Airbus 380 - ONE big bastard !

[The Toker]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=629 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>A380 takes off for maiden flight

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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IBOX -->European aircraft maker Airbus's A380, the world's largest passenger plane, has taken off on its long-awaited maiden flight.

Thousands of aeroplane enthusiasts have turned up in southern France to witness the twin-deck "super-jumbo" taking to the air for the first time.

The flight should last between one and five hours, depending on weather conditions and how the plane handles.

The plane is filled with about 20 tonnes of monitoring equipment.

Airbus, which is owned by European firm EADS and the UK's BAE Systems, sees the A380 as the future of air travel.

Arch-rival Boeing has instead chosen to focus on mid-sized short-haul aircraft.

Take off

The A380 - designed to carry more than 500 people between major airports - took off from its production site in Toulouse, southern France.

The six-strong crew are expected to take the plane out over the Bay of Biscay, before returning to base. <!-- S IBOX --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=sibtbg>


<!-- S ILIN -->A380 photo gallery
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<!-- E ILIN --><!-- S ILIN -->BAE Systems' share price
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The crew will not be taking any chances, and will wear parachutes during the flight. There also is a handrail that leads from the cockpit to an escape door.

Earlier Airbus test pilot Jacques Rosay told the BBC that: "We are confident with what has been done up to today.

"But we still have some doubts. We have to be very careful during all the flight because, as you say, when you are looking at new things, something may happen.

"But we are still very confident."

More than 50,000 people are thought to have watched the take off, which is also being broadcast live on television.

Safety

There is likely to be more than a year of flight-testing and certification-programme work before the A380 starts commercial services.

During the flight, there will be a live satellite feed of data which will be monitored by a team of experts on the ground, Airbus said.

The project, hailed as a European success story by leaders including France's President Jacques Chirac, has had its share of problems.

In December 2004, Airbus' main shareholder EADS, which has an 80% stake, revealed that the project was £1bn (1.5bn euros; $1.9bn) over budget, at more than £8.4bn.

The UK's BAE systems owns the remaining 20% of Airbus. <!-- S IIMA -->
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[CominAtcha]

Ha. My company put some of the metal in that beast. I certainly wouldn't fly in it.