A 380 – Germany's First Flying Double Decker

The Airbus A380 was launched amid widespread optimism but has in recent months been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Lufthansa, however, has confirmed its order for 15 A 380s, and the first batch are now almost ready. The German airline's first A 380 is awaiting final inspection, and the second is currently being assembled. As Lufthansa looks forward to its new flagship, Made in Germany goes to Toulouse to see the German and French engineers at work. The first part of a new series in which Christoph Kober follows the evolution of a A 380 – from basic assembly in early May to its delivery in March of 2010. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Erwin Hattensperger has worked as a technician for Lufthansa for 20 years. But he's never had a job of this magnitude before. It's to be the biggest passenger jet in the world - assembled here in Toulouse out of four million components The wing is Hattensperger's favourite part in this gigantic puzzle: "It's just awesome. When you see it hanging there - the shape of the surface, it's just amazing. There's no bigger wing in the world right now - and maybe never will be." The wingspan measures nearly 80 metres. Erwin Hattensperger is inspecting the first of 15 A380s ordered by Lufthansa. Once the components have been assembled, his job begins. With a price tag of around 280 million euros a piece, Lufthansa is keen to have its own experts do a thorough check to ensure everything is as it should be. Etienne Jackson, Airbus Customer Manager: "So we are going to have a look on the wing landing gear also the attachment to the wing as we are going to see the rear spa and then we can go and present you all the wing landing gear lower part." Erwin Hattensperger, Airplane Inspector: "Ok that's fine, let's go." But first the inspector wants to take a look inside the cabin. This is the first time cameras have been allowed inside. The A380 seats more than five hundred passengers. On the upper deck, reserved for business and first class passengers, the luxury fittings have yet to be added. The plane is still very much in its raw state. Erwin Hattensperger checks every nook and cranny. He will check everything at least three times before the plane is finished - power cables, connections, insulation material: "It's all been built quite quickly. Often when the insulation is fitted, tiny defects occur in the material, areas that have been rubbed away. And if we discover that, it has to be repaired." Last time the cables didn't pass the test. And production is already behind schedule. Next in line for inspection is the belly of the fuselage. The place where the wings are attached. This is one of the most important parts of a plane, an area that is subject to huge forces during flight. Even a tiny defect here could spell disaster: "It's extremely important that everything has been done correctly, the wings are the most important part of the plane." If screws are left lying around they could later rip holes in the tanks. Hattensperger immediately asks why they're there. The last stop of the day is the front landing gear. The tyres and shock absorbers have to be able to absorb the equivalent impact of more than 70 elefants when the plane touches the ground during landing. Hattensperger can't afford to miss anything. When all is said and done, he will have to guarantee that everything works: "There is definitely a certain amount of responsibility, when you consider that 550 people are going to be sitting in this plane. I have to pledge with my name that it's fit for use." But that will still take a while yet. In a few weeks time, the engines will be installed. They too will first have to pass Erwin Hattensperger's inspection.

DW-World | May 12, 2009

Tags:. .wingspan. .lufthansa. .erwin. .magnitude. .flagship