What it was like to pilot the supersonic Concorde jet

[daydreamer]

This article on CNN will be interesting for all you aviation enthusiasts...... I'm looking at you, @PeterRS.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/what-it-was-like-concorde-pilot

 

[PeterRS]

1 hour ago, daydreamer said:

This article on CNN will be interesting for all you aviation enthusiasts...... I'm looking at you, @PeterRS.

Ha! Sadly I am not a pilot and would not have a clue how to fly any aircraft. I assume you refer to the one time I was upgraded from a business class ticket. I managed to get seat 3A as I did not want to be close to the engines and assumed that the back would be a lot noisier. The service on board was excellent but business class nowadays in some airlines is way better, certainly in terms of having tons more room and flat bed seats - Concorde was cramped and the seats would not even be as good as premium economy nowadays - and often also in terms of the food. Being able to board direct fron the Concorde lounge was certainly a major benefit, as was the guarantee that bags would be on the carousel at JFK not later than 15 minutes after reaching the gate. I could not complain about the free limo into Manhattan either!

I suppose my only gripe was that try as I did I could not see the curvature of the earth! I can only assume that I probably over-imbibed in the Concorde Lounge and on board that my eyes played tricks on me! But that thrust on take-off was amazing as was the steeper angle of ascent.

[mauRICE]

7 hours ago, PeterRS said:

But that thrust on take-off was amazing as was the steeper angle of ascent.

A sensation I'm sure many a forum member could relate to following a night's visit to Patpong.  😏

[PeterRS]

I love this last-ever photograph taken of Concorde as the last of the British Airways fleet made its way to an airfield near Bristol, its final resting place. The photo was taken by a flegling photograper named Lewis Whild as it flew over the Clifton Suspension Bridge 

And then there is the old BBC clip of the final three Concordes landing at Heathrow. The last I believe was the regular morning Concorde BA002 from New York. The other two were charter flights.

 

[unicorn]

If you're curious as to how comfortable those seats were, there are several places where one can sit on decommissioned Concordes--and it some places even get into the cockpit. In 2021, my husband and I went to the one near Seattle, Washington.

Top Locations to Sit in a Concorde:

• Intrepid Museum (New York, USA): Offers tours of the British Airways G-BOAD, allowing visitors to sit in the cabin and sometimes the cockpit.
• Runway Visitor Park (Manchester, UK): Features G-BOAC, with guided tours that include sitting in the passenger seats.
• The Museum of Flight (Seattle, USA): Displays G-BOAG, allowing visitors to enter the cabin.
• Brooklands Museum (Weybridge, UK): Provides the "Concorde Experience" with cabin access.
• Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum (Germany): Displays Air France Concorde F-BVFB, which is accessible to visitors.
• Musée de l'air et de l'espace (Le Bourget, France): Home to the prototype F-WTSS. 

 

[alexa800]

Reading about flying the Concorde took me back to when I tried introductory flying lessons near me. You get to start with a weather briefing, then an hour flying a small plane with an instructor. It was a fantastic hands-on experience that helped me appreciate aviation even more. Just being in control of a Cessna and feeling the flight firsthand was thrilling.

[unicorn]

On 1/24/2026 at 2:55 AM, PeterRS said:

...Concorde was cramped and the seats would not even be as good as premium economy nowadays -- and often also in terms of the food...

At least the flight was a quick one (3.5 hours)! These days, most people would prefer to spend more time--but in comfort. I never flew the real thing, but when I sat in the decommissioned plane, it felt tighter than a seat on a budget airline such as Southwest. Many Americans would have trouble sitting in those seats. 😄

https://www.heritageconcorde.com/concorde-cabin-interiors

[daydreamer]

12 hours ago, alexa800 said:

Reading about flying the Concorde took me back to when I tried introductory flying lessons near me. You get to start with a weather briefing, then an hour flying a small plane with an instructor. It was a fantastic hands-on experience that helped me appreciate aviation even more. Just being in control of a Cessna and feeling the flight firsthand was thrilling.

Alexa, that must have been thrilling for you.  Did you operate the Cessna under VFR or IFR?  Since you are located within the 60 nautical mile radius of Washington DC, did you complete the mandatory FAA Special Awareness Training before your flight?

[BjornAgain]

11 hours ago, unicorn said:

...Many Americans would have trouble sitting in those seats. 😄

 

During the 80's, seats 1A and 1B were on occasion filled by a Mr. Rupert Murdoch and a Mr. Robert Maxwell, who dispite the public media spat between the two press barons, would converse amicably on the Atlantic Crossing.

Your comment of Amercian's and seat sizes sparked my thought, as Captain Bob, aka The Bouncing Czech (a nickname bestowed by none other than Harold Wilson when he was PM) was always a rotund gent. 

As Peter Sellers said in '72 "Not a lot of people know that".

[floridarob]

13 minutes ago, BjornAgain said:

who dispite the public media spat between the two press barons, would converse amicably on the Atlantic Crossing.

Kind of like me and Gayinpattaya or @Olddaddy in person 😝
 

 

22 hours ago, alexa800 said:

Just being in control of a Cessna and feeling the flight firsthand was thrilling.

I took flying lessons for a short time on a low wing Warrior Piper, a different experience than the high wing Cesna..... never finished to get my license because of time and money and the airport wasn't very close to my house.... the radio to tower back and forth was confusing, everyone talks so fast ....  

 

12 hours ago, unicorn said:

At least the flight was a quick one (3.5 hours)! These days, most people would prefer to spend more time--but in comfort.

I flew on the Concorde back in 1991 using USAirways miles, before the watering down of frequent flyer programs.

When I called to make my reservation (before the internet) I asked the girl if it was worth it, she said it's an experience you won't forget, and she was right...however, some memories fade with time and I remember bits and pieces of it, I was younger and didn't really appreciate the moment as much as I would today. Then I flew their 747 back to the states on her recommendation of going there in the shortest time and then return on the longer flight and enjoy the luxury of the 747.

[thaiophilus]

9 hours ago, daydreamer said:

Alexa, that must have been thrilling for you.  Did you operate the Cessna under VFR or IFR?  Since you are located within the 60 nautical mile radius of Washington DC, did you complete the mandatory FAA Special Awareness Training before your flight?

My guess would be "no",  but one would hope that the instructor did. 😈

[daydreamer]

15 hours ago, thaiophilus said:

My guess would be "no",  but one would hope that the instructor did. 😈

Since we know @alexa800 is not a real person, but is a robot, I asked the questions to see what her responses would be.  The same as before in other threads, she does not respond to questions.

[unicorn]

20 hours ago, daydreamer said:

Since we know @alexa800 is not a real person, but is a robot, I asked the questions to see what her responses would be.  The same as before in other threads, she does not respond to questions.