A380 Replaces Concorde at LHR
 

Torygraph: World's biggest aircraft model unveiled at Heathrow The world's biggest aircraft model – a replica Airbus A380 - has been unveiled at the approach to Heathrow.

Weighing in at 45 tonnes, the plane is taking the place of the British Airways model Concorde, which greeted passengers as they arrived at the airport for 16 years, and has been moved to the Brooklands Museum at Weybridge, Surrey. Its replacement, the Airbus, will remain on the site until 2013 under a deal signed by the airline and BAA, Heathrow's owners.

The model, in the Emirates livery, is as big as a smaller member of the Airbus family, the short-haul A320, and twice the size of the Concorde replica. It has a wingspan of 28.5 yards and is 26.2 yards long and took 18 months to build and install yet it is still only a third of the size of the real thing.

The model needed 150 gallons of paint and 600 tonnes of concrete were needed for the foundation to support the structure. It was built in California and shipped to Britain via Ontario in an Antonov cargo plane, arriving in the form of a huge model aircraft kit, which took 18 days and nights to be assembled.

Installing it was a feat of engineering in itself. Fred Diprose, who lead the 20-strong team, said that the site had to be excavated and then a crane brought in to drop the new model in place. But given the site's proximity to the runway, much of the work could only be done during the early hours of the morning. "It meant a lot of nights without sleep," he said. "I am feeling pretty shattered by now."

The model will be seen by around 25 million people a year as they approach Heathrow and is seen by advertisers as one of the prime slots in the whole of the country.

http://www.flightglobal.com/assets/g...x?ItemID=24350

At least they managed to get that one out on time.....:}

Site costs £1.5million a year to rent. I believe that works out at 6p per visitor to the airport.

"It has a wingspan of 28.5 yards and is 26.2 yards long " And manufactured in imperial units too - nice to see the old traditions will not die :8

Been watching this work in progress. When the contractors added the front section of the fuselage to the centre section, the already-applied decals (such as the window line and the first E in Emirates) didn't line up. They subsequently twisted the nose section around to match up the decals. However, as the fuselage cross section isn't a perfect circle, but rather an oval, they have caused it to distort, such that there's now an obvious step between skin panels on the top of the fuselage. Not a good look.

In my day, we used to put kit parts under a hot tap to twist them back into shape! Maybe Emirates should ask Airfix for their money back.

No-one'll notice, honest, guv.

:-)

S.

A symptom of the shocking state that the STBIROTFUK is in.

Enough to make you cry...

...if you still cared.




Me? I ran for the hills...

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, hardly surprised that Emirates couldn't come up with anything more imaginative than a model A380 to put on the site :ugh:

Sure there were a LOT more comments here last night?

Soooo, the 380 is now built in France and in California. I thought the only battle we had was over wine.

Westie

EADS missed a trick there - should have built it in Alabama so then the KC-45 would have been "continuing a history of Airbus manufacture in the US" :D

One of many UK Film Industry Model Construction companies could have done this. Cheaper, Pinewood is but a few miles away........the Emirates A380 however looks nothing compared to the previous incumbent the BA Concorde.
The Concorde model conveyed a spirit of adventure/high flight etc and whosoever said "If it looks right it will fly right" got it spot on.

Emirates should have commissioned Tracey Emin to sculpt hundreds of floating bums on seats!

Does anyone know what happened to the old Concorde model? Where has she been retired to?

The first post on this thread mentions that the Concorde model is now in the Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey :rolleyes:

Brooklands Concorde model
 

Model Arrived at Brooklands - 30/3/07

Being assembled
http://www.neil-online.com/slideshow...s/IMG_9515.jpg

The Concorde model was still just inside the main entrance ( by MB World)when I was there this week.

http://ka82.net/blog/uploaded_images...600-764526.jpg

Some work is being done on it at present.