"[narrator] A new breed of super machine is evolving." "Bigger, faster, smarter, built to tackle near-impossible feats." "Among them: the world's largest passenger aircraft." "(French accent):" "This is the best moment because the engines are pushing." "[narrator] A new generation of airliner..." "Thedooris so bigyou can  literally fit a car in sideways." "Isn'tthismachine impressive?" "[narrator]...made from more than 4 million components and carrying more than" "500 passengers on the longest routes around the planet." "Oscar454,cautionwake turbulence." "Super bus departing runway." "[narrator] The A380 superjumbo is the most powerful aircraft of its kind, with unprecedented access to its operations on ground..." "Wewilltakeavery  southerly route via the middle of the United States." "[narrator]...and in flight." "Gearup." "(French accent):" "Gear up." "[narrator] We'll digitally deconstruct this $400 million monster... to uncover its technological secrets, from a double-decker airframe made from advanced composites to 130-foot-long wings that give it incredible lift." "We'll reveal how this extraordinary superjumbo evolved to rise above all other machines." "WelcometoLosAngeles" "International Airport." "[narrator] Also known as LAX, it's one of the busiest airport hubs in the world." "Every year, more than 70 million people travel from here to 150 destinations across the globe." "Worldwide air traffic is at an all-time high and is increasing by 15% every year." "Airports are fast running out of takeoff and landing slots, and the skies are getting crammed." "5409atrunway2-4 left." "Airport takeoff." "[narrator] This machine is designed to change all that." "Meet the A380 superjumbo." "Built to fly 48,000 miles per week along the world's longest routes, it carries" "100 more people than a 747." "The A380 is the biggest passenger jet the world has ever seen." "It'stremendousto me  to see something this size flying in air, actually." "[narrator] The North American and European flight market is one of the most competitive in the world, worth over" "40 billion dollars a year." "Air France has bought nine of these behemoths to gain a bigger slice of this market." "Each A380 superjumbo costs" "$400 million and is an extraordinary engineering wonder." "She has two decks, one stacked on top of the other, that hold more than 500 people and 66 tons of cargo." "She has four engines, which generate the thrust of seven F-18 fighter jets." "And her 130-foot wings create over 600 tons of lifting force to thrust the biggest passenger plane on earth into the sky." "This Air France A380 has just landed at LAX." "Youdothebackloader." "Drive, drive, drive." "[narrator] David Mitchell runs ground operations, leading a team of seven working beneath the massive jet." "I'minchargeoftheloading operation of the aircraft, from the water to the cargo to all the passenger's bags." "[narrator] David's team has only 2.5 hours to turn this superjumbo around and set it back on its way as flight 065 to Paris." "Captain Claude Godel will be at the helm of this flight." "An experienced A380 pilot," "Claude has logged over 700,000 miles in the A380 superjumbo." "Thecaptainhasahuge  responsibility but he can rely on the first officer and the cabin crew to help the captain to take the right decisions and cope with this huge responsibility." "A good pilot is one who has the same number of landings as takeoffs." "[narrator] Claude's mission:" "to fly from Los Angeles" "International 5,650 miles across the USA and the Atlantic Ocean to his final destination, one of Europe's busiest airports," "Paris-Charles de Gaulle." "Today, Claude's plane is running late because it arrived into LAX one hour behind schedule." "Today,wehavemorethan  500 passengers on board, but" "330 will have a short connection in Paris." "So if we arrive late, they will have a problem." "They may miss their connection." "[narrator] Missed connections cost the US air industry over $8 billion a year in alternative flights and overnight hotels." "It's critical" "Claude's superjumbo arrives in Paris on time." "Two hours to take off." "AirFrance?" "AirFrance." "AndtoParis." "[narrator] 50,000 employees work at LAX, helping to process passengers through the terminal." "AirFrance!" "Thatflight to Paris today is pretty full." "It's an A380, carries over 500 people." "So between now and the next hour and a half," "I'll probably lift maybe 3 tons of luggage." "[narrator] The superjumbo's late arrival into LAX could mean a travel nightmare for those catching a connecting flight." "Yourflightis ,like,a 40-minute delay, so I'm