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 19, 2024 at 7:22 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.

READ MORE: This is probably the first and only time you’ll see inside a jet engine when it’s running

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.

Elwyn R

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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Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

London-based Amelia cut her journalistic teeth covering all things lifestyle, wellness and luxury in the UK capital. Fast-forward a decade and the experienced content creator and editor has put pen to paper for glossy magazines, busy newsrooms and coveted brands. When her OOO is on you can find her spending quality time with her young family, in the gym or exploring the city she loves.