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.