This year has been a good year for 50^th birthdays.  I can think of three that immediately come to mind, two of which are the 747 and Concorde.  The 747 is still in production and service so it shows up on here pretty frequently.  Concorde, on the other hand, has been gone from service for over 15 years.  I could have posted this on the 50^th anniversary of the first flight but that would have required planning!  Instead, today we have a selection of shots I have got over the years.  Having had the chance to see Concorde in service a lot, I consider myself pretty lucky.  As a student in London, I used to watch the arrivals out of my bedroom window each evening.  You always knew it was Concorde.  The noise level was unmistakable, even on the approach.  Takeoff was something else!