Its official! A380 First Flight this Wednesday
 

article just released from the Associated Press at Marketwatch.com:

A380 Set for Maiden Flight Before 50,000
4/26/2005 2:48:00 PM


BLAGNAC, France, Apr 26, 2005 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- After 11 years of preparation and $13 billion in spending, the world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, is scheduled to fly for the first time on Wednesday.

Weather permitting, Airbus test pilots will power the four engines on a test model of the 555-seat "superjumbo" to lift its 308-ton frame aloft. About 50,000 onlookers are expected for what some are calling the biggest aviation event since Concorde's first flight in 1969.

The first A380 flight is tentatively set to begin around midmorning and could last for much of the day as the plane circles the region, beaming back real-time measurements of 150,000 parameters to Airbus headquarters from its 20 metric tons (22 tons) of on-board test instruments.

Industry analysts are keeping a close watch on Airbus, which hopes to woo customers away from rival Boeing Co. with the A380 but has yet to prove that it can turn a profit on its superjumbo investment, a third of which came from came from European governments.

As Airbus and Boeing spar over what each calls unfair government subsidies for the other, the rival aircraft manufacturers have staked their success on competing visions of the future of commercial air travel.

The A380, with a catalogue price of $282 million, represents a huge bet that international airlines will need bigger aircraft to transport passengers between ever-busier hub airports. But some analysts say signs of a boom in the market for smaller wide-body planes, such as Boeing's long-range 787 "Dreamliner," show that Airbus was wrong to focus so much time and money on its superjumbo.

Just this week, Air Canada said it had firm orders for 32 new Boeing jets, including 14 787s, with a list value of about $6 billion, and Air India announced plans to order 50 Boeing jets worth $6.8 billion. Air India wants 27 of the 787s, which will carry up to 257 passengers and have a list price of $120 million, boosting total orders and commitments for the plane to 237. The 787, which was launched a year ago, is scheduled to enter service in 2008.

"If the A380 costs Airbus the mid-market then it's the biggest misinvestment in aerospace history since Concorde," said Richard Aboulafia of the U.S. consultancy Teal Group. "The way the market's changing makes this look more like a science fair project every day."

Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., is also planning to bring its own mid-sized jetliner, the A350, into service in 2010 - two years after the Boeing 787, but the United States government is demanding that no European government launch aid be extended for the A350.

So far, Airbus has booked 154 orders for the A380, which it says will carry passengers 5 percent farther than Boeing's longest-range 747 jumbo at a per-passenger cost up to one-fifth below its rival's.

While plane enthusiasts have lined fences in recent days at the airport in the Toulouse suburb of Blagnac, where Airbus is headquartered, Airbus has warned that the first flight of the A380 - already about a month behind schedule - could be further delayed by any unforeseen weather conditions.

A strong southerly wind from the Mediterranean would mean automatic postponement, since it would require a takeoff over the town - considered too risky for a test flight.

Aviation experts say risks remain very slim on the maiden test flight since a plane's aerodynamic characteristics are already well known before it takes off, thanks to years of computer modeling and wind-tunnel tests.

Problems are more likely, but still very rare, later in the test-flight program, when the pilots deliberately take the plane to its limits. An Airbus A330 prototype crashed here in July 1994, killing chief test pilot Nick Warner and six others as they conducted a simulated engine failure exercise.

Airbus chief test pilot Jacques Rosay, flight captain Claude Lelaie and four fellow crew members will take no chances. They will wear parachutes during the first flight, in accordance with Airbus policy. A handrail leads from the cockpit to an escape door that can be jettisoned if the pilots lose control of the plane.

The test-flight program is likely to finish soon before the A380 enters service for Singapore Airlines in mid-2006, Airbus said - about three months behind the previous schedule.

Part of the delay is down to the superjumbo's struggle with a weight problem that consumed months of engineering time and most of the program's $1.88 billion in cost overruns. Competitive pressure on airlines to offer plusher business-class seating tightened the squeeze - compounded by the A380's sheer scale.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press, All rights reserved

what time is the 380 flight?
 

Does anybody have a flight time for the A380 first flight? I don't want to sleep in and miss it !!! Obviously a zulu time would be useful I'm too lazy to work out the time difference :O

I just read in airliners.net that the flight is sceduled or better expected for 10:30 GMT +2

just had the following from a normally reliable source:-

That seems to contradict what's been posted above, sorry, I can't confirm this, other than to say that my source is usually reliable on things like this

Hiya, Steve,

news travel fast!!! ;-)

Additional info: the broadcast is scheduled until 10:10 GMT

(in Central European Time: 09:25 til 12:10)

Simon

i think this is not contrary to the information on airliners.net, because when orf is starting the broadcast at 7:25 gmt (9:25 gmt +2, about thesame time german tv starts with their broadcast), a takeoff at about 10:30 would fit to the structure of those broadcasts (interviews, history of the A380 etc, and after one very long hour the show will begin)

maybe this link helps:

http://www.airliners.net/discussions....main/2072333/

however, best wishes to the crew members!

:-)

A380 First Flight
 

Im desperatly trying to find another Website thats going to broadcast the A380 first flight other that Airbus as ive gota be in school?!?!Any ideas?!?!
BOH

According to the Network News, Tolouse will be closed to non authorised flights between 0730-1330z.

I would imagine it will be within this window and the airport will be closed the whole time the aircraft is airborne.

G-MANN

Details (from Pegase):

Tomorrow:

- crew on board at 08h45

- doors close 09h15

- taxi to end of runway 10h00

- 10h26 Corvette departure. When the Corvette does a low pass
perpendicular to the runway MSN1 will open its throttles to perform a

- takeoff at 10h30.

