Airbus A380
From Aircraft Wiki
| Airbus A380 | ||
|---|---|---|
 Airbus in flight (simulation) | ||
| Description | ||
| Role | Passenger Plane | |
| Crew | ||
| Passengers | 555 | |
| First flight | ||
| Entered service | ||
| Manufacturer | Airbus | |
| Produced | ||
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | ||
| Wingspan | ||
| Height | ||
| Wing area | ||
| Weights | ||
| Empty | ||
| Loaded | ||
| Maximum takeoff | ||
| Powerplant | ||
| Engine | 4 × | |
| Power (each) | ||
| Performance | ||
| Maximum speed | ||
| Cruising speed | ||
| Range | ||
| Ceiling | ||
| Rate of climb | ||
The Airbus A380 is a two-leveled airliner with four-engines, created by Airbus S.A.S. Its first flight was on April 27, 2005. It is, at present, the worlds largest passenger plane, capable of carrying over 555 passengers.
As of 2006, five had been built, and was still in the "test-flight" stage. It began commercial operations with Singapore Airlines in late 2007, initially flying to Sydney, Australia. Another 2 aircraft are due to join their fleet in March 2008, when they will be able to start operations to London (Heathrow), England.
The A380-800 has a maximum range of 15,000 km (8,000 nmi), and a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 (1,050 km/h), similar to that of the Boeing 747. This means it can fly from Chicago,USA to Sydney, Australia without refueling. However, this is with a direct route, no passengers, and without the required safety margin, so the usable range is shorter. Passengers of the prototype have said that it is ten times better than current planes.
