Farnborough 2012 photo: Airbus 380 amazing steep takeoff

On the first day of Farnborough 2012, the Airbus 380 proved to be (almost) as maneuverable as a smaller, fast jet as it created impressive condensation clouds around its flight surfaces.

On Day 2, it did it again.

Here’s an image showing the amazing steep take off of the Malaysia Airlines Airbus 380, taken by The Aviationist’s photographer Giovanni Maduli on Jul. 10.

Ok, it’s not even comparable to an F-15, but its agility is stunning.

About David Cenciotti
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

1 Comment

  1. Cool photo. The first time I saw the A380 take off was during the Dubai Airshow 2009. I was stunned at how low the plane flew, with such tight turns and steep climbs. I could not imagine such a big machine to be capable of such maneuverability. At that point in time the Boeing 787 was facing long delays and was not present to provide competition. Airbus stole the show.

    At the Paris Air Show in 2011, Boeing Dreamliner finally debuted, but although the A380 was not able to fly a couple of days due to a tarmac mishap, Airbus still stole the show with the A320neo.

    Farnborough has finally given Boeing a much needed break. Let’s see how the rest of the year plays out.

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