gonna check your connection, OK?" "OK,verygood." "Yeah, it's a tight one." "(speaking French): 13-02, 13-08." "[narrator] In the airline briefing room, Claude and his co-pilots review their flight plan." "Today's journey will be far from routine." "Flying conditions over the" "Atlantic look ominous." "Wewilltakeavery southerly route via the middle of the" "United States." "This is due to the fact that we have a very, very strong jet wind over the Atlantic, with speeds that I have almost never seen." "[narrator] Claude is pinning his hopes on a 230 mph tailwind to help him make up some of the delay." "But it could be bumpy." "Itwillallowustohave a very short flight time." "And we have a chance to be not too late in Paris." "OK, now it's time to go." "We have to go now." "(indistinct comment) [narrator] The ground crew has to pump in 36,000 gallons of fuel and load up to" "1,000 pieces of luggage, working against the clock." "Wehavegotabout41minutes left." "Time's always crucial because planes don't make money on the ground." "They only make money in the air." "[narrator] Everything about this aircraft is supersized." "Thedooris so big, you can literally fit a car in here sideways." "[narrator] Loading cargo on board this monster jet is a big job as the hold stretches half the length of its body." "We'reinthefronthold of the aircraft." "The nose of the aircraft would be over there." "We're pretty much in the belly of the beast." "[narrator] They load luggage into 38 steel containers." "Each is the size and weight of a small car." "Theymakeeverything really easy on this aircraft." "See how it just easily goes in." "[narrator] Intelligent runners in the floor help shuttle the cargo around the hold." "The passengers, cargo and fuel, make up more than half of the aircraft's 600-ton weight at takeoff." "Remarkably, this superjumbo can carry 7 tons more than its own body weight." "That's thanks to its extraordinary lightweight construction." "The shell of this titan is built like a featherweight." "Only 49 ribs span the 240-foot- long fuselage, surrounded by skin that is thinner than cardboard." "But it's designed to be incredibly strong by borrowing technology inspired by an ancient warrior," "Alexander the Great, who had a secret weapon: tunics made from layers of linen and glue." "The linen and glue combined to form an extremely tough armour that made Alexander's army nearly unstoppable" "The A380 has upgraded this body armour." "Instead of linen, there's a glass fibre mesh stronger than steel sandwiched between ultrathin aluminium, making up its superlight skin to save 1,800 lb. in weight." "But it's strong enough to support 100 tons of wings and engines and can handle almost anything nature can throw at it." "40 minutes to takeoff." "Isn'tthismachine impressive?" "I'm always astonished." "Because it's important for us to see it from here, because once we are in the cockpit, you don't remember the size of the plane that we have behind us." "Weactuallygot10more bags  ready to come." "We need to get a jump on." "Get a runner." "You wanna go up there and help them out?" "'Cause we're running out of time here." "We got 18 minutes left." "[narrator] The final 21 bags, belonging to the crew, make it into the hold." "Thisisit righthere." "We're gonna close it up." "[narrator] By working fast, the ground crew has reduced the 40-minute delay." "Asfaras thedelay," "I think we caught up about maybe 11 minutes." "[narrator] Next challenge:" "weave a path to the runway." "A risky manoeuvre with a jet this big in an airport where one plane leaves every 55 seconds." "I'mensuringaclearpath  to the runway." "This is a very dangerous intersection." "[narrator] At Los Angeles" "International Airport, the A380 superjumbo is ready to begin its 5,650-mile journey to Paris." "Getreadyforpushback." "We've got about 10 minutes left." "[narrator] The flight is running 30 minutes late." "Two thirds of the passengers on board have to make connections in Paris." "Bonjour!" "Hello!" "Welcome aboard." "Setandcrosscheck." "[narrator] In the cockpit," "Captain Claude completes preflight checks." "The A380's advanced technology sends signals from the six cockpit computers to the aircraft's vital components at lightning speed." "Readytopushand stir..." "Windowsanddoorsclosed." "AirFrance65 super is ready." "AirFrance65 superroger." "(honking)" "(woman over PA, indistinct) [narrator] The superjumbo is only designed to power itself forwards." "David Mitchell is driving the only tractor at" "LAX with enough power to push 600 tons of superjumbo backwards onto the taxiway." "OK." "Sonow,we'regoing