The Airbus A380 is currently the largest plane in the world. It has a length of 73m or 239 ft. 3 in, a height of 24.1 m or 79 ft. 7 in, and a wingspan of 79.8 m or 261 ft. 8 in. Its fuselage has a diameter of 7.14 m or 23 ft. 5 in. There are two variance of the aircraft, the A380 and the A380F. the latter being a more powerful version. The A380 is unique in the sense that it has two decks.
The Airbus 380 can carry a maximum of 525 passengers and already in service to 12 major cities around the world. Currently, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, and Air France are the only airlines officially operating the A380. Other airlines like Malaysian Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, and Thai Airways have already placed orders for the super-jumbo. Singapore Airlines is the first airline to fly the A380. It began flying the aircraft on October 25, 2007. Emirates commenced its A380 services in September, 2008. A month later, Qantas began flying the A380.
Each Airbus A380 is either powered by four Rolls-Royce 900 Trend Turbojet or four Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance GP7200 engines, each providing 70,000lb of thrust. The aircraft can fly non-stop at a distance of 8000nm or 15000km and reach the maximum height of 35,000ft. or 10668m. There are ten fuel tanks in each A380 that can carry a total of 131,000 liters of fuel. The maximum speed of the aircraft is 1020 km/h or 634 mph. When landing, the A380 uses a 22-wheels landing gear .
The interior of the A380 is rather interesting too. Both of its upper and lower decks have twin-aisle cabins. The upper deck can seat up to 96 business-class passengers and 103 economic-class passengers. The lower deck can have up to 22 first-class seats and 334 economic-class seats. The two decks are connected by two stairways. There is also a lift in the aircraft that assists those with limited mobility to move between the two decks.
A kind of plastic which is reinforced with carbon fibre and a new material known as Glare are among the materials used in the construction of the A380. Glare as a highly resistance to fatigue material makes the aircraft stronger and safer. It is also lighter than the standard materials used.
Reference:
“Airbus, http://www.airbus.com/en/aircraftfamilies/productcompare/
“A380 Family “Airbus, http://www.airbus.com/en/aircraftfamilies/a380/home/
Wikipedia contributors, “List of Airbus A380 orders and deliveries,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Airbus_A380_orders_and_deliveries&oldid=323177154 (accessed November 6, 2009).
“Airbus A380 Superjumbo Twin-Deck, Twin-Aisle Airliner, Europehttp://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/a380/
“Airbus A380 Flight, http://hubpages.com/hub/Airbus-A380-Flight
