Learn the Concorde take-off procedure: droop nose, reheat, V-speeds, rotation, gear retraction and common simulator mistakes.
To take off in Concorde, crews set the droop nose to 5°, used weight- and runway-specific V-speeds, selected take-off thrust with reheat on all four Olympus engines, rotated smoothly at VR, retracted the gear after a positive climb, then cancelled reheat and raised the nose and visor at the prescribed points.
For our Aviation & Real-World Flying readers, this describes the retired airliner's normal method rather than an operator checklist. Runway, wind, temperature, aircraft weight and noise-abatement rules changed the precise speeds and power schedule. Simulator pilots should follow the manual supplied with their Concorde model.
Concorde take-off procedure step by step
A Concorde departure depended on calculated performance data rather than one set of speeds copied from another flight.
- Calculate the departure: Determine V1, VR and V2 from aircraft weight, runway length, slope, wind, temperature and pressure. Performance planning also had to respect tyre-speed and obstacle limits.
- Configure the aircraft: Set the hinged nose to the 5° position with the visor lowered, then set take-off trim and confirm the centre of gravity against the load sheet. Concorde had no conventional take-off flaps.
- Line up accurately: Centre the aircraft on the runway and complete the final control, instrument and engine checks. Four engines, their reheat systems and the relevant warning indications had to be serviceable within the applicable departure limits.
- Select take-off power: Advance all four Olympus engines to take-off thrust and select reheat. Confirm that thrust and reheat have developed correctly rather than assuming that full throttle alone has engaged them.
- Maintain the centreline: Use measured rudder inputs as directional authority increases. Keep the control column neutral in roll unless correcting for wind; unnecessary elevon movement adds drag during an already fast ground roll.
- Observe the V-speed calls: V1 is the take-off decision speed, while VR is the calculated rotation speed. Do not begin rotating merely because the runway appears to be disappearing quickly.
- Rotate smoothly at VR: Raise the nose progressively towards the commanded initial attitude, normally in the low teens nose-up. Pulling sharply creates extra induced drag and increases the risk of striking the tail protection assembly.
- Establish the climb: After a positive rate of climb, retract the landing gear and maintain the scheduled climb speed, normally based on V2 plus the operator's specified increment.
- Follow the noise and clean-up schedule: Cancel reheat and adjust thrust at the prescribed point. The nose and visor were raised once the initial visual requirement had passed, typically as Concorde accelerated through about 250 kt, subject to the applicable procedure.
Unlike a conventional airliner, there was no flap-retraction sequence. The delta wing produced the required low-speed lift through a high angle of attack and strong leading-edge vortices; our explanation of Concorde's wing, droop nose and propulsion system covers why this unusual configuration was necessary.
What speeds did Concorde use for take-off?
Concorde had no single correct take-off speed because its V-speeds changed with weight and operating conditions.
Representative departures often placed VR in the high-170s to around 200 kt, with V2 broadly around 200–220 kt. Those figures show the scale of Concorde's unusually fast take-off; they are not values to enter blindly. A lighter aircraft on a long runway could use materially different speeds from a heavily loaded departure on a hot day.
A common simulator mistake is borrowing V-speeds from a cockpit video without matching its weight, fuel load or weather. If the model includes performance tables or an electronic calculator, use those figures. Otherwise, use the add-on developer's documented reference speeds rather than generic airliner numbers.
Why did Concorde use reheat during take-off?
Concorde normally used reheat on all four engines for take-off because it needed the extra thrust to accelerate its heavy delta-wing airframe to flying speed within the available runway.
Reheat—often called afterburner in simulators—added roughly one-fifth more thrust by burning extra fuel in the jet pipes. It was not left running throughout an ordinary subsonic climb. Crews cancelled it according to the departure and noise-abatement profile, then used it again during the later transonic acceleration when required.
In a simulator, poor acceleration despite maximum throttle usually means reheat has not engaged. Some Concorde add-ons use a separate afterburner command, while others detect a throttle detent or model dedicated switches. Check the reheat indications before trying to compensate with an early rotation.
What nose position did Concorde use?
Concorde used the 5° droop-nose position for take-off, not the 12.5° landing position.
| Position | Normal use | Take-off relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Nose and visor up | Climb, cruise and high-speed flight | Raised after the initial departure schedule |
| 5° droop | Taxi and take-off | Provides a better forward view while limiting drag |
| 12.5° droop | Final approach and landing | Not the normal take-off setting |
The 5° figure describes the angle of the hinged nose relative to the fuselage; it is not the aircraft's pitch attitude. Concorde still rotated to a substantially nose-high attitude because of its delta wing.
How do you reproduce a Concorde take-off in a flight simulator?
A convincing simulated Concorde take-off requires the correct aircraft configuration, working reheat controls and V-speeds matched to the loaded model.
- Assign and test the throttle, reheat and droop-nose controls before entering the runway.
- Use 5° nose droop and do not select flaps unless the add-on uses a non-standard command for another function.
- Confirm all four engines develop take-off thrust and that the model shows reheat operating.
- Rotate at the calculated VR with one smooth input; do not haul the nose up at a generic jet speed.
- Retract the gear only after establishing a positive climb, then follow the add-on's reheat, thrust and nose-raising schedule.
Control layouts and system depth vary sharply between aircraft packages. Our guide to Concorde's cockpit controls and instruments identifies the relevant throttle, reheat and droop-nose equipment, while the complete simulated Concorde operating procedure continues from take-off through climb, supersonic cruise, descent and landing.