to disconnect the towbar." "Parkingbrakeis set." "You may disconnect the towbar." "[narrator] The world's biggest passenger aircraft is about to turn on." "The four colossal engines will soon blast air backwards at" "800 mph, creating gusts powerful enough to knock over a truck." "Themechanicis going to start the engines pretty soon here." "It's gonna get a little loud." "[narrator] David's team must retreat to a safe distance before Claude awakes this giant." "OK,startingengines1and2 ." "And ignition." "[narrator] Each engine weighs 8 tons." "All four cost" "$70 million." "That's a sixth of the cost of the entire plane." "The next few minutes are critical." "This aircraft is full of highly flammable aviation fuel, so Claude must take care steering the superjumbo down the taxiways." "Taxiingisprobablythe  most critical phase with the" "A380." "We have to be very, very careful due to the fact that it has a wingspan of 80 metres." "[narrator] The huge wings of the" "A380 skim the very edge of LAX's taxiways so Claude can't reach the runway without help." "AirFrance65 superatDelta." "Give way." "Aeromexico Boeing [narrator] Wing marshal," "Benjamin Chai, rides to the rescue." "Backa littlebitfurther." "I'm ensuring..." "Basically guarding the wingtip." "[narrator] With hundreds of service vehicles and over 1,700 flights everyday," "LAX's taxiways are some of the busiest in the world." "I'mblockingtraffic'cause this is a very dangerous intersection." "(man over PA, indistinct) [narrator] It's a tense tow to the final turn onto LAX's north runway for takeoff." "AirFrance65 super,runway 2-4 left." "Line up and wait." "Welineup andwait.2-4left" "Air France 65 super." "Runway2-4left." "Lineupand wait." "[narrator] In the next seconds," "Captain Claude will have the full power of the biggest passenger aircraft in the world in his control." "Under the hood of the engines, 24 high-precision fan blades slice through the air, their tips moving faster than the speed of sound." "The blades are made from light but strong titanium." "The edge of the blades are sculpted like an ancient Japanese weapon of war, the samurai sword." "Early samurai swords had straight blades." "They were sharp, but lacked punch." "Redesigning the blade to be curved focused the strike force on a single point: so the sword could slice through almost anything." "The A380 takes this idea to the extreme." "The jet fan's curved titanium blades carve through 1.3 tons of air every second." "Their edges run less than a twenty-fifth of an inch from the housing." "Together, they generate the power of more than" "1,800 automobiles, pushing 600 tons of A380 on its way." "Clearfortakeoff." "Clearfortakeoff,2-4 left" "Air France 6-5 super." "It'sveryimportant to remember the threats, remember what could happen and prepare our mind for the reaction we have to have." "Takeoff." "[narrator] Claude releases the brakes and pushes the throttle." "(man over PA, indistinct)" "Oscar454,cautionwake turbulence." "Checkedon." "Proceedtorunway2-4 left." "Check." "[narrator] The superjumbo accelerates from a standing start to 190 mph in just" "50 seconds." "(automated voice):" "V-1." "[narrator] This is known as the point of no return." "The aircraft is committed to takeoff." "There is now not enough runway to stop." "(man over PA, indistinct) [narrator] This is when the engines work the hardest." "Every second, a quarter of a gallon of fuel explodes in the combustion chamber." "The scorching hot air slams into turbines at the back, spinning them round at 10,000 rpm." "The turbines connect to the giant fan blades at the front that push air into the heart of the engines, giving the A380 the power of seven F-18 fighter jets." "With all its engines at full throttle, Air France flight 065 must lift off." "One in ten fatal accidents occur on takeoff." "The next five seconds are make or break for everybody on board." "[narrator] At Los Angeles" "International Airport, the A380 superjumbo, the world's biggest passenger jet, is hurtling down the runway en route to Paris." "(man over PA, indistinct) [narrator] The engines are at full throttle, pushing the superjumbo to a speed of 190 mph." "(indistinct comment) [narrator] But to lift this" "600-ton bird off the runway, the" "A380 must pull off an amazing shape shifting trick." "The key to liftoff is hidden inside its wings." "They're crammed with hydraulic pipes and cylinders so the A380 can soar like the king of the skies, the American bald eagle." "It's a master of slow flying." "It angles its wings to create more lift and spreads out two feathery fingers to