrow Airport.
Mike joined BOAC (British Airways' predecessor) in 1969 as a pilot and flight navigator on the VCI0 (Vickers) fleet. He became the youngest pilot on the Concorde fleet in 1977, completing the first ever course for 'Line Flight Crew.' Over the following years Mike was a member of a number of government and industry policy groups dedicated to aviation safety, at d became a Concorde pilot instructor in 1986.
He became Assistant Training Manager and a Captain on British Airway' BAe1-11 fleet in 1989. He also served as Flight Crew Manager for that fleet and the 'high tech' A320 fleet. In 1990 he was appointed Flight Manager (Technical) for the BAe1 11 fleet. In 1992 he moved to the B757/767 fleet as departmental Manager Business Development & Communications and was named Head of Communications, Flight Operations in 1992. He was appointed the airline's Chief Concorde Pilot in 1995 and still flies regularly as Captain on all of the aircraft's routes worldwide. Concorde has now visited 249 destinations - 72 in the USA.
Mike was graduated from the Ashton School, Dunstable, and the College of Air Training Hamble, having been awarded a Royal Air Force Flying Scholarship in 1966.
His Concorde 'firsts' are too numerous to list, highlights include: landing the aircraft on inaugural visits to Oakland, Philadelphia, Denver, Dallas, Baltimore and Miami. He commanded the aircraft in June 1996 on the 50th Anniversary Fly Past of London Heathrow Airport, flying in formation with the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows. He flew Concorde to New York on her 21st birthday on January 21st, 1997, and commanded Prime Minister Tony Blair's state Visit to Denver for the G7 Summit meeting later that year. He has recently worked with NASA and Boeing on the next generation SST.
Mike was instrumental in helping to develop the 'Ride The Rocket Roadshow' having worked closely with US staff to produce the introductory video. He also provided much of the technical information and some of the exhibits. He was at the controls of BritishAirways' Supersonic Flagship when all of the stunning 'Air to Air' photographs and movies of Concorde in her new 'Utopia' livery were taken.
Mike (49) resides in Middlesex, with his wife Christine - a British Airways Customer Service Director. He has three children: James (17). Robert (15) and Amy 15).

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