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How it flew

Reheat, a droop nose, and a white aeroplane that grew in the heat

British Airways gives a take-off speed of 220 knots (250 mph) and a cruising speed of 1,350 mph — more than twice the speed of sound — up to 60,000 ft.⁠1

The Concorde had a maximum cruising speed of 2,179 km (1,354 miles) per hour, or Mach 2.04 — more than twice the speed of sound — allowing the flight time between London and New York to be reduced to about three hours.⁠2

The four engines were Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593s, each producing 38,000 lb of thrust with reheat, which added fuel at the final stage of the engine for take-off and the transition to supersonic flight.⁠1

British Airways gives a range of 4,143 miles (6,667 km), a length of 203 ft 9 in (62.1 m), a wing span of 83 ft 8 in (25.5 m) and seating for 100 passengers — 40 in the front cabin and 60 in the rear.⁠1

As the aeroplane gathered speed, those on board could watch the Mach meter at the front of the cabin. Mach 1 is exactly the speed of sound; Mach 2 is twice the speed of sound.⁠3

View from a British Airways Concorde window of the curvature of the Earth at about 55,000 feet.
From G-BOAB in 1984, cruising at 55,000 feet — more than ten miles up, the photographer noted, at Mach 2.02.Photo: M McBey · CC BY 2.0 · Commons

British Airways says Concorde was subjected to 5,000 hours of testing before it was first certified for passenger flight.⁠1

Labelled side view of Concorde’s droop nose A simplified side outline of Concorde. The nose is shown in a raised cruise position and, in a dashed outline, lowered for take-off and landing. Labels mark the visor, droop nose, fuselage, ogival delta wing and tail. Not to scale. Visor / cruise nose Droop nose (lowered) Fuselage Ogival delta wing Fin Engines
The droop nose, raised for cruising and lowered for take-off and landing, on a simplified side view.Drawing: our own, simplified and not to scale
Preserved British Airways Concorde G-BOAF at Filton, photographed nose-on with the visor and droop nose clearly visible.
The droop nose of G-BOAF at Filton, where this aircraft made the last Concorde landing.Photo: Adrian Pingstone · Public domain · Commons
Looking along the needle nose of a Concorde towards the cockpit windows, at Imperial War Museum Duxford.
Looking along the nose towards the cockpit, at Imperial War Museum Duxford.Photo: Steve Nimmons · CC BY 2.0 · Commons

Heat and stretch

The airframe was not the same length on the stand

Concorde measured nearly 204 ft in length and stretched between 6 and 10 inches in flight due to heating of the airframe. It was painted in a specially developed white paint to accommodate these changes and to dissipate the heat generated by supersonic flight.⁠1

Labelled diagram of airframe heating and stretch in flight Two simplified plan outlines of Concorde. The lower outline is slightly longer, with a dimension mark labelled 6 to 10 inches, the figure given by British Airways for how much the airframe stretched in flight because of heating. Not to scale. ON THE STAND IN SUPERSONIC CRUISE 6–10 inches (BA)
British Airways says the airframe stretched between 6 and 10 inches in flight because of heating, and was painted in a specially developed white paint.Drawing: our own, simplified and not to scale
Rear view of preserved Concorde G-BOAF at Filton, showing the tail, engines and tail bumper.
The tail and bumper of G-BOAF at Filton in 2006, a reminder of the steep angle on take-off and landing.Photo: Adrian Pingstone · Public domain · Commons

For the times those speeds were meant to buy, open the crossing clock.

Sources on this page

  1. British Airways, Celebrating Concorde
  2. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Concorde (Scholars)
  3. National Museums Scotland, Concorde: The story of supersonic passenger flight