WOW! On Saturday, November 11, 1989, I was a passenger on a British Airways Concorde, ship G-BOAA, flight 189, from London via Washington to Miami. I will never forget that day. It's not often that one gets treated to a gourmet dinner while being moved through the sky faster than a rifle bullet.

Of course, terrific meals are not all one gets to enjoy, in flying on one of these fabulous aircraft. (British Airways has seven Concordes.) Here are a few additional details about Concorde travel...

• As Concorde breaks the sound barrier, there is no unusual sensation inside the cabin. You experience only an increase in engine thrust.
  
• No "sonic booms" are heard inside your plane at any time. The only sound is a unique "sizzle" of rushing air, higher in pitch than is heard in subsonic air travel.
  
• If your flight lifts off after sunset, as mine did, you may see a sunrise in the west. The sun appears to move backward in the sky, as your conveyance outruns it.
  
• At 60,000 feet, you can enjoy a view of the curvature of the Earth.
  
• Concorde is so far above the clouds that all clouds appear to sit on the surface of the ocean, as if viewed from space.
  
• All weather and turbulence of any kind is far below you.
  
• Tiny dots, far below, appear to be sitting on top of the clouds. These are 747's and other jumbo jets, laboring to cross the Atlantic. The jumbos are about five miles below you.
  
• You leave them quickly behind, since you are moving ahead of the jumbos faster than they are moving across the surface.
  
• You notice a gentle, pleasant warmth radiating from your window. How can this be? The outdoor temperature at 60,000 feet altitude is minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit. The very high speed of Concorde produces enough friction with the atmosphere to cause the outside air temperature to rise by over 400 degrees as it passes the tip of the aircraft's nose. (This friction would be so high as to melt the metal of an aircraft that was not as streamlined as Concorde.) As the air streaks past your window, it's still hot enough to boil water, hence the gentle warming of your window.
• Going west, you land several hours before you took off.

In a word... WOW!

Two Concordes at their "Speedwing" nest in London, one arriving, another ready for departure.

LCDs keep the passengers updated.

Threshold of outer space, from a Concorde window, 12 miles up.

Concorde Time Capsule: 1989

• 1989 Concorde Ticket
• 1989 Concorde Menu
• 1989 Concorde Supersonic Flight Certificate
• Correspondence with a Concorde Captain

Click here to zoom off to the special Concorde section at British Airways!

Click here to see a NEW page containing tips on what to be looking for during your first Concorde adventure!

Many thanks to all of you who have visited this page over the last ten years, joining in the celebration of this wonderful aircraft and the great people who fly her. You are visitor number to this page.