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Touring the Airbus A380

by Karen Walrond on May 13th 2006 at 7:02PM

A couple of months ago, Adrienne Wilson let us know that the Airbus 380, the largest jumbo jet built to date, had passed its safety evacuation test. Well, now, thanks to the Times Online, journalist Martin Symington gives a sneak preview of what the A380 is like inside -- and man, is it impressive. The article has a list of astounding statistics, like:

Each plane has more than four million parts.;
The Wright brothers' first flight in 1903 (36.6m), could have taken place on either passenger deck (49.7m and 47.9m);
The temperature in the engines reaches 2,800C, half that of the Sun's surface; and my personal favourite
A freighter version, the A380F, will carry 150 tonnes of cargo - about the same as a herd of 57 fully grown Asian elephants.

Amazing vessel. Not surprisingly, my buddy, Sir Richard Branson, has already gone on record suggesting that the Virgin Airlines Airbus A380 "might have on-board gyms, showers, beauty parlours and casinos, not to mention double beds in private cabins."

Dude. If I ever get a Virgin ticket on one of these things, they may never get me off of it.

Filed under: Learning