Flight time is 4h to 5h depending on success (could be much shorter if
problems). Hence following timings subject to change but

- 14h00 low pass over runway with go-around (if weather and aircraft
condition permits)

- 14h15 landing then taxi up and down the runway and taxiways on the
Airbus side of the airfield

- 14h45 press ceremony

- 16h15 aircraft towed back to the Abreuvoir for drinky-poos.



Alexandre
(who wasn't there 50 years ago - minus 1 month - to the day for the Caravelle maiden voyage)

1401
Wheels up landing due to body flexing from having too much
metal removed to save weight.
1405
Final admission of basically flawed design.
1410
Transport arrangements begin for hull removal to park beside
Spruse Goose.

Good luck to the test pilots, did you pack your own shutes?

Notams for today for Toulose Blagnac:

LFBO AD LIMITED:
NON BASED VFR AND NON REGULAR AND NON SCHEDULED IFR:
PPR 2HR TO CCIT: PHONE. 33(0) 561 42 44 58
FOR THE 27TH OF APRIL, COMPLEMENTARY RESTRICTIONS FOR VFR AND IFR
FLIGHTS ON LFBO AD AND ASSOCIATED AIRSPACE WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER
BY NOTAM.
VALID FROM 1555 25-APR-2005 TO 0730 27-APR-2005: (A1163/05)

LFBO AD LIMITED:
- FROM 0730 A 1530, HOURS CONFIRMED ON ATIS 118.025MHZ.
. RWY 14R/32L CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC EXCEPT FOR MANUFACTURER ACFT.
. VFR PROHIBITED WITHIN CTR 1 AND 2, FRANCAZAL S/CTR AND
TOULOUSE TMA 1 AND 2, EXCEPT FOR STATE ACFT, AIR DEFENSE ACFT,
SANITARY FLIGHTS IDENTIFIED BY AUTHORITIES, ACFT ESCORTED THE
FIRST FLIGHT.
- FROM 0730 A 1330, HOURS CONFIRMED ON ATIS 118.025MHZ
. IFR TRAINING, (INSTRUCTION OR TEST FLIGHT) COULD BE REFUSED
WITHIN TOULOUSE TMA.
. IFR FLIGHTS ONLY AUTHORIZED AT LFBO AND WITHIN TOULOUSE CTR AND
TMA:
- SCHEDULED REGULAR COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS
(LISTED BY CCIT PHONE. 33(0)561 42 44 58)
POSSIBLE HOLDING AT ARRIVAL
- ACFT LISTED BY AIRBUS PHONE 33(0)561 93 31 89
EMAIL PHILIPPE.DUPRE AT AIRBUS.COM
- STATE AND AIR DEFENSE ACFT
- SANITARY FLIGHTS IDENTIFIED BY COMPETENT AUTHORITIES
- FROM 1330 TO 1530: NON BASED VFR AND NON SCHEDULED NON REGULAR
IFR: PPR 02HR TO CCIT PHONE. 33(0) 561 42 44 58
FLIGHT LEVEL FROM SFC TO FL115
VALID FROM 0730 27-APR-2005 TO 1530 27-APR-2005: (A1162/05)

I see that the French people see this aircraft as a French aircraft and not an aircraft that just happens to be bolted together in France. With the UK’s content at around 60% some people know better:ok:

Ummm, Airbus "nationality" seems to change with target markets in my limited experience. Sometimes it British, sometimes French and sometimes its the second cousin to a Mercedes Benz.

Chutes
 

Yes, according to the long article just posted in "Spotters corner", the team will all wear parachutes, apparently standard practice.

Momo

Ahh come on LTNman! What else do you expect? Airbus is the heart of Toulouse and a source of pride (and livliehood) for so many people in the Toulouse region.
Remember, head office is here, the R&D (bureau d'étude) is here in TLS... so yes, the French, especially the Toulousains, have great pride in this company.
BTW... I'm not French!

Anyway, glorious morning here in Toulouse. Heavy traffic and thousands of viewers already around the airport.

For those of you abroad, for TV viewing, this is form an Airbus internal memo yesterday:

"TV COVERAGE
> You may wish to inform your friends and family that the event will be broadcast live on the following TV channels:
> - In France on France 3 Midi-Pyrénées, TLT, France 2, Canal+/ITV and possibly TF1
> - In Germany on ZDF and ARD (starting with Morgenmagazin)
> - In the UK on the BBC
> - In Spain on Telecinco, TVE informativos, Antena 3
> - And on CNN+, as well as CNN international
> In Toulouse, the take-off will also be broadcast on a big screen at
> the Place du Capitole"

Anywayn Best of luck to the crew today and all Airbus staff (no matter what nationality!) today.

I'm off shortly to see if I can still find a good spotting point...


:ok:

To absoutely clarify

BBC World states lift off due at:

07:30 GMT
08:30 BST
09:30 FT

ie less than 1 hour.....

BBC expecting it at 0800 GMT/0900 BST at the moment.

However I just got a rather excited call from Toulouse telling me it was due imminently...

Guys,

Here is a stream feed for the flight from the BBC website. It doesn't have anything on it yet obviously except a time screen. Just click on the "Watch the Flight" tab and wait till 0800GMT!!!!!

CLick here to watch A380 First FLight

Good luck to all involved

The Reverand

Live on www.bbc.co.uk

Sitting here in the media centre at Toulouse. WX perfect, crew on-board aircraft. All set for about 08:00GMT.

Thousands of spectators on the airfield boundary, people camped overnight for a decent view, flight being screened in Toulouse city square. Great fun.

(And Boeing announced two major orders and the 787 revisions in the last 48hrs. Interesting PR strategy.)