Airbus A-380 Has Already Touched the Sky
The world´s largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, has safely landed, having completed its maiden flight. However, more than a year of flight-testing and certification-program work will now follow before the enormous aircraft starts commercial services.
Pilots will then have to push the plane, designed to carry as many as 840 passengers, far harder then they have on Wednesday, testing for extremes of speed, altitude and temperature, experts said.
The long-awaited test flight lasted about four hours, touring the Bay of Biscay, before returning to base. The A380 took off from Toulouse, France, with a crew of six and about 20 tonnes of test equipment.
Airbus, which is owned by European firm EADS and the British BAE Systems, sees the A380 as the future of air travel. Arch-rival Boeing has instead chosen to focus on mid-sized long-haul aircraft like its new 787 and its benchmark 747 jumbo jet.
Most of the tests will be carried out at 10,000 feet and within 100 miles of Toulouse, said Peter Chandler, deputy project pilot for the A380.
He added that the plane was flying with its wheels down as a safety measure, and that the A380´s hydraulics and electrics had all been tested while it was on the ground.
During the flight, there was a live satellite feed of data which will be monitored by a team of experts on the ground, Airbus said. Taking no chances, the crew was equipped with parachutes. A handrail has been fitted, leading from the cockpit to an escape door.
