The Concorde Centre of Gravity Controller. Concorde has a unique system for ‘Centre of Gravity Control’. The position through which the lift developed by an aircraft’s wing is considered to act is called the ‘Centre of Lift’ (CL). The position through which the weight/mass of an aircraft is considered to act is called the ‘Centre of Gravity’ (CG). The distance between these two points generates a ‘lever arm’ which has to be balanced by the position of the aircraft’s flying controls. At a given unchanging weight: - In a conventional aircraft the CL will move aft as flight speed increases, the CG remains stationary and the lever arm will increase. This change in trim is countered by deflecting flying controls from the optimum position thereby generating additional aircraft drag. Increased drag results in increased fuel consumption. On Concorde the CL again moves aft as speed increases but the ‘Centre of Gravity Control’ system is utilised to move fuel around the aircraft which thereby moves the Centre of Gravity. The objective is to balance the CL movement by CG movement thereby minimising the deflection of flying controls and the associated increase in fuel consumption. The control of this system is a function of the Flight Engineer and the controller is located in the centre of the Flight Engineer’s Panel. It is a crucial system on Concorde and essential to its ability to fly at speeds up to, and including, Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound). This Concorde Centre of Gravity Controller will come with a description and paperwork compiled by Mike Bannister himself. Mike will also autograph the piece itself if the buyer would like this. Good condition