AFS Airbus A380, QANTAS Demo
Demo of the Airbus A380 is a double decker, four-engined airliner manufactured by Airbus S.A.S. It first flew on April 27, 2005 from Toulouse, France. Commercial flights should begin in 2006 after 15 months of testing. During much of 1st development, the aircraft was known as the Airbus A3XX. The A380 is now the largest passenger airliner, topping the Boeing 747, which was the largest for 35 years. However, the Antonov An-225 retains the record of being the world’s largest commercial aircraft. The media has termed the A380 a “super jumbo”, with some comparing it to Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose. The first A380 prototype was unveiled during a ceremony in Toulouse, France, on January 18, 2005. Its manufacturer’s serial number is 001, and is registered as F-WWOW. The new Airbus will initially be sold in two versions: the A380-800, carrying 555 passengers in a three-class configuration or up to 800 passengers in a single-class economy configuration. Expected range for the -800 model is 8,000 nautical miles (14,800 km). The second model, the A380-800F dedicated freighter, will carry 150 tons of cargo 5,600 miles (10,400 km). Airbus made the cockpit layout, procedures and handling characteristics similar to those of other Airbus aircraft to reduce crew training costs. Likewise, the A380 features a glass cockpit and side-stick flight controller. Demo version with banners, Panel, GAUGES, model, sound and textures by www.afs-design.de – Author: A.Meyer.
