Pilots joke that the Airbus A340 only stays airborne because the Earth rotates beneath it and the video evidence is hard to argue with
Published on Apr 13, 2026 at 4:02 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Apr 13, 2026 at 3:24 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
It might sound wild, but there is a joke among pilots that the Airbus A340 only stays airborne because the Earth rotates beneath it.
Developed in the 1980s, the airliner first flew in 1991, and it’s still in regular service with many airlines worldwide, making it one of the most recognizable airliners on the planet.
The running joke stems from the thrust relative to the A340’s size and weight, with Airbus opting for smaller engines than you might expect.
Watching videos of the jet take off, it’s easy to see why many have made this claim.
This is why the Airbus A340 is the subject of a pilot’s joke
At the time of its development, long-haul flights favored aircraft with four engines.
Airbus wanted to continue that trend, but by using smaller turbofans than you’d normally see.
The aircraft used either CFM International CFM56-5C turbofans or Rolls-Royce Trent 553 or 556 engines.
These smaller engines reduced overall weight and increased the airliner’s range flexibility.
But it does make takeoff interesting, as footage shared on social media can show.
A video of the aircraft shows one roaring down a runway, but using virtually its whole length.
It then staggers into the air and only just lifts off before the end of the runway.
That is what led to the joke about it needing the Earth’s rotation to actually lift off.
The A340, however, isn’t the only aircraft that looks like it lumbers into the air.
What other aircraft take off like the Airbus?
There are other aircraft that have a similar takeoff style to the Airbus A340.
The Boeing B-52, a heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force, also seems to lumber into the sky.
Due to its weird landing gear, it has to wait until there is enough lift under the wings to lift off the ground naturally.
There is no traditional ‘rotate’ with the bomber, i.e., when the nose pitches up, and the aircraft lifts off.
The Antonov An-225 Mriya, once the largest aircraft in the world, also took off strangely.
Its sheer size and weight meant that takeoff with this jet was always a spectacle.
Thankfully, its six massive engines and huge wings gave it the thrust and lift it needed.
Yet nothing really takes off quite like the Airbus A340.
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
