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Concorde disaster examined from engineering point of view

WHO: David Malaher WHAT: Why did the Concorde crash? WHERE: Whistler Public Library WHEN: Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m. On July 25 last year a Concorde jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport in France.

WHO: David Malaher

WHAT: Why did the Concorde crash?

WHERE: Whistler Public Library

WHEN: Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m.

On July 25 last year a Concorde jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport in France. The crash, which killed all on board, was the first major accident in the quarter-century the supersonic passenger jets have been flying.

David Malaher spent 28 years in the aerospace industry. As vice president of operations for a multinational corporation he was involved in aircraft, engine and spacecraft projects in the United States and Europe. A professional engineer, his aerospace career covered many types of aircraft, including supersonic fighters, computer controlled machines in manufacturing, and pioneering the introduction of graphite composite materials for aircraft structures.

During his presentation at the library Malaher, now a Whistler resident, will discuss behind-the-scenes details of the design, development and flying life of the Concorde.

A member of the Whistler Weasel Workers and the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, Malaher first came to Whistler in 1982 to produce the World Cup downhill race results by computer. He is currently involved in a naval architecture research project on catamarans at UBC. He is associated with the Canadian Legal History Project in Canadian/American history of 18 th and 19 th century diplomacy, particularly the development of the boundary between the two countries. He is also working on archival reference material of the Russian American Company prior to the sale of Alaska to the United States.

The Concorde lecture is free.