Airbus A380 pilot performs ‘extreme’ wing wave during take-off for spectators
- This Airbus A380 take-off features an unexpected twist
- Without passengers on board, the pilot was able to perform an ‘extreme’ wing wave
- It left spectators thrilled
Published on Jul 15, 2024 at 3:55 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jul 17, 2024 at 12:21 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Take-off for an aircraft the size of the Airbus A380 is an impressive enough feat – add in an ‘extreme’ wing wave and spectators were left thrilled.
The Lufthansa A380 pilot took from Munich, Germany, as the pilot performed the stunt.
Thankfully, there were no nervous – or otherwise -passengers aboard.
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The take-off wing wave
The video, shared by JM AVIATION showed the Airbus A380 (LH9860) taxiing along the runway.
They then took off from Munich Airport (MUC) en route to Leipzig Halle Airport (LEJ) in the same country.
The 42-minute Lufthansa flight was ferrying no passengers – which is fortunate considering the stomach-dipping ‘extreme’ wing wave the pilot performed shortly after leaving the tarmac.
Often used as an emotional final farewell, the wing wave of Virgin Atlantic’s ‘flying billboard’ Boeing 747 showed it bow out in style.
Moreover, this Southwest Airlines 737-700 also performed a full-power takeoff and stunningly low wing wave.
The exact plane in question was the Airbus A380-841 D-AIML per Flightradar24.
At the time of writing, after already having touched down from Delhi (DEL), India, to Munich, the plane had a six-hour window before leaving for Los Angeles LAX on the west coast of the US – now that’s busy.
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is easily one of the world’s most iconic airplanes ever.
And that’s predominantly because of its immense size, making it the largest passenger aircraft in the world.
Measuring 73 meters and with a wingspan of nearly 80 meters, the Airbus A380 is large enough to accommodate up to 520 passengers.
Some billionaires even use it as a private jet — well, it could be called a private flying palace since it’s not comparable to any other ‘regular’ private aircraft that most people own.
There have been numerous design ideas for converting it into a flying palace.
While some did come to fruition, others remained as ideas and never left the pages.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
