Concorde and Its Complicated Cockpit

The needle-nosed beauty is on permanent display at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.

Icons of an earlier era, the British Airways and Air France Concordes were engineering marvels and a tangible symbol of what can be accomplished when nations work together. But the Concorde represented so much more than just a plane. It was an aircraft which could fly higher and faster than any other commercial passenger jet in history. Crossing the Atlantic from London to New York at twice the speed of sound, it took only three hours and thirty minutes to make the journey. Since Concorde’s retirement in 2003, the fleet was dispersed around the globe to aviation museums that continue to honor its achievements. British Airways flew seven aircraft in total and their Concorde registration G-BOAD was donated to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City. Proudly displayed next to the USS Intrepid Aircraft Carrier on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan, Concorde is now a landmark on the Hudson.

The flight deck has “rams horn" flight control columns and carried the Captain, First Officer and Flight Engineer.

I had an opportunity to visit this Concorde on a trip to New York a few years ago. Its cabin interior is relatively new and still in great condition, thanks to the plastic seat covers helping to preserve them. In 2001, following the grounding of Concorde after the tragic Air France disaster, British Airways spent £14 Million refurbishing the cabin during that down-time. The “new” interior only saw two years of active service before Concorde’s retirement in 2003. I actually got to enjoy the comfortable leather seats, imagining myself whisking across the Atlantic at supersonic speed and noted the British Airways logo had been designed right into the arm rests. Nice touch! I even had a chance to visit the cockpit in the open flight deck and was astounded at the innumerable gauges, dials and switches in what seemed to be relatively tight quarters!

The Concorde was designed mid century and had one of the most complex analogue cockpits in aviation history.

The Concorde cockpit was regarded as being very different from anything else flying at the time. While other airliners had similar elements to its flight controls, Concorde’s was more complex, with additional features not seen on any other commercial airplanes. The flight deck looked complicated, perhaps because it was a complicated aircraft to fly. Its flight controls would have looked relatively similar to most pilots as it included all the typical flight instruments of the day. However, there were numerous additional instruments that gave the Concorde flight crew necessary information unique to its capabilities. It was also a very crammed flight deck compared with that of other passenger jets. Due to the streamlined front end of the Concorde, the aircraft had less headroom above and a narrower cockpit than most planes. That meant its buttons, dials and switches had to be packed in much more tightly, adding to the sense of a crowded and confined space.

Concorde's four engines, its afterburners, and dropping nose added controls and complexity over other aircraft.

One of the main differences that instantly stands out with the Concorde was the additional bank of control panels on the right-hand side. Concorde required a minimum flight crew of three persons, with the flight engineer working alongside the two pilots. This was not uncommon at the time. The Boeing B707, B727 and B747 were all designed for a three-person crew which was standard operating procedure at the time the aircraft was designed and during its early operating years. In many ways, Concorde improved on designs and cockpit layouts from earlier aircraft. But, the plane’s special abilities meant there were a few new switches, gauges and elements to the flight control panels. The four engines had added afterburners, which required additional control and monitoring options. Aerodynamic features, especially the movable needle nose, likewise brought more into the cockpit. The Mach Meter added extra information, with two orange colored “bugs” that identified the range of Mach numbers available at the current center of gravity. There was also an extra indicator that displayed the present center of gravity, and a new display on the main front panel that showed the range available at the current Mach number.

Concorde's fuel was stored in thirteen sealed tanks, which were integral to the plane's wing and fuselage structures.

Fuel management, too, was more complex with Concorde. It had multiple fuel tanks, with fuel moved around during flights and requiring monitoring and control. The bulk of the fuel was stored in the wings, but there were tanks forward and aft to enable vital control of the aircraft’s center of gravity during supersonic flight. The aircraft also required complex cooling systems to avoid overheating of the fuselage at higher speeds. Part of this functionality lay in the materials used, but the aircraft also had a cooling system that circulated lower-temperature jet fuel to cool leading edges. Again, more displays were added to enable the crew to manage this.

A look at the cockpit of a Boeing B787 shows how much has been simplified with the advent of "glass cockpits."

Of course, when we look at the Concorde and other large airliners at the time, the big difference is they were designed using a traditional analog cockpit. Modern aircraft use what is known as a “glass cockpit,” a display system that brings digital screens into use to display different information for the flight crew as required. This breakthrough has enabled pilots to effectively rotate the information supplied to suit their needs, allowing a huge number of dials, displays and gauges to be removed from the flight deck. This has certainly streamlined the appearance of the modern cockpit and would have done the same for the Concorde as well. But, the European supersonic transport aircraft had a short-lived reign in the skies, and never had an opportunity to get the modernizations which today’s commercial aircraft enjoy.

Super model Christie Brinkley smiles when sharing a drink on the Concorde's final flight from New York to London.

Regardless of the look of the cockpit and the workload for the flight crew, there had to be something magical about flying at twice the speed of sound at 60,000 feet above sea level. It was the most iconic aircraft ever made and remains the only Western-made commercial aircraft able to fly faster than the speed of sound. While its Soviet-made counterpart, the Tupolev Tu-144, could also break the sound barrier, it never attained Concorde‘s status, perhaps due to its short-lived service or because it was hidden behind an iron curtain. In its day, Concorde epitomized glamor. Celebrities clamored to secure a spot on the supersonic plane, and images of famous actors, musicians, sports figures and politicians flying the aircraft helped to cement its very special place in aviation history.

I only regret I never had an opportunity to fly on that beautiful bird!

Until next time...safe travels.