If you missed out on the golden years of Concorde – or maybe you simply couldn’t afford a ticket – this footage of take off will be like a step back in time.
According to the voiceover, it’s a “sequence of events that are unlike any other flying experience”.
Watch in real time as the legendary Concorde gets off the ground at Heathrow airport in London, UK, from the POV of the cockpit.
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While we recently saw the emotional, yet gripping, final commercial takeoff of Concorde from JFK Airport – this is a whole new perspective.
Posted to TikTok by @simplyaviation101, when lined up the pilot and first officer must then wait for clearance from the control tower.
Once granted, the team are given the “all set” before counting down.
“Three, two, one, now,” says the captain.
They then build speed before it’s called at 100 knots (71.5 km/h/115.08 mph).
To which the reply is: “Perfect” before the V speeds are also called and the “”rotate” command is given.
This tells the other pilot to lift the nose of the aircraft off the runway.
Once off the ground you hear the “Positive climb” and “Gear up,” exchange.
But what’s remarkable is that on Concorde this was done almost simultaneously.
Concorde had a maximum speed of Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 km/h) at cruise altitude – over twice the speed of sound.
If you want to put this speed into perspective, this speed of sound animation should help you out.
For many years Concorde was the ultimate way to travel in flashy and luxurious style.
It was the first commercial supersonic jet, reaching New York from London in under four hours.
It seated 92 to 128 passengers.
With its high-profile clientele and second-to-none travel time, the supersonic jet seemed poised for long-term success.
But several factors, from ticket prices to a catastrophic crash in 2000, led to the plane’s demise.
The cost of a ticket was astronomically high, costing about $12,000 in today’s money for a round trip across the Atlantic.
The original Concorde took its last journey in 2003 after entering service in 1976, but the plane’s icon status remains intact.
Once you’ve taken in this take off, you can also see this incredible close-up runway view of Concorde landing.
