It is a phenomenal engineering feat: 566 tons flying through the air and getting close to 700 people to their holiday at once.
The Airbus A380, which , is so large its paint alone weighs half a ton.
The 鈥渟uperjumbo鈥 has been flying for more than a decade now but tends to be the preserve of the world鈥檚 largest airports 鈥 Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid and Amsterdam among them.
But it is not new to the West Midlands 鈥 a large part of the aeroplane is made here.
Birmingham
Aero Engine Controls supplied slat motor drive electronics
Bromford Industries supplied aero-engine parts
Timet 海角视频 supplied bearings
Warwickshire
Technoset, in Rugby, supplied precision machining
Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems, of Coventry, supplied brake components
Facts about the A380
Worcestershire
Mettis Aerospace, in Redditch, supplied large forged titanium parts for pylon and flap drive assemblies
Strand Engineering, of Malvern, supplied engineering for wing parts
Redditch-based Eaton Aerospace supplied flexible hose assemblies and rigid pipes
Black Country
- Kingswinford-based TM Specialist Engineers supplied ground support vehicles
- Wolverhampton-based GE Aviation supplied highlift actuation systems for wings
- Stourbridge-based Jonathan Lee Recruitment supplied staff
- Wolverhampton-based HS Marston Aerospace supplied fuel hoses and air-cooled oil coolers
- Goodrich Actuation, also of Wolverhampton, supplied motor control electronics
How to fly the world鈥檚 biggest airliner
Solihull
- TRW Conekt supplied EMC testing
Staffordshire
- Lichfield-based Unimerco supplied cutting tools
Tekdata Interconnection supplied cable interconnection
