Concorde Navigation

Extract

This account of the practical steps taken by British Airways to provide the Concorde with a reliable navigation capability which meets the needs of supersonic flight on commercial routes covers: the features of supersonic flight which lead to new navigation requirements, the social and political constraints on supersonic flight, and the need for the crew both to be well informed of the progress of the flight and prepared for the possibility of return to subsonic flight. These factors have led to special techniques for route planning, flight planning, documentation (including charts), and accuracy of navigation.

All these techniques are based on a navigation system constructed from standard components, but meeting the aircraft's needs for accuracy and automation.