Flying Concorde: A Pilot’s Perspective From the Edge of Space

Supersonic airliner was a truly remarkable engineering achievement and a testament to human ingenuity.

Saturday, August 30, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

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The sim at Brooklands is the only bona fide Concorde simulator in operation. It was used until 2003. [Credit: Jeff Berlin]

Key Takeaways:

The article vividly recalls the author's luxurious and exclusive experience flying on Air France's Concorde, highlighting its "art-like" elegance, speed, and unique passenger environment.
Concorde was an unparalleled engineering marvel, designed for Mach 2 supercruise with sophisticated features like fuel transfer for center of gravity control and a dense, analog flight deck.
A detailed simulator session with a former chief pilot at Brooklands Museum demonstrates the precise and complex piloting required to operate Concorde, likening the experience to flying a "100-seat fighter jet."
The journey, from specialized takeoff procedures using afterburners to the imperceptible breaking of the sound barrier and high-altitude cruise, underscores Concorde's unique technical demands and exhilarating performance.

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I’m seated in “Le Club,” Air France’s Concorde Lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (LFPG). It’s May 2000, and across from me, outside a panoramic window, Concorde waits in silhouette—poised, sleek, unreal.

Check-in was a breeze. The lounge, all blond wood, buttery leather, Badoit and bubbly, exudes curated calm. From my corner, I watch her—a stunning, slender swan with a droop nose, ready to jet us to John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) in New York.