It was an excellent landing by the crew! Congrats for all involved in the program to get it this far!!

Lol, there is some guy named Fernando Alonso. I just minimized tab and was listening audio commentary and when I heard the name. I thought "##### F1 driver can do in brand new aircraft at first flight?"   :lol:

This is the first Airbus I genuinely like the look/aesthetic of. Great looking airplane.

 

I have to agree...Although the A330 and 340 werent too bad in the looks department.

A340-600 was the only airbus aircraft I liked, but now, A350 is my new airbus favorite. 

Great aircraft, cant wait to see it in MEA livery, hats off to the fastest Alonzo so far!

Lol, there is some guy named Fernando Alonso. I just minimized tab and was listening audio commentary and when I heard the name. I thought "##### F1 driver can do in brand new aircraft at first flight?"   :lol:

He was also the test pilot for A380 (IIRC). To be honest, my first reaction, back then, was to thing, "why on earth would a racing car driver be involved in testing new Airbuses"

Nice flight! One thing I found interesting, is that Airbus crews wear crash helmets Orange jumpsuits and parachutes. I've never seen Boeing crews on first flights do this. Does Airbus not have enough confidence in their aircraft on first flights,that they feel they my have to bail out? Here's a video of the Boeing 777 first flight. Seems like they are a little more relaxed.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8erXQGgr7VE

This is the first Airbus I genuinely like the look/aesthetic of. Great looking airplane.

 

 

The 320 and 330 are beautiful! :wub:

He was also the test pilot for A380 (IIRC). To be honest, my first reaction, back then, was to thing, "why on earth would a racing car driver be involved in testing new Airbuses"

 

Fernando ALONSO is a test engineer and now  PRESIDENT of the Flight test division of Airbus.

 

" Fernando Alonso has accumulated more than 3,000 hours of flight tests and has been a flight test engineer on the maiden flights of the A340-200 in 1992, the A319 in 1997, the A318 in 2002, the A380 in 2005 and the A350 XWB in 2013 " (Wikepedia)

 

http://fr.linkedin.com/pub/fernando-alonso/12/209/a30

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quNksOwfX3k

@guy: Yes I know

 

BTW. Everyone should see the documentary about the A380 flight testing, where Alonso and he's crew take the A380 literally to the breaking point.

 

"We managed to descend faster than the designed maximum speed, before first of the panels tear off the aircraft. This was a good test flight."

 

Not a job for the fainth of heart!

Found this very good publication in the Airbus webpage...

 

http://www.airbus.com/support/publications/?eID=dam_frontend_push&docID=31508

Looks like a Airbus copy of the Boeing 787. Well I guess if they can not design their own aircraft just copy someone else.

Dana Mills, on 20 Jun 2013 - 1:26 PM, said:

Looks like a Airbus copy of the Boeing 787. Well I guess if they can not design their own aircraft just copy someone else.

How is it a copy of a 787?

 

More like a scaled down version of the A380 with refinements, and remember the A380 came out before the 787.

 

I don't like these Airbus vs Boeing debates as most don't like them around here. Two different companies, two different product lines, two different directions, like comparing Apples to Oranges.

 

To be honest neither company can produce airplanes quickly enough to meet the market demand.

Looks like a Airbus copy of the Boeing 787. Well I guess if they can not design their own aircraft just copy someone else.

Hmmm...a bit too simplistic a comment I am afraid....Airbus was the first to introduce heavy alloys in their aircraft and fly by wire...Boeing has caught up in both these departments, which is great for the industry. I still remember the disappointment when they pitted the B767-400 as a response to the popularity of the A330, and later the B747-800 as a response to the A380.

 

You will find most twin engined birds look quite similar as engineers on both side of the ocean come to similar conclusions on aerodynamic shape. The layout of the cockpit certainly looks busier than an A330 cockpit!

Looks like a Airbus copy of the Boeing 787. Well I guess if they can not design their own aircraft just copy someone else.

 

Now that would not be meant as a provocation to start a good old fashioned Airbus/Boeing dispute on my watch, would it? :spiteful: