Because I was Inverted! When Test Pilots Rolled the Concorde!

In the early 1950s, Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) joined forces to realize a dream. The creation of an unprecedented cutting-edge supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by France and England. The programme cost of designing, building and testing the tailless Supersonic Transport Aircraft was estimated at a cool £70 million. 

Construction of six prototype aircraft began in February 1965 and the first flights for the Anglo-French delta-winged bird occurred in 1969. The French prototype (001) in March, and the British prototype (002) in April of that year.

During that period of time, British test pilot Brian Owen Walpole  and French test pilot Jean Franchi performed multiple flight tests on the mammoth futuristic aircraft, for the purpose of collecting performance data for future Concorde crews, including high speed supersonic trials, slow flight, high angles of attack and bank, at all speeds, and under all configurations, testing the supersonic steed through all phases of flight, and all operational senarios.

On one of these test flights, Test pilot Brian Walpole, who was an ex-RAF Meteor pilot, with test pilot Jean Franchi alongside, took to the skies to further push the boundaries of the Concorde's envelope in establishing the performance specs and control characteristics of this new and revolutionary aircraft design.

Climbing ever higher powered by 4 mammoth Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 Mk 610 turbojets rated at over 38 thousand pounds of force with afterburners lit…the only commercial aircraft ever powered by afterburners. Walpole and Franchi climbed to an altitude of 15 thousand feet at 350 knots, then pitched the sleek airliner to 10 degrees nose up altitude, and began to enter a classic positive G barrel roll. Through 90 degrees, then inverted, 270, and finally back to wing level. The graceful Speedbird flew as beautifully as she looked.

Cruising the Stratoshere effortlessly at heights normally reserved for the SR-71 Blackbird, and the U-2 spyplane, Concorde travelling at over twice the speed of sound near the edge of space, but when she so wished, demonstrated that low and slow, she could also barrell roll with the best of them, just as well as an old canvas covered biplane.  

(Manipulated Image- No image of the Concorde Barrel Roll exists)

While commercial jets took eight hours to fly from New York to Paris, the average supersonic flight time on the transatlantic routes was just under 3.5 hours. Concorde had a maximum cruise altitude of 60,039 ft and an average cruise speed of Mach 2.02, about 1155 knots (1334 mph), more than twice the speed of conventional aircraft

Due to Concorde's high-speed capabilities, every surface, such as windows and panels, was warm to the touch by the end of the supersonic flight. Besides engines, the hottest part of the structure of any supersonic aircraft, due to aerodynamic heating, is the nose. The engineers used Hiduminium R.R. 58, an aluminum alloy, throughout the aircraft due to its familiarity, cost and ease of construction. The highest temperature that aluminum could sustain over the life of the aircraft was 127 °C (261 °F), which limited the Concorde's top speed to Mach 2.02.

The menu on the Concorde Supersonic Transport included the comforts such as Dom Perignon 1969 champagne, caviar and lobster canapes, grilled fillet steak, palm heart salad with Roquefort dressing and fresh strawberries with double cream, and if you choose, Havana cigars.  A tad more luxurious than Charles Lindbergh, who enjoyed soggy sandwiches, water, and five cans of emergency rations as backup during his 33 hours, 29 minutes flight to Paris.

"The only thing that tells you that you're moving is that occasionally, when you're flying over the subsonic aeroplanes, you can see all these 747s 20,000 feet below you almost appearing to go backwards, I mean you are going 800 miles an hour or thereabouts faster than they are. The aeroplane was an absolute delight to fly; it handled beautifully. And remember, we are talking about an aeroplane that was being designed in the late 1950s – mid-1960s. I think it's absolutely amazing, and here we are, now in the 21st century, and it remains unique."

—John Hutchinson, Concorde Captain,

Amazingly, the high altitude at which Concorde cruised meant passengers received almost twice the flux of extraterrestrial ionizing radiation as those travelling on a conventional long-haul flight. Upon Concorde's introduction, it was speculated that this exposure during supersonic travel would increase the likelihood of skin cancer. Due to the proportionally reduced flight time, the overall equivalent dose would normally be less than a conventional flight over the same distance. Unusual solar activity might lead to an increase in incident radiation. To prevent incidents of excessive radiation exposure, the flight deck had a radiometer and an instrument to measure the rate of decrease of radiation. If the radiation level became too high, Concorde would descend below 47,000 feet

Speedbird 002's last flight was on 4 March 1976 when it flew to the Fleet Air Arm Museum at the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, England.

During its career, Concorde 002 made 438 flights (836 hours), of which 196 flights were supersonic. 

How do you like your coffee, Captain - cream & sugar?'

We are at 30 west, the halfway point between the European & North American continents, & the stewardess in charge of the forward galley is looking after her aircrew during a pause in serving the passengers' meals.

Mach 2. On autopilot, eleven miles high, moving at 23 miles a minute. Nearly twice as high as Mount Everest, faster than a rifle bullet leaving its barrel. The side windows are hot to the touch, from the friction of the passing air. Despite the speed, we can talk without raising our voices. 
"Milk, please, & no sugar".