Airbus A380 Completes Maiden Flight
Posted 4-27-2005 at 09:13 PM
The long-awaited test lasted almost four hours, with the A380 circling the Bay of Biscay before returning to base.
The A380 took off from its production site in Toulouse with a crew of six and about 20 tonnes of test equipment.
Thousands of aeroplane enthusiasts clapped and cheered as the twin-decked, four-engine "superjumbo" made a flypast before landing.
Speaking after he landed the plane, test pilot Claude Lelaie said the flight was a "milestone".
"You have seen a lot of ground tests, a lot of wind tunnel tests, simulators - for the first time you can see all the systems working together in the real world in the air," said Mr Lelaie.
Jacques Rosay, who flew the A380 during take-off, said the plane behaved "immaculately" and that as a pilot "you handle it like you handle a bicycle".
The A380 - designed to carry as many as 840 people between major airports - took off from its production site in southern France just after 0830 GMT.
It had returned by about 1225 GMT, and touched down with a small puff of smoke from its wheels.
Most of the testing was carried out at 10,000 feet and within 100 miles of Toulouse, said Peter Chandler, deputy project pilot for the A380.
During the flight, there was a live satellite feed of data which was monitored by a team of experts on the ground, Airbus said.
Taking no chances, the crew had been equipped with parachutes. A handrail had also been fitted, leading from the cockpit to an escape door.
The long-awaited test lasted almost four hours, with the A380 circling the Bay of Biscay before returning to base.
The A380 took off from its production site in Toulouse with a crew of six and about 20 tonnes of test equipment.
Thousands of aeroplane enthusiasts clapped and cheered as the twin-decked, four-engine "superjumbo" made a flypast before landing.
Speaking after he landed the plane, test pilot Claude Lelaie said the flight was a "milestone".
"You have seen a lot of ground tests, a lot of wind tunnel tests, simulators - for the first time you can see all the systems working together in the real world in the air," said Mr Lelaie.
Jacques Rosay, who flew the A380 during take-off, said the plane behaved "immaculately" and that as a pilot "you handle it like you handle a bicycle".
The A380 - designed to carry as many as 840 people between major airports - took off from its production site in southern France just after 0830 GMT.
It had returned by about 1225 GMT, and touched down with a small puff of smoke from its wheels.
Most of the testing was carried out at 10,000 feet and within 100 miles of Toulouse, said Peter Chandler, deputy project pilot for the A380.
During the flight, there was a live satellite feed of data which was monitored by a team of experts on the ground, Airbus said.
Taking no chances, the crew had been equipped with parachutes. A handrail had also been fitted, leading from the cockpit to an escape door.
