He learned to fly in 1965 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.
A liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Orlebar was in high demand as a lecturer and as a contributor to radio and TV programmes.
The latest edition (2011) 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 crash of 2000.
He is descended from the Orlebars of Hinwick, Bedfordshire,[7] and is survived by his wife, two adult children and three grandchildren.