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August 27, 2006
A380 powered by Engine Alliance completes first flight
The first A380 Airbus aircraft powered by Engine Alliance engines successfully completed its maiden flight on Friday August 25th, 2006, touching down at Blagnac International Airport in Toulouse, France.
The A380 MSN9 is powered by four Engine Alliance GP7200 engines which have the capability of delivering a thrust up to 81,500 pounds (37 tonnes) each. The aircraft is equipped with heavy flight test instrumentation and ballast to produce a take off weight of 430 tonnes.
Six A380 customers have selected the Engine Alliance GP7200 engine for a total of 82 firm aircraft orders. These include Air France, Emirates Airlines, FedEx, ILFC, Korean Air and UPS.
Designed to operate out of any airport where today’s largest aircraft can, using shorter runways and generating half the noise, the A380 complies with some of the world’s strictest noise restrictions (QC1 for landing and QC2 for take off at London’s Heathrow), reinforcing the A380’s growing recognition as the quietest large aircraft in the world.
The A380 airframe and engines are the world’s most advanced using the latest generation materials and systems to significantly reduce weight and boost performance and economy. The A380 also boasts the world’s most advanced cockpit and avionics providing its customers with the unique benefits of Airbus’ operational commonality between fly-by-wire models.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 6:00 PM | Link to this Post
