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Lift-off for a heavyweight
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| 28 April 2005 |
Lift-off for a heavyweight
By Philip Butterworth-Hayes Jane's Civil Aviation Analyst
The much-anticipated maiden test flight of the Airbus A380 passed off smoothly on 27 April in front of more than 50,000 spectators.
The double-decker aircraft took off from the Blagnac facility of manufacturer EADS weighing 460 tonnes (460,000 kg) - the largest-ever take-off weight for an airliner. Over the coming months the take-off weight will rise to a maximum of 560 tonnes.
During the flight the pilots, Jacques Rosay and Claude Lelaie, hand-flew the aircraft. The flight lasted nearly three-and-a-half hours. The A380 carried a crew of six and 22 tonnes of onboard testing equipment.
According to the two pilots, the flight test went as predicted with no surprises. However, a small emergency at the airfield delayed the final landing.
The next major challenge for Airbus will be to manufacture and fly a freighter version of the A380 that will have an even greater take-off weight.
To date, the A380 has accumulated 154 confirmed orders (including 32 for the freighter variant), from 15 major carriers in fierce competition with Boeing's smaller B-787. The two companies are locked in a dispute over government subsidies.
A recent US study, disputed by Airbus, claimed that the A380 will lose more than US$8 billion over the life of the programme (2006-25).
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