Christopher Orlebar

Christopher Orlebar
Born	Template:Birth date United Kingdom
Died	February 24, 2018(2018-02-24) (aged 73)
Occupation(s)	Aviator, author, lecturer
Known for	Concorde pilot with British Airways, author of The Concorde Story

Christopher John Dugmore Orlebar (4 February 1945 – 24 February 2018) was a distinguished British aviator known for his role as a Concorde pilot with British Airways. He gained recognition as an author, lecturer, and frequent expert on television programs related to aviation, with a particular focus on the Concorde.

The son of Brigadier John Orlebar, he received his education at Twyford School, Rugby School, and Southampton University. His flying career commenced in 1965 through the Southampton University Air Squadron (RAF), followed by civil pilot training at the College of Air Training in Hamble. Orlebar entered the airline industry in 1969, joining BOAC—which later became British Airways—as a pilot, navigator, and instructor on the VC10. By 1976, he transitioned to flying and instructing on the Concorde, a position he held for ten years. Subsequently, from 1986 until his retirement in 2000, he served as a training Captain operating the Boeing 737.

A Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, Orlebar was frequently invited to deliver lectures and provide media commentary. His insights were especially sought after following the tragic Concorde crash near Paris in 2000. In 1998, he received a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Orlebar authored The Concorde Story, first published in 1986 and now in its seventh edition, which has become the definitive work on Concorde's history. The book extensively covers aspects such as the aircraft’s development, its role within supersonic transport, pilot training procedures, and operational experience. The 2011 edition incorporates details about Concorde’s final journeys, its retirement from service, and the Paris accident. In February 2017, he released a more concise book entitled Concorde.

Coming from the Orlebar family of Hinwick, Bedfordshire, he is survived by his wife, two grown children, and three grandchildren.