Flying the BA Concorde SST

Flying and Going Supersonic As you may know, flying a delta wing aircraft is not as simple as flying other aircraft. It takes a considerable amount of skill. Additionally, flying a supersonic aircraft is also a challenge. Concorde's four powerful Olympic engines generate a tremendous amount of thrust. However, don't try to go supersonic unless you're in the "thin" air. In other words, you'll want to be above 40,000 feet to operate beyond Mach 1. Attempting to fly at high speeds at a low altitude will demonstrate the Concorde's flight instability. After takeoff, use the engine power to climb toward the heavens. You'll find that the Concorde will climb at 3000 feet per minute without straining. When you reach 45,000 or so and start to level out, you'll find that the airspeed will slowly, but steadily start moving towards Mach 1. In cruise, the Concorde travels at about Mach 2.1. As you approach this speed, ease up on the throttle, If you exceed this speed by too much, the Concorde will become unstable - just as in real flight. Click for enlargement

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