speed up the air flow, keeping" "14 lb. of bird afloat with ease." "The A380 takes this idea to the extreme." "At takeoff, hydraulic rams kick in." "They push out the front and back of the wings, extending the surface area by 20%." "This creates 31 tons of extra lift, boosting the jet off the runway." "Positiveclimb." "Gearup." "Gearup." "Checktower." "(man over PA, indistinct)" "[narrator] The superjumbo may have taken to the skies, but on the ground, the job's not over." "Tower,cityops142 holding short of 2-4 left at Victor for the runway inspection." "(indistinct talking) [narrator] Wing marshal Ben must inspect the runway after every A380 takes off." "Violent air currents stirred up by this monster jet can leave a trail of debris that could be sucked in by the next aircraft on the runway." "I'mensuringthatthe Airbus 380, with his jet blast, hasn't knocked over any signs, there isn't any damage to the runways." "[narrator] Ben has less than five minutes to carry out the check and confirm the runway is safe for the next plane to take off." "Tower,cityops142 clear of runway 2-4 left at Echo-17." "Thanks for your help." "And that's it." "So we can resume normal operations." "Job well done." "Runway2-4leftclear for takeoff." "SoCaldeparture,good evening." "This is Air France 65 super passing 1,000, climbing 1,000, hitting 2-1-0." "[narrator] The 600-ton superjumbo climbs to a height of 3,000 feet in 90 seconds." "AirFrance065supercontact" "Los Angeles Centre." "Thisisthebestmoment because the engines are pushing." "We are finally in the air." "I enjoy hand flying the aircraft, but now, it's time for the autopilot." "[narrator] This is when the brain of the machine takes over." "It starts by moving some of the plane's heaviest cargo around," "36,000 gallons of fuel." "Fuel tanks are crammed into every corner of this aircraft." "Even the tail is filled with 3,300 gallons of fuel at takeoff." "But once airborne, the plane moves the fuel around its body, pumps channel" "18 tons of kerosene into tanks in the tips of the wings in less than 20 minutes." "This balances the aircraft perfectly and keeps it rock solid, even in turbulence." "(man over PA, indistinct) [narrator] For now, Claude places his trust and the passenger's safety in the hands of the A380's advanced computer system." "The smooth running of the aircraft and the lives everyone on board rely on its four engines working flawlessly through every flight." "A crack team of engineers test each engine to its limits at Air" "France's headquarters in Paris." "To test an engine this powerful, they have to seal it inside a bunker that has concrete walls over two feet thick." "The engineers scrutinize every aspect of the engine's performance in a simulated takeoff." "This engine fails its vibration test." "It will have to be rebuilt before it's fit to fly." "AirFrance065supercontact" "Los Angeles." "[narrator] The Superjumbo's engines are at full thrust." "531 people now sit 39,000 feet above the ground in a metal tube." "Exposure to the outside elements would cause hypothermia in less than five minutes." "Atthemoment, the outside temperature is -60 degrees Celsius. -60." "We should not forget never that the real life is just outside, on the other side of the window." "[narrator] Every one of the aircraft's four million parts will have to work perfectly to protect the passengers from this deadly external environment." "AirFrance065supercontact" "Cleveland Centre 134.12." "[narrator] The A380 superjumbo hurtles through the sky at 590 mph." "Right now, the aircraft is 50 minutes into its 5,650-mile journey from LAX to Paris." "The superjumbo's engines power the aircraft up to a cruising altitude that is almost 1.5 times higher than the peak of" "Mount Everest." "At this height, there is not enough oxygen for a human being to survive." "Weareflyingat39,000feet,  meaning 12,000 metres, but the passengers and we, in the cockpit, are breathing normally." "[narrator] An extraordinary system feeds this aircraft with oxygen to keep passengers alive." "It's hidden just outside the cabin." "Right next to the engines, a pipe pushes scorching hot, but oxygen-rich air from the turbines into a unique cooling system." "It evolved from one of nature's giants, the African elephant." "This mammal has air conditioning built into its ears, a web of blood vessels as large as a dinner table, through which 3 gallons of blood flow every minute." "With one flap of its ears, the elephant can chill its blood by ten degrees to keep cool under the blazing sun." "The A380 takes this idea to the extreme." "A heat exchanger with 50 