If I were to get to Toulouse (for 1st flight), along with many others I'm sure, what would be possible vantage points?

:confused: :O

What's the alternative to flying it at the show? Taking it to bits and trucking it up the motorway? ;)

Taxi tests under way yesterday

http://www.aeroweb-fr.net/actualites...age-essais.php

http://membres.lycos.fr/airbus/A380%...9avril2005.htm

Konkordski,
It will fly to and from the Paris show, just may not take part in the flying display during the show.

Just got an email from one om my internal resource in Airbus in Toulouse, stating that first flight is programmed now for the second half of April and that the aircraft will be handed over to the test pilots during this week.

Must say I'm glad to see Airbus has had the sense not to succumb to pressures to get the first flight in the air "too" soon despite its earlier committments for doing so by end of March.

A380 latest
 

Anyone have anything new re when it'll be first in the air ???

And when it might be doing it's 'round the world peek and see ??

Have seen April 20th quoted, but this is by no means definite. It was a rumour of a rumour type thing!

At least it has been moving under its own power! :ok:

Oh look, moved to Spotter's Corner again. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Hmmmmmm..............?

http://tech.monstersandcritics.com/n..._Due_in_8_Days

Regards

That was the source I had seen from elsewhere.

Anyone care to explain why my post, pointing out the reasons why the 20th April might not sit well with certain national Governments, was deleted?

Did you post it in R&N, where the A380 is not considered a serious topic of discussion?

(What IS wrong with 20th April anyway?)

It is Hitler's Birthday.....

Right....

And this is a problem how? Or were others simply making it into an issue? (In which case deletion is fully understood!)

Hmmmm. Nope I wont bait myself. Going to leave that one all alone.............:)

For eal - post moved by Danny - obviously he felt this forum was more appropriate.

konkordski - not deleted by me - could have been Danny in the 'move? The post arrived here 'as is'.

I said it before (deleted by hand unknown) and I'll say it again - the fact that April 20 is Hitler's birthday is numbingly irrelevant to this thread.
Good-oh to whover removed the post.

totally agree.

will weather have an impact on the day they choose for first flight? what will they do with all the press and photographers, surely they're going to want publicity out of this?

Jet

Actually french news-TV station LCI (daughter company of TF1 )mentioned today the first flight would be sheduled for April 22 if weather OK.

Just got my first glimps of F-WWOW moving along the runway at TLS Blagnac Airport under its won power and Wowwww!!! What a sight.

Already some 40 cars parked at the area I saw it from, so I can see people are ready for viewing first flight.

Also noticed that a stand of seats are being set up beside one of the runways, pbviously in preparation for the dignatories during the first flight, so it's obviously quite imminent.

Good luck Airbus

Lets hope the pilots don't mistake those stands of seats for trees.......:E

Anyone know what engines the 'first flyer' has?

Big ones, I expect!

747FOCAL... You really can't help yourself, can you?? :ok:

What engines?? ;)
 

I heard from a very reliable source in Toulouse that the aircraft will be powered by JET engines... can anyone confirm??? :E

Negative MR8, they're actually attaching an enormous rotor to the top of it and they're going to make it get airborne vertically. They're clever people at airbus, and they figured that if they lose an engine there then it won't be able to continue to fly from LAX to LHR. As a result, they're also fitting 100 small propellers along the wing, just in case :)

Is it correct that all the A380 engines presently at Toulouse are Rolls Trent 900?

A380 Ground Tests VIDEO...Hurry!!!!!!!!!!
 

Courtesy: Airliners.net post....

"Click on Region "Toulouse" evening news and at the very beginning of the broadcast....
It won't last - so hurry"


http://www.m6.fr/html/info/player/frame_soir.htm


a second thought........
People may also want to bookmark this French TV station link for possible coverage of the first flight

Ground tests VIDEO -

I just posted this in a new thread...but, I guess it wouldn't hurt to put it here as well

Courtesy: Airliners.net post....

"Click on Region "Toulouse" evening news and at the very beginning of the broadcast....
It won't last - so hurry"


http://www.m6.fr/html/info/player/frame_soir.htm


a second thought........
People may also want to bookmark this French TV station link for possible coverage of the first flight

Seacue,yes your correct the A380 being tested has the RR Trent 900 donkeys installed, picture here

Useless snippet of info:only the inboard engines have working reverse thrust mechanism installed due to potential of FOD damage on outboard engines.

I think research of the archives will reveal the reason for the lack of outboard thrust reversers was part of the development project to cut down on weight, complexity and cost.

doesn't work in Firefox, worked in Internet Explorer.

It's short, but WOW what an aircraft :ooh: I would love to see this big giant in real life!

Thanks for that - excellent. Now, is it or is it not true that Airbus want the A380 to be auto-landed as standard and a manual landing as an abnormal? Please tell me that it's just an ugly rumour.

Thanks for that ---it was lovely! Cant wait to see it fly!

Cant see it having to be autolanded at all times - that would mean every airfield it flies into would have to have cat111.

Not quite correct Windshear...Aircraft that are capable of Autoland only need cat1. Perfectly acceptable to autoland on a CAVOK day without cat3 protection. Just have to watch out for LOC/GS deviations as aircraft may still be taxiing within the ILS sensitive area.

3Gs...

Disagree slightly. National & airline rules might vary, but to Autoland at all, we need the airfield to have been surveyed and have eqpt essentially to CAT3 standard. The protections need not be in force, but the eqpt still working. In short, on the BA Airbus, we fly to many airfields / runways (maybe 50%?) where Autoland is not permitted at all...

For the A380 airfields unlikely a great problem, except that doing a "practice Autoland" is, IMHO, more demanding than either a manual land or an Autoland - you have to be ready to intervene at very short notice to "take over", which inevitably demands a high level of experience in manual landing...

The A380 will be distinctly unpopular if it demands the CAT3 protections in force.... Suspect this is just a rumour <G>

"Bombshell" (sic) for A380
 

The UK's finest are at it again - from today's Sunday Times:

http://tinyurl.com/boxef

AIRBUS’s A380 superjumbo programme will lose more than $8 billion (£4.2 billion) over its commercial life and never pay back the £2 billion-plus in state aid that helped launch it, according to a report from a panel of leading American academics and analysts

The report was funded by Boeing & assumes that the A380 will sell 496 aircraft....which I guess is Boeing's estimate.....

...so if they sell 497 they're screwed! ..:E

Don't get all worked up boys it's just another piece of Airbus crap at the end of the day, over weight already by 20 tonnes and under performing.

What really makes me laugh is the fact the Emirates have ordered 45 of them. A muslim airline flying a pig!!!! :O

Sponsored by Boeing.....................;)