THE BIRD WILL BE AT OCK AT 1205Z AND EGLL AT 1212Z

Found this update on my intranet site, for your info.
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BRITISH PILOT TO FLY SUPERJUMBO INTO HEATHROW

Peter Woodman

17 May 2006

Press Association Newswire
British test pilot Ed Strongman will be at the controls tomorrow as the world's biggest passenger airliner, the Airbus A380, flies into Britain for the first time.

The 555-seater double-decker plane, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, is flying from the Berlin Air Show to Heathrow airport in west London.

Among those greeting the 240ft-long aircraft at Heathrow's new £105 million pier 6 at Terminal 3 will be Chancellor Gordon Brown.

En route from Berlin, Mr Strongman and his crew will be taking the £170 million plane over two Airbus UK plants - Broughton in North Wales, where the A380's huge wings are made, and Filton in Bristol.

The A380, which is due to go into passenger service at the end of this year, will stay at Heathrow for airport-compatibility tests before returning to Berlin in the early hours of Friday morning.

Heathrow operator BAA is spending £450 million to enable the airport to be ready to take the A380 and other ultra-large aircraft of the future. Other work has included runway resurfacing, upgrading runway lighting and the construction of new taxiways.

Toulouse-based Airbus has so far taken 159 firm orders from 16 airlines for the A380, which has been developed at a cost of around £6 billion.

Singapore Airlines will be the first carrier to put the plane into passenger service. Other airlines that have ordered A380s include Sir Richard Branson's airline Virgin Atlantic, Qantas, Qatar Airways and Dubai-based Emirates.

But a number of major carriers, including British Airways, have held back from committing themselves, preferring to wait and see how the plane performs.

First shown off at Toulouse in a lavish event attended by Prime Minister Tony Blair in January last year, the A380 first flew the following April.

Around 13,000 UK jobs are dependent on Airbus. There has been concern over employment levels following the decision taken earlier by UK company BAE Systems to sell its 20% stake in Airbus.

A380 visible over South Coast
 

Hi All,
Forgive my ignorance, and thanks for allowing me to join your wonderful community!
I will be at LHR to see the A380 tomorrow (along with many of you guys I suspect) just one question, I have a friend who lives in Southampton, anyone know if the aircaft will overfly Southampton and if so what sort of time?

Thanks
Scudpilot

A380.into LHR
 

Hi,

Just read on the beeb that the A380 will be landing at Heathrow tomorrow, and parking at the new Pier 6 in T3. I`m actually flying into Heathrow tomorrow - due in at 11ish.....just wondering if anyone knew the exact time it was expected - as i can`t find it anywhere!

Cheers

A380 UK routing 18MAY F-WWDD
 

A380 UK movements 18 MAY (sorry if these have been published already)

EDDB-EGNR
E/CTOT 0846Z - ROUTE N0450F390 BELID2X BELID Y203 HLZ UL980 ETEBO UG9 RKN UB5 SPY UY70 OTBED/N0481F240 Y70 GOLES L975 WAL DCT TORGO DCT KEGUN - ETA 1034Z

EGNR-EGTG
E/CTOT 1050Z - ROUTE N0300F150 DCT REXAM N864 MONTY N42 RETSI N862 RILES DCT - ETA 1126Z

EGTG-EGLL
E/CTOT 1145Z - N0250F150 WOTAN L9 KENET - ETA 1212Z

Looks like it may be doing some transit photo shoots!

A380 UK routing 18MAY F-WWDD
 

A380 UK movements 18 MAY (sorry if these have been published already)

EDDB-EGNR
E/CTOT 0846Z - ROUTE N0450F390 BELID2X BELID Y203 HLZ UL980 ETEBO UG9 RKN UB5 SPY UY70 OTBED/N0481F240 Y70 GOLES L975 WAL DCT TORGO DCT KEGUN - ETA 1034Z

EGNR-EGTG
E/CTOT 1050Z - ROUTE N0300F150 DCT REXAM N864 MONTY N42 RETSI N862 RILES DCT - ETA 1126Z

EGTG-EGLL
E/CTOT 1145Z - N0250F150 WOTAN L9 KENET - ETA 1212Z

Looks like it may be doing some transit photo shoots!

According to a friend with a LHR based airline it is arriving at 13.30. I cannot verify unfortunately, but what we do know is that there are a large number of barriers up to stop 'spotting'. Bit like Concord's swansong I guess

Looks like it may be doing some transit photo shoots!

On this route:
EDDB-EGNR
E/CTOT 0846Z - ROUTE N0450F390 BELID2X BELID Y203 HLZ UL980 ETEBO UG9 RKN UB5 SPY UY70 OTBED/N0481F240 Y70 GOLES L975 WAL DCT TORGO DCT KEGUN - ETA 1034Z
the only people who will get a look at it between SPY and OTBED will be other aircraft or maybe a very lucky North Sea rig worker with a good set of binoculars!

Looks like it may be doing some transit photo shoots!

On this route:
EDDB-EGNR
E/CTOT 0846Z - ROUTE N0450F390 BELID2X BELID Y203 HLZ UL980 ETEBO UG9 RKN UB5 SPY UY70 OTBED/N0481F240 Y70 GOLES L975 WAL DCT TORGO DCT KEGUN - ETA 1034Z
the only people who will get a look at it between SPY and OTBED will be other aircraft or maybe a very lucky North Sea rig worker with a good set of binoculars!

hehe - true that

But if you plot the route onto a high level chart its definately an interesting flight path! Would have thought its doing mid-air photo shoots using a chase plane, at least thats the gist i got from field 18 of the flight plan.

hehe - true that

But if you plot the route onto a high level chart its definately an interesting flight path! Would have thought its doing mid-air photo shoots using a chase plane, at least thats the gist i got from field 18 of the flight plan.

They'll normally be an Aerovision Corvette somewhere closeby.

There was also an A388 doing icing tests between FL 150 and FL 200 out of TLS today.

They'll normally be an Aerovision Corvette somewhere closeby.

There was also an A388 doing icing tests between FL 150 and FL 200 out of TLS today.

Do you know which runway it should be landing on? I know it is either 27L or 09R.

Thanks in advance.

Do you know which runway it should be landing on? I know it is either 27L or 09R.

Thanks in advance.

Landing towards the west if the wind stays as it is.

Landing towards the west if the wind stays as it is.

True, apparently the Southern taxiways are the only ones to have been properly strengthened for the A380 so far. As to which runway, i guess the wind will decide.

Current LHR 18 hr TAF: EGLL 171625Z 180018 22012KT 9999 SCT025 BECMG 0911 23015G25KT TEMPO
1018 23018G35KT 7000 SHRA BKN020CB=

Looks like 27L! Shame about the rain though, should make some interesting reverse thrust shots for those crafty A.netters

True, apparently the Southern taxiways are the only ones to have been properly strengthened for the A380 so far. As to which runway, i guess the wind will decide.

Current LHR 18 hr TAF: EGLL 171625Z 180018 22012KT 9999 SCT025 BECMG 0911 23015G25KT TEMPO
1018 23018G35KT 7000 SHRA BKN020CB=

Looks like 27L! Shame about the rain though, should make some interesting reverse thrust shots for those crafty A.netters

Just for once, there may a positive side to living in Richmond. If the WX is ok, I will be in the park.