Christopher John Dugmore Orlebar was a British Concorde pilot with British Airways, and is now well-known as a lecturer and writer and as a frequent contributor to TV aviation documentaries, on aviation subjects generally, and on the Anglo-French aeroplane in particular. The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport (SST), along with the Tupolev Tu-144, was one of only two models of supersonic passenger airliners to have seen commercial service. ... British Airways (LSE: BAY, NYSE: BAB) is the largest airline of the United Kingdom and the third largest in Europe (behind Air France-KLM and Lufthansa), with more flights from Europe across the Atlantic than any other operator. ...

Orlebar went to Rugby School. He learned to fly with the Southampton University Air Squadron (RAF), and then finished his training in civil aviation, at the College of Air Training at Hamble. Orlebar joined BOAC (later British Airways) in 1969, and became a VC10 pilot, navigator and instructor. He became a Concorde pilot and instructor in 1976, flying the aircraft for 10 years. He went on to become a training Captain on the Boeing 737 from 1986, and retired from British Airways in 2000. A view of Rugby School from The Close, the playing field where according to legend Rugby was invented Rugby School, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, is one of the oldest public schools in England and is perhaps one of the top co-educational boarding schools in the country. ... University Air Squadrons are training units of the Royal Air Force which provide basic flying training to students at British universities. ... RAF is an three letter acronym for: Royal Air Force -- the Air Force of the United Kingdom (see also Air Ministry) Red Army Faction (Rote Armee Fraktion) -- a German terror organisation Rigas Autobusu Fabrika -- a factory making buses in Riga, Latvia Rapid Action Force in India Računarski Fakultet RAF... Hamble-le-Rice is a relatively small village near Southampton, U.K. It is probably best known for being an aircraft training centre during the Second World War for planes including the Spitfire, the Lancaster and the Wellington. ... The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the exclusive British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946. ... The VC-10 airliner was designed and built by Vickers in the 1960s. ... The Boeing 737 is the worlds most popular medium-range, narrowbody commercial passenger jet aircraft. ...

Orlebar's book The Concorde Story has been a bestseller since its publication in 1986. Now in its sixth edition, The Concorde Story has remained the most complete record of the history of Concorde in print since it was first published. Starting with Concorde's earliest development, it assesses other forms of supersonic transport and provides the background to Concorde's evolution. It reveals what it is like to fly Concorde, and the training procedures to which Concorde pilots are subjected. The latest edition (2004) brings the story up to date, with chapters on Concorde's final flight and decommissioning, advice on where to go to see Concorde at rest, and information on the Paris tragedy of 2000. A supersonic transport (SST) is a civil aircraft designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound. ... Air France Flight 4590 was a Concorde flight from Charles de Gaulle International Airport near Paris, France to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, New York. ...

A liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Orlebar is in demand as a lecturer and as a contributor to radio and TV programmes. In Livery Companies within the City of London, a liveryman is a full member of the Company. ... The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. ... Founded in 1866 The Royal Aeronautical Society is the worlds leading authority on aviation. ...

He is descended from the Orlebars of Hinwick, Bedfordshire, and is married with two grown-up children. Bedfordshire is a county in England and forms part of the East of England region. ...