Rafy
Retired
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2004
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- HSC
- 2005
- Uni Grad
- 2008
wooo! I watched it live on cnn.....great to see it finally take off.
Even better when it proves all the doubters wrong! Cant wait to finally fly one (probally with Qantas)
Superjumbo A380 takes off
TOULOUSE, France (CNN) -- The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, has taken off from Toulouse, France for its first-ever flight.
The double-decked "superjumbo" lifted off the runway at 10:29 a.m. (0829 GMT) Wednesday for the test flight with a six-member crew aboard.
Thousands of onlookers, both invited and uninvited, cheered and appauded as the white-and-blue jet gathered speed down the runway and took off into the blue skies.
Locals also watched the takeoff on a giant screen in the main square of Toulouse in southwest France.
Plane enthusiasts have watched in recent days as the A380 performed ground tests and taxiing maneuvers at the airport in the Toulouse suburb of Blagnac, where Airbus is headquartered.
The jet is expected to be airborne from one to five hours or possibly longer.
Airbus officials said the jet would stay within about 100 miles (160 kilometers) of Toulouse during the test flight.
Weather conditions were nearly ideal, with sunny skies and a gentle breeze blowing across the tarmac.
Airbus had warned that the flight, already about a month behind schedule, could have been further delayed by an unforeseen change in the wind.
A strong southerly wind from the Mediterranean would have meant automatic postponement, since it would have required a takeoff over the town -- considered too risky for a test flight.
Airbus chief test pilot Jacques Rosay, flight captain Claude Lelaie and their four fellow crew members were wearing parachutes for the flight in accordance with Airbus policy, spokeswoman Barbara Kracht told The Associated Press.
A handrail leads from the cockpit to an escape door that can be jettisoned if the pilots lose control of the plane.
On a maiden voyage, aviation experts say, risks remain very slim, since a plane's aerodynamic characteristics are already well known before it takes off, thanks to years of computer modeling and wind-tunnel tests, AP said.
Even better when it proves all the doubters wrong! Cant wait to finally fly one (probally with Qantas)
Superjumbo A380 takes off
TOULOUSE, France (CNN) -- The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, has taken off from Toulouse, France for its first-ever flight.
The double-decked "superjumbo" lifted off the runway at 10:29 a.m. (0829 GMT) Wednesday for the test flight with a six-member crew aboard.
Thousands of onlookers, both invited and uninvited, cheered and appauded as the white-and-blue jet gathered speed down the runway and took off into the blue skies.
Locals also watched the takeoff on a giant screen in the main square of Toulouse in southwest France.
Plane enthusiasts have watched in recent days as the A380 performed ground tests and taxiing maneuvers at the airport in the Toulouse suburb of Blagnac, where Airbus is headquartered.
The jet is expected to be airborne from one to five hours or possibly longer.
Airbus officials said the jet would stay within about 100 miles (160 kilometers) of Toulouse during the test flight.
Weather conditions were nearly ideal, with sunny skies and a gentle breeze blowing across the tarmac.
Airbus had warned that the flight, already about a month behind schedule, could have been further delayed by an unforeseen change in the wind.
A strong southerly wind from the Mediterranean would have meant automatic postponement, since it would have required a takeoff over the town -- considered too risky for a test flight.
Airbus chief test pilot Jacques Rosay, flight captain Claude Lelaie and their four fellow crew members were wearing parachutes for the flight in accordance with Airbus policy, spokeswoman Barbara Kracht told The Associated Press.
A handrail leads from the cockpit to an escape door that can be jettisoned if the pilots lose control of the plane.
On a maiden voyage, aviation experts say, risks remain very slim, since a plane's aerodynamic characteristics are already well known before it takes off, thanks to years of computer modeling and wind-tunnel tests, AP said.
