GoForIt
18th Feb 2006, 01:15
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2002810576_airbus17.html
Airbus A380 wing ruptures in stress tests
By Bloomberg News
Airbus said a wing of a 550-seat A380, the world's biggest commercial aircraft, snapped during factory stress tests at its headquarters. The company said the incident won't delay the first deliveries due by the end of the year.
Airbus spokeswoman Barbara Kracht said the rupture between two engines took place when the wing was going through "the last step" of a test where the wing tip is more than 24 feet away from its normal position when the aircraft is on the ground.
"We'll be able to demonstrate" that the plane meets requirements, "maybe with some refinements needed for certification in time for first delivery at the end of the year," Kracht said in a telephone interview Thursday.
The massive wing, with a span of about 262 feet, means the A380 barely squeezes into standard airport docking bays. It is designed to carry four engines with the thrust of 3,500 cars.
Airbus has had some recent production delays. The company shut its A380 assembly line from May until August to configure jet wiring and electronics, delaying deliveries for six months.
The adjustments on the A380 last year prompted the plane maker, based in Toulouse, France, to put off deliveries to its first recipient, Singapore Airlines, and subsequent deliveries to Emirates and Qantas Airways until December 2006.
One of the test A380 aircraft is set to fly at the Asian Aerospace air show in Singapore next week.
The $14 billion A380 development program marks Airbus' boldest project, as it aims to create an entirely new market niche for mammoth planes seating up to 850 passengers.
Information from Reuters is included in this report.
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
Airbus A380 wing ruptures in stress tests
By Bloomberg News
Airbus said a wing of a 550-seat A380, the world's biggest commercial aircraft, snapped during factory stress tests at its headquarters. The company said the incident won't delay the first deliveries due by the end of the year.
Airbus spokeswoman Barbara Kracht said the rupture between two engines took place when the wing was going through "the last step" of a test where the wing tip is more than 24 feet away from its normal position when the aircraft is on the ground.
"We'll be able to demonstrate" that the plane meets requirements, "maybe with some refinements needed for certification in time for first delivery at the end of the year," Kracht said in a telephone interview Thursday.
The massive wing, with a span of about 262 feet, means the A380 barely squeezes into standard airport docking bays. It is designed to carry four engines with the thrust of 3,500 cars.
Airbus has had some recent production delays. The company shut its A380 assembly line from May until August to configure jet wiring and electronics, delaying deliveries for six months.
The adjustments on the A380 last year prompted the plane maker, based in Toulouse, France, to put off deliveries to its first recipient, Singapore Airlines, and subsequent deliveries to Emirates and Qantas Airways until December 2006.
One of the test A380 aircraft is set to fly at the Asian Aerospace air show in Singapore next week.
The $14 billion A380 development program marks Airbus' boldest project, as it aims to create an entirely new market niche for mammoth planes seating up to 850 passengers.
Information from Reuters is included in this report.
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company