square feet of surface area chills hot, oxygenated air from the turbines down from a lethal 500 degrees to a pleasant 70 and channels it to passengers inside, keeping them breathing easily." "Airborne for almost an hour, the superjumbo is riding in a layer of stable air." "The cabin crew seizes the opportunity to get to work." "They have just two hours to heat, serve and clear away dinner for 507 passengers." "The only way they could pull this off is by preparing the food in advance." "It happens here, in Los Angeles, in one of the biggest airport kitchens in the world." "OntheA380,for your special meals, make sure you get a special meal sticker from dispatch." "ANITA JONES, Production Manager," "Flying Foods:" "We have a completely full flight, and that is going to be 67 business class, 38 premium economy and 389 economy class meals." "[narrator] Anita's team prepares 10,000 meals every night before takeoff, just minutes from LAX's runway." "There, Anita's crew loads 11 tons of ready-made food and drink into 99 trolleys onto the plane, just before passengers embark." "Serving ten restaurants' worth of food in areas no larger than a broom closet takes great skill. 507 finished meals create enough garbage to fill a truck." "With so little space to spare, the crew relies on this ingenious machine." "It has a unique way of handling waste." "The superjumbo has four mini garbage trucks built into its galleys." "Hidden inside are hydraulic pistons that crunch waste with 12,000 lb. of force down to a third of its size, leaving more space for the passengers." "Intelligent innovations like this transform the A380 into a two-story flying hotel, taking much of the strain off the crew." "Itis,of courseamazing." "It's a restaurant, and yet, we are up in the sky and we are just a dot for people that look up." "They just see a dot, and this is happening." "[narrator] The mood in the cabin is relaxed." "But Claude knows that the most difficult part of the journey lies directly ahead." "Turbulent airspace." "Even in an A380, turbulence can cause chaos." "AirFrance065... [narrator] The A380 superjumbo is nearly halfway into its 5,650-mile journey from Los Angeles to Paris." "The aircraft left LAX 30 minutes behind schedule." "Captain Claude now has one final chance to make up the delay - by hitching a lift on the jet stream." "The jet stream is a band of fast-moving air high up in the atmosphere." "If Claude catches this tailwind, he can shave an hour off the trip." "But first, he must break through the raging air on the edge of the jet stream - that's tumbling at hurricane speed." "Whatisimportantis that we don't have too much turbulence in order to allow a safe service to our passengers." "[narrator] Turbulence can be extremely dangerous, as seen in these photos taken in 2013." "Eleven passengers were injured in this A380 superjumbo when it suddenly plunged 70 feet." "Anything not tied down smashed into the ceiling." "To keep the passengers safe," "Claude decides to fly 3,000 feet higher than usual to avoid the roughest air." "Thespeedof theaircraft, compared to the ground, is exactly 575 knots." "[narrator] The 120 mph tailwind from the jet stream is now pushing the aircraft to almost" "90% of the speed of sound." "Wearenowprobably in the middle of the tunnel, in the middle of the jet wind." "[narrator] Claude has managed to position the superjumbo exactly where he wants it." "So far, Captain Claude's plan is working." "He's clawed back 30 minutes of the delay, crossing the Atlantic with barely a bump." "(man over PA speaking French)" "Wemanagedto avoid turbulence." "We didn't have really turbulence." "AirFrance065,bonjour." "[narrator] Now Captain Claude and his crew must prepare for the most dangerous part of the whole journey: touchdown." "Voilà!" "Nowwe areready to start descent." "Ina fewmoments, we are gonna be preparing all the passengers in the cabin for landing." "Ladiesandgentleman,inless  than five minutes, it will already be time to start our descent towards Paris-Charles de Gaulle, where we land in 35 minutes from now." "[narrator] 531 lives now depend on the soft cushion of 22 wheels in the landing gear beneath the jet." "Landingchecklist." "Landingchecklist,autothrust mode." "Off." "Autobrake." "BTV..." "Landingchecklistcomplete." "Check." "[narrator] The A380's tires have to be super strong to withstand the impact of the 400-ton plane as it touches down." "At the Air France maintenance hangar in Paris, engineer" "Charles Jackson inspects the tires on each A380 for signs of wear or damage." "Thistirehaspossiblybeen  through 200 landings already." "It's