"With regard to the take-off trials at minimum velocity in Istres (VMU tests), Jacques Rosay reports that on the first take-off the A380 had rotated further than expected and not just on the shock-mounted tail skid provided for this purpose, but had also unintentionally slid along the runway on the tail section behind it. Fortunately the tail had been protected at that point with a steel casing as a precaution, so that no damage occurred as a result of this tailstrike. But in this special case, the aircraft had behaved differently from what the simulator had led the team to expect.
Since then, according to Rosay, the test pilots have adopted a different rotation technique for VMU tests: they now raise the A380's nose from the runway in an accentuated way at a lower taxiing speed and then carefully reduce the distance between tail skid and runway with minimal elevator angles. The tail skid now only touches the ground very lightly and can withstand four VMU take-offs instead of the previous one before it has to be replaced. "
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