Skilled pilot 'did his best'

Christian Marty, the Concorde pilot who steered his doomed aircraft away from the busy streets of Gonesse, was an experienced Air France captain and a keen sportsman who 20 years ago became the first Frenchman to windsurf across the Atlantic.

"He was an exceptionally competent man, admired and liked by everyone at Air France who knew him," said Bernard Pedamon, a fellow Airbus pilot and friend. "He flew his first plane in 1969 and had over 10,000 flying hours behind him. He will have done absolutely everything he could."

Marty, who leaves a widow, was born in the southern town of Saint Laurent du Var. Aged 54, he qualified as a Concorde captain just over a year ago. He died at the controls of his plane as it plunged into a hotel on the outskirts of the small town, east of Charles de Gaulle airport.

"For me, the pilot is a hero," said Jean-Marie Alexandre, a Gonesse delivery driver who watched the plane come down. "He made a big swing to the left to avoid crashing onto Gonesse or the N17 autoroute. He knew what was happening and tried to avoid any more deaths."

Another pilot, Eric Derivry, said Marty was "a great sportsman, very sharp mentally and physically - he was at the very highest level". He said the dead pilot was an active sportsman known for taking his mountain bike with him on long-haul flights to while away the turnaround hours.

Pierre-Jean Loisel, another Air France captain, said Marty had been the captain on an Airbus 340 for many years before moving on to Concorde flights. "He was a humble man and a very, very professional one," he said. "I'll always remember him as a calm, committed pilot who was also a sportsman at heart."

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