Concorde frequent flier saddened by crash

Hans Hollander, a 72-year-old New Yorker honored by Air France for being the most frequent flier on the Concorde, said Tuesday he was shocked by the crash of the supersonic airliner near Paris.

"Oh my God. I am extremely sad about this," he told Reuters when he learned of the crash. "This has left me in a state of shock."

Background: Flight AF4590 aircraft Delivered to Air France on June 17, 1979 Put into service Oct. 23, 1980 Landings by plane 3,978 Flying hours 11,989 Last 'C' check completed April 28, 2000   Fact Sheet Supersonic vs. 'jumbo' jet in Trans-Atlantic travel     ALSO Concorde crashes near Paris; 113 dead    Concorde info: The Concorde jet is capable of traveling from Paris to New York in three hours, 45 minutes at a cruising speed of Mach 2 or 1,370 miles per hour. Capacity: Its seating capacity is 100 passengers and it usually has a crew of nine. Daily service between New York and Paris started in 1977. The Concorde holds two world speed records for commercial flights. In 1992, it circled the globe from east to west in 32 hours, 49 minutes and three seconds. Three years later, the Concorde flew west to east in 31 hours, 27 minutes and 49 seconds.

Hollander, an aviation expert and former president of the American Aerospace and Defense Agency, has flown on Concorde 528 times -- spending a total of 77 days on board.

Air France put on a special ceremony to mark Hollander's 500th flight with the plane. He has flown on Concorde more than anyone else.

Hollander has flown 1.7 million miles aboard Concorde since his first flight in 1977. The vast majority were with Air France: "I took maybe seven or eight on British Airways."

In a telephone interview from New York, he said the crash would not deter him from flying on the plane again.

"I hope to take it in the next month," he said. "I still believe it is the future...It has always been such a reliable aircraft."

He said the Concorde has always given him a great feeling of safety.

Concorde pilot to release autobiography

Brian Trubshaw, the test pilot who flew Concorde on its maiden flight in 1969, is about to release his autobiography, "Concorde: The Inside Story."

Rebecca Nicholls, spokeswoman for Sutton Publishing, said he was "very, very upset" but would proceed with the launch of the book at an air show at Farnborough, England, on Wednesday.

"I hope people do not think it is distasteful. He has nothing to hide," she said.

"He obviously feels dreadful," Nicholls said. "The track record for British Airways with Concorde has been impeccable."

The Concorde airliner crashed in the French town of Gonesse just after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport, killing all on board and four people on the ground, rescue services said.

The aircraft was bound for New York with 100 German tourists on a flight chartered by a German tour operator.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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