Airbus A380: Superjumbo of the 21st Century
Poised for takeoff on that hot morning in April 2005, the Airbus A380 had the purposeful, powerful presence of a giant predatory bird. With its enormous gulled wings, imperiously tall tail, and broad, domed forepeak, it looked ready to take on the world. It has had plenty of supporters along the way-and critics. No civil airliner since the supersonic Concorde has aroused such emotion, such fascination, and such cause celebre.\ To a confident Airbus and the thousands of awestruck workers who...
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Poised for takeoff on that hot morning in April 2005, the Airbus A380 had the purposeful, powerful presence of a giant predatory bird. With its enormous gulled wings, imperiously tall tail, and broad, domed forepeak, it looked ready to take on the world. And along the way, it has had plenty of supporters—and critics. No civil airliner since the supersonic Concorde has aroused such emotion, such fascination, and such cause célèbre.To a confident Airbus and the thousands of awestruck workers who cheered it into that cloudless sky over Toulouse, it means so much more. The European company has been transformed under the broad wings of this incredible project into a single corporate entity—from a loose consortium into a new, more dynamic force to challenge its worthy adversary Boeing in every market sector.Guy Norris is the award-winning West Coast editor for Flight International magazine and has authored many aviation books. Twice winner of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Aerospace Journalist of the Year award, he was formerly Flight’s technical editor and London correspondent for Interavia magazine.Guy Norris lives in Irvine, California. Mark Wagner, RAeS, is a pilot and specialist aviation photographer. He works as chief photographer for the international photo agency Aviation-Images.com as well as for many aerospace and advertising clients worldwide. He is based in London, United Kingdom, with partner, Stephanie, and son, Henry.
Acknowledgments6Prologue: Sowing the Seeds of a Superjumbo7Introduction11Chapter 1Back to the Roots12Chapter 2Let the Battle Commence20Chapter 3Defining a Dream30Chapter 4Manifest Destiny?42Chapter 5Seeking Commitments50Chapter 6High-Tech Advantage60Chapter 7Enter the A380 Superjumbo72Chapter 8Land of the Giants84Chapter 9Cutting Metal94Chapter 10Absolute Power104Chapter 11Engineering a Giant116Chapter 12Systematic Approach124Chapter 13Turbulent Times130Chapter 14Supersized Freighter142Chapter 15The New Space Age Begins150AppendixA380 Specifications158A380 Order Book159Index160
