Like so many prime ministers before him, John Major loved to fly Concorde. The supersonic urgency, the friendliness aboard, the feeling of being part of an elite jet set – it was addictive and one of the joys of being prime minister.
Here he is arriving from a bilateral meeting with Bill Clinton in Washington on what was reportedly his first ever flight on the supersonic jetliner. The union flag is flying from the cockpit as it pulls up to the stand in terminal 4 and Mr Major looks decidedly chirpy after the flight – it was under four hours after all.