Roll show loading of Airbus



Wings into super guppy.




Initials



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Background: The first pair of wings for the A-300B European Airbus left Manchester today in a Super Guppy transport aircraft for the Airbus assembly centre at Toulouse, France.

Work will start immediately on fitting the wings to the fuselage of the first Airbus which is due to be rolled out next Summer and make its initial flight later in the year.

Deliveries to Air France, which became the first airline to buy the A-300B with an order for six, will begin in 1974. Among the first routes planned for the Airbus by Air France is the London-Paris service.

Built by Hawker Siddeley Aviation, the wings, the largest ever put into production in Europe, are equipped with fuel and hydraulic systems. These will be completed in France by Hawker Siddeley technicians after the wings are attached to the fuselage.

Each wing is over 70 feet long, and together they weigh 14 tons. Nearly 35 tons of fuel will be held by the four integral fuel tanks of the two wings.

The Super Guppy, operated for Airbus Industries by Aeromaritime, made its first visit to England for the delivery of the wings to Toulouse and will be seen regularly as further wing deliveries are made from Hawker Siddeley Aviation's Chester factory. The next pair, for the static test aircraft, are due to be delivered next Spring.