worn to its limit." "It's gonna have to be changed." "[narrator] Each tire costs" "$20 000 and is handmade to precise tolerances." "Thistirehas40layers,one on top of the other, of steel belts, and rubber and nylon, much more like a tire they would use on Formula 1." "It's very sticky." "It helps with the braking action on the runway, it helps it to not to slide off the runway when they are landing." "[narrator] It takes engineers more than an hour to change each tire." "C'estbon?" "Thewheel'snow in place." "That's it!" "We can put the airplane back on its feet." "[narrator] Thanks to maintenance like this, Captain Claude can be confident that his tires shouldn't fail on landing." "After 10 hours in the air, the flight crew prepare for touch down." "Weareallalittlebit tired, so I will leave the autopilot do most of the work." "[narrator] Radio receivers keep track of the A380's position to help Claude steer it to a precise spot on the runway below." "Wewillusethe ILS , the instrument landing system, to descend to the runway, which will bring us to join the central line of runway 0-8 right." "(autopilot voice): 200 minimum." "[narrator] Over 500 people and 400 tons of aircraft are relying on the superjumbo's computers to help Claude touch down safely." "(autopilot voice): 50, 40, 30, 20, retard, 10, 5." "[narrator] Moving at 160 mph and with just 9,000 feet of runway, everything now hinges on the aircraft's brakes kicking into action." "Hidden in the landing gear is the key to stopping power." "Steel arms clamp onto 16 brake discs, which heat up to 930 degrees in an instant." "To stop them from melting, they must be made of material strong enough for a spaceship." "It's similar to the built-in heat shield that protected" "NASA's Space Shuttle." "Its nose and wings were covered in special tiles made from carbon fibre and graphite." "They could take temperatures twice as hot as molten lava to give the Shuttle a safe journey home." "The A380 takes this carbon fibre technology to the extreme." "Its brakes are reinforced with silicon carbide, which is tougher than diamond." "With such extreme materials under the hood, the brakes can survive immense heat and friction to help stop" "400 tons of Airbus without a fail." "But the disc brakes cannot safely stop the A380 before the end of the runway on their own." "BTVoff." "Checked." "[narrator] One final mission- critical component is needed to bring this beast to a halt." "(autopilot voice): 50, 40, 30, 20... [narrator] Travelling at" "160 mph, the A380 superjumbo slams onto the runway at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris." "This is a critical moment." "To keep the plane on the ground, Claude must force the weight of the superjumbo down onto the landing gear." "He kills the lift from the wings with a push of a button." "Hydraulic rams kick into action." "They push up 16 gigantic wing- top spoilers that disrupt the airflow and force the plane's weight onto the tarmac." "This keeps the aircraft on the ground as it slows down." "70knots." "70knots." "[narrator] The 400-ton superjumbo decelerates to 20 mph in just 20 seconds." "(speaking French)" "After inheriting a one-hour delay in Los Angeles," "Claude's plan to make up time by hitching a ride on the jet stream has worked." "By flying 3,000 feet higher than normal, Claude avoided the extreme turbulence, and" "507 passengers crossed the" "Atlantic hardly feeling a bump." "Mesdames,messieurs,nous sommes arrivés à Paris, aéropot" "Roissy-Charles de Gaulle." "[narrator] The flight arrives at the stand in Paris exactly on schedule." "(man over PA speaking French)" "Themissionis complete." "I think we can be pleased with the flight because we left" "Los Angeles with quite a lot of delay." "We were late and we arrived on time." "We managed to avoid the turbulence." "We have done a good job." "Désarmementdestoboggans." "[narrator] For the 330 passengers on board who have connecting flights, Claude's decision to use the jet stream's hurricane-strength tailwinds to claw back time means good news." "Bye-bye!" "Ithinkallthe passengers are happy because we are on time." "Weareon time,sothat 'sthe good news." "I can make my connection without being stressed about it." "So everything's panning out pretty well." "Bye-bye!" "Aurevoir!" "Thisplaneis arealpleasure for the pilot." "Many other pilots would like to fly this aircraft." "It's also a responsibility, because we are landing this aircraft on runways that are covered with snow." "It's not easy." "Each flight is a different story." "[narrator] For the A380 superjumbo, there really is no rest