This being essentially an R&D aircraft (or A&R, as Wilson inexplicably insisted on calling it), there was no passenger seating.
Even so the Concorde fuselage seemed very narrow – cramped, even – with barely room to stand upright.
While we were admiring the plane, a NewsFlash pinged on my phone.
Taking it from my pocket, I read that a man in Seattle has stolen a large passenger aircraft, performed loops and barrel-rolls then crashed it into an island, killing himself!
Accordingly, I kept a VERY close eye on Wilson – especially as we neared the Flight Deck…
Speaking as someone who clearly remembers Concorde's maiden flight, I can barely contain my excitement as we enter Hall 4, home of CONCORDE!
I can still recall building an Airfix® model of the plane, a historic vehicle ushering in (as we then thought) a new era of commercial supersonic flight…
Moreover, of all the Concordes built, this isn't just ANY Concorde – this is Concorde 002, the first British-built version and the prototype model used as a test and development aircraft for the fleet of planes that followed!
Now I would be close enough to touch the first passenger aircraft to fly at Mach 2.05 (1350 mph or 2172 kph)…
We continued to make our way through the Fleet Air Arm Museum.
Progress was slow, as Wilson insisted on giving almost every exhibit a very close examination and asking questions I couldn't hope to answer.
Gradually, though, we neared Hall 4 which housed what, for me at least, would be the highlight of our visit…
Scrambling down from the fighter cockpit, Wilson remarked, 'Bang-on – Wizard Show, ND!'
Taking my hand, he led me towards a helicopter, remarking that an interesting fact about helicopters is that there's only one joke about them.
'Really?' I replied, quite surprised.
'There are variations – usually just a change in the nationality of the pilot – but they're all the same joke.' W said, 'And it's rubbish!'
What is this one joke then?' I asked.
'It's so bad you won't like it – but anyway: There's this helicopter pilot who is very naïve – or in my opinion, criminally stupid – he gets into this helicopter, flies it up to 200 feet, then it suddenly crashes to the ground!'
'Have we reached the funny part yet?' I enquired. W gave me a stern look, and continued.
'An Air Accident Investigator rushes up to the chopper wreck and asks the pilot what went wrong. The pilot replies, "Nothing went wrong – but it was so cold in the cockpit that I just turned the fan off." That's it.'
'That is truly terrible' I replied, 'and it's the ONLY helicopter joke there is?'
'Yes,' W said, 'it is – you can Google it if you don't believe me!'
We had by now reached the steps that lead inside, and W began to ascend them…
Moving on to a WWII fighter plane, Wilson evaded the glance of a security attendant and climbed deftly into the cockpit.
Following his instructions, I remained on the ground making 'Engine Noises' while W shouted pilot-ey things like, 'Roger Wilco! Angels at Twelve 0'Clock High! Over and Out!'
When the constant rendition of engine sounds made me breathless, W sympathetically called down to me, 'Okay, New Dad – take a break from the engine noises, can you do some gunfire instead? Oh, and some explosions! Tally Ho!'
