Concorde jet droop nose - GIF, video, and photo

[Jon]

Concorde droop nose in action:



The Concorde is a supersonic passenger jet airliner that flew from 1976 to 2003. It flew at speeds over Mach 2; it was about 2.5 times as fast as a modern passenger jet like the Boeing 747.

The Concorde's streamlined shape was aerodynamically efficient, but it obstructed the pilot's view during taxi, takeoff, and landing. Therefore, it had a droop nose; the nose would be lowered 5° for taxi and takeoff, and 12.5° for landing.



The Concorde had a good safety record. It only had one fatal crash, from a fire caused by running over a strip of titanium alloy during takeoff. There wasn't a great technical reason to retire it. However, it wasn't cheap; Concorde flights were priced a tier above first class. Some think that it was retired simply because it was more profitable for airlines to transport people in subsonic passenger jets.

Here's a Concorde takeoff and landing, from the cockpit:

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[Jon]