A380 Airbus performs unthinkable acrobatic stunts for a large aircraft
- With two full-length decks and widebody dimensions, flight for the A380 Airbus is an impressive feat
- This aviation enthusiast captured something even more spectacular at the Farnborough Airshow, UK, in 2014
- The stunts seem almost impossible
Published on Jul 12, 2024 at 2:43 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jul 26, 2024 at 7:32 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
With even take-off and landing seeming impressive for an aircraft of this size, the A380 Airbus stunts seems almost impossible.
The spectacle happened at the Farnborough Airshow, UK, in 2014.
We’ve never seen anything like it before or since.
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The impressive stunts
With take-off for an aircraft of this size impressive enough and doing so at an incline that seems almost unreal – the best is yet to come for the gathered crowds.
Captured by Elwyn R and shared to YouTube nine years ago, the airshow commentator prepares the spectators for what’s to come next.
“How about that for a maneuver? That’s not the kind of maneuver you’d do with granny down the back having a gin and tonic in there,” he quipped to the audience’s delight.
As he speaks the plane pitches, rolls, and turns sharply to the right.
The pilot then positions the plane to slowly fly past, described by the commentator as an ‘extraordinary sight’ and ‘majestic’.
He also remarks that the aircraft is ‘relatively quiet’ as it ‘drifts gently past’ – although that isn’t apparent in the footage.
The steep climb that follows is an incredible feat for a plane of this scale ‘pushing forward’ and preparing the gears for landing as the crowds watch beneath.
The nose gear is then engaged, and the plane comes in at a three-and-a-half degree slope so ‘we don’t take the roof tiles off The Swan pub’.
The A380 Airbus
As it states on the Airbus website, ‘the iconic A380 has flown over 800,000 flights carrying more than 300 million passengers since its entry into service’.
While production is tapering off, the A380 Airbus will fly ‘for decades to come’ as it continues to support A380 operators.
The largest passenger aircraft in the world, some billionaires even use it as a private jet or flying palace.
It’s the only full-length double-deck jet airliner in the world, measuring 73 meters in length and 24 meters in height, with enough room for up to 853 people.
It’s powered by a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine.
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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.”
