Updated A380 info

[Craig.]

Maiden flight of the maiden flights

Media: Focus-Money Magazine
Authors: Peter Bloed, Thorsten Jacobs
Date: March 22, 2005
Country of Publication: Germany

Translated from German

The new A380 super jumbo jet will take-off for the first time on March 24 or 25, an engineer of the A380 Project admitted to Focus-Money. "However, this is the unofficial maiden flight," he said. The actual maiden flight is planned for the beginning of April, "but is shifted almost daily in order to ensure that everything runs smoothly," says the engineer.

If it were possible, Airbus would want the unofficial maiden flight out of the public eye. That will hardly be possible, Airbus managers report that photographers already are positioning themselves in Toulouse.

Meanwhile, the first A380 flight is set; Singapore Airlines will fly from London Heathrow to Singapore, with a seating configuration of 880 seats. Singapore Airlines will then complete the first flight with normal seating with approximately 550 seats, it is said.

The news is from some german mag apparently, more over at Anet.
Could be interesting to see if this does happen tomorrow or friday.

[C]

Interesting reading some of the posts on the A-net thread. Some are quite amusing. I expect we will see an unofficial first flight very soon, with the "official" first flight some time after. To clear up any misunderstanding of why they do this, it is simple. At an unofficial first flight, where the media and VIPs are not present etc, then it can all be relatively relaxed with no pressure from the event, and if necessary the flight can be delayed or cancelled on the day. The official "first" flight, can then be flown in front of the cameras and VIPs after any initial problems have been established during the shakedown flights, and servicability can be assured...

[Wing Nut]

So, did it happen?  :)

[C]

Unless its gone stealthy, I don't think it did...

[Saratoga]

Well stealthy. I do believe the photographers would have made sure that didn't happen.

My thoughts, it didn't happen period. I haven't heard anything about it.

[Craig.]

Its difficult to know anything with this thing as Airbus have kept their mouths shut as of late. It must have done taxi and high speed runs by now if its to fly mid april, there have been no photos of that. They havent even released a photo of its cockpit. Kind of frustrating. Then again i dont know the weather in France that day either so that might have stopped it. Remembering that it has to be perfect for test flights in the begining.

[Saratoga]

For a pre-maiden flight flight, they don't need perfect weather. Perfect weather isn't actually required for any flights. Look at the Boeing plant, it's stuck up in Seattle with that oh so wonderful weather, most of their maidens are into clouds. No big deal. Too bad the gear didn't collapse during taxi runs.

[Craig.]

Maybe its just the Nimrod test pilots then who wont go up unless its clear. Kind of ironic for an aircraft which is supposed to be able to operate in the heaviest of clouds.

[C]

Maybe its just the Nimrod test pilots then who wont go up unless its clear. Kind of ironic for an aircraft which is supposed to be able to operate in the heaviest of clouds.

Maybe its because they have 100'000 other things to do too...

[Saratoga]

Yup. It's also a media type thing. Would you rather have your first flight on a bright sunny, blue sky European afternoon, or on a cold dark morning with no sunlight, snow on the ground, stuff like that. They take that into consideration.

[Craig.]

Maybe its because they have 100'000 other things to do too...

According to my dad, these guys can be found sitting in the break room with a coffee and some light paperwork, even on some really nice days. They dont like working friday afternoons and have refused on a number of occasions to fly monday morning, just because its a monday morning. This is what you get when you use pilots hired by BAE and not military types. You'd never refuse to fly on a Monday morning would you Charlie?:)

[C]

Ah, the BAE SYSTEMS TPs - the only like going flying if its going to be interesting...

[Wing Nut]

Gosh, you would think a multi-national company with billions of dollars, their reputation, the future of aviation in Europe, and their entire company at stake, not to mention all the DECADES of planning and work, and millions of man hours, would hire at least ONE competant pilot, wouldn't you?

[C]

They're all very competetant, but in these days of ultra safety, they won't be taking any risks. Anyway, with all the meetings they have to sit through I can understand them needing to sit down at BAE...

Anyway, one of the Airbus TPs for the A-380's is also the companies Chief Exec or something similar (may have been president)

[Hagar]

In the old days it would be the company chief test pilot who had usually been familiar with the project since it was first proposed. In many cases the cockpit layout would be designed on his advice & around his own preferences.* He would have the final decision when to carry out the first test flight & this was often done on the spur of the moment when it "felt right" during fast taxi testing.

I'm not sure that these lhuge unwieldy organisations like Boeing & Airbus have a chief test pilot these days.

*PS. One example of when this did not happen was with the TSR2 & Roland Beamont, the highly experienced chief test pilot of English Electric & BAC, had no input over the cockpit layout at all. It was designed by a committee. I was always suspicious of anything designed by a committee.