Airbus’ whale-sized plane made an oversized maiden flight

That’s not a bird or a plane, it’s a … whale.

This is what it looks like when a massive oversized plane takes to the sky: Airbus’ aptly named BelugaXL plane took off on a test flight Thursday morning at the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France. 

The 4-hour, 11-minute flight, which took place with three crew members aboard, was the BelugaXL’s first flight before it takes off in 2019 to transport large aircraft parts to assembly lines in France and Germany. Crew members on the ground helped to make sure the test flight went smoothly after dozens of ground tests before Thursday’s flight.

Five of these giant planes will be built over the next five years and will replace five of the older version, the BelugaST. The new craft has Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines and a lowered cockpit. Its cargo hold is one of the largest ever on a civilian or military craft. Read more…

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