Why does the Concorde's nose droop?

Short answer

Because the pointed, elongated nose blocked the view and had to be lowered. This let the aircraft switch from a sharp shape, designed to reduce drag in flight, to one that didn't block the pilot's view while taxiing, taking off and landing. It dropped 5°, and 12.5° before landing.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Concorde in flight over London (1987)Per Egevad (CC BY), vía commons

A long nose that got in the way

Concorde's long, pointed nose obstructed the view and made it necessary to be able to lower it. The mechanism allowed the aircraft to switch from a sharp configuration, aimed at reducing drag and achieving maximum aerodynamic efficiency in flight, to another that did not obstruct the pilot's view during taxiing, takeoff and landing.

Five degrees and twelve and a half

The nose is lowered on takeoff and landing to improve the pilot's view of the terrain below. The taxi and takeoff position corresponded to 5° below the horizontal. For the approach, the nose could drop to 12.5° below the horizontal, which gave maximum visibility, and after landing it rose again to 5° below the standard horizontal position.

The movable visor

Concorde's drooping nose was accompanied by a movable transparent visor that retracted into the nose before it was lowered. With the nose back in the horizontal position, the visor was raised in front of the cockpit windscreen for aerodynamic smoothing.