- Start
- Oct 28, 197290% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
The Airbus A300 Prototype Makes Its Maiden Flight
- The A300 prototype first flew on 28 October 1972 from Toulouse–Blagnac International Airport, a month ahead of schedule, in a flight lasting one hour and 25 minutes.[1]
- The captain was Max Fischl and the first officer Bernard Ziegler, son of Henri Ziegler.[1]
- France and West Germany reached a firm agreement on 29 May 1969 after Britain withdrew on 10 April 1969, and Airbus Industrie GIE was formally created on 18 December 1970.[1]
- Sections built across Europe were flown to Toulouse by Aero Spacelines Super Guppies, making the A300 the first airliner to use just-in-time manufacturing.[1]
- The type entered service with Air France on 23 May 1974; 561 were built before production ended in 2007.[1]
Notable features
- It was Airbus’ first production aircraft and the world’s first twin-engine wide-body airliner.[1]
- Its 5.64 m (222 in) diameter circular fuselage takes eight-abreast seating with two aisles and two LD3 cargo containers side by side below the floor.[1][2]
- The A300B1 that made the first flight, MSN 1 registered F-WUAB, was 51 m long with a maximum takeoff weight of 132 t and was powered by two General Electric CF6-50A engines.[1][2]
- The A300 typically seats 247 passengers in two classes over a range of 5,375 to 7,500 km.[1]
- Its wings have supercritical airfoil sections and it was the first airliner fitted with wind shear protection; later A300s brought composites to primary structures and the two-pilot Forward-Facing Crew Cockpit, a first for a wide-body.[1][2]
References 290% CONFIDENCE
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]90%en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A300en.wikipedia.org· Posted Sep 21, 2026· Starts Oct 28, 1972 ✓· 100% of score
Happened as dated, per en.wikipedia.org: the first prototype "conducted its maiden flight from Toulouse–Blagnac International Airport on 28 October that year."
- [2]88%28 October, 50th Anniversary of the first flight of the Airbus A300airbus.com· Published Oct 28, 2022· 0% of score
The manufacturer’s own anniversary piece names the aircraft as A300B1 development aircraft MSN 1, registration F-WUAB, and confirms the 28 October 1972 maiden flight in Toulouse.[1]
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