How do I fly Concorde in X-Plane 11 or 12?

X-Plane 11 and 12 do not include Concorde by default. To fly it, install a complete Concorde aircraft package made for your X-Plane version, place its folder inside Aircraft, then select it in Flight Configuration. An X-Plane 11 model may need a specific update before it works correctly in X-Plane 12.

Which Concorde package do I need?

Choose a complete X-Plane aircraft made for the major simulator version you use. Its extracted folder should contain at least one .acf file; a livery, texture set or package for another simulator is not a flyable X-Plane aircraft.

If the download description is unclear, our guide to identifying complete, simulator-compatible freeware aircraft explains what must be included. An FSX package built around aircraft.cfg and an .air file will not work in X-Plane.

How do I install Concorde in X-Plane?

Install Concorde as a self-contained aircraft under X-Plane's Aircraft directory.

1. Extract the download. Do not place the ZIP or other archive directly into X-Plane.
2. Find the aircraft folder. Confirm that it contains the Concorde .acf file and its associated objects, textures, sounds and any supplied plugin folders.
3. Copy the complete folder. A suitable location is X-Plane 12/Aircraft/Concorde Name/ or the equivalent X-Plane 11 path. Keep it separate from Laminar Research's default aircraft.
4. Leave aircraft plugins in place. Do not move an included plugins folder into X-Plane's global plugin directory unless the aircraft documentation specifically requires it.
5. Restart X-Plane. Open Flight Configuration, clear any aircraft filters and select the installed Concorde.

For more detail on archives, folder nesting and .acf files, follow our X-Plane aircraft installation procedure.

Can an X-Plane 11 Concorde work in X-Plane 12?

An X-Plane 11 Concorde may appear in X-Plane 12, but that does not mean its flight model or systems are compatible. Custom avionics, sounds, lighting, airfoils and compiled plugins are common failure points.

Look for an official X-Plane 12 build or a documented update from the aircraft developer. Simply opening and saving the .acf in Plane Maker is not a complete conversion because it cannot rewrite unsupported plugins or aircraft-specific systems. Our X-Plane 11 to 12 compatibility guidance covers the checks to make before attempting an older package.

How do you fly Concorde after installation?

The supplied aircraft manual and checklist should govern the exact start-up, speeds and switch settings. Concorde packages range from simplified models to detailed simulations with a working flight engineer's panel, fuel transfer and custom navigation.

1. Learn the custom controls. Locate the commands for the droop nose, visor, reheat and any fuel-transfer automation. These may be cockpit controls, custom commands or plugin-menu items.
2. Set fuel, payload and centre of gravity. Detailed Concorde models use fuel transfer to control centre of gravity during different phases of flight. A simplified model may automate this.
3. Prepare the navigation system. Depending on the package, this could be a simplified GPS or FMS, an inertial-navigation simulation, or custom avionics. Do not assume every Concorde accepts the same flight-plan format.
4. Use the aircraft's take-off data. Set the nose and visor as instructed and use reheat only according to the model's checklist. Rotation speed changes considerably with weight and conditions.
5. Accelerate in the correct phase. A realistic profile remains subsonic after departure, then uses the documented transonic acceleration procedure before settling near Concorde's normal Mach 2 cruise. Reheat is not normally left running throughout cruise.
6. Start the descent early. Supersonic speed takes substantial distance to lose. Slow before joining ordinary terminal traffic and configure the nose, visor and landing systems using the supplied approach checklist.

A mistake we see constantly is treating Concorde like a modern subsonic airliner. Its fuel balance, high-speed acceleration, long descent and droop-nose operation are central parts of the aircraft, and copying speeds from a different Concorde add-on can produce poor results.

How do I operate the droop nose and reheat?

Use the controls defined by the specific Concorde package rather than assuming the normal flap and throttle commands will operate them. Some models expose X-Plane commands for assignment to a keyboard or controller; others require clickable cockpit switches.

The droop nose and visor improve forward visibility during ground operation, take-off and landing—they are not substitutes for flaps. Reheat is Concorde's term for afterburning thrust and is normally used during selected high-power phases, not as a permanent cruise setting.

Why is Concorde not showing or working?

A missing or unusable Concorde usually indicates an incomplete package, incorrect installation or version-dependent plugin failure.

• No aircraft in Flight Configuration: verify that the archive was extracted, an .acf file exists somewhere under Aircraft, and aircraft-category or version filters are cleared.
• Only textures were supplied: you downloaded a livery rather than the required base aircraft.
• Aircraft appears but will not load: it may target an older X-Plane generation or rely on an unsupported custom plugin.
• Exterior loads but the cockpit is dead: check Log.txt in the main X-Plane folder immediately after the failed load. Search for the aircraft name and plugin error messages.
• Objects or textures are missing: extract the package again without changing its internal folders. Case-sensitive file paths can also expose packaging errors on some operating systems.

If it remains absent, work through our aircraft-not-showing troubleshooting checks before reinstalling the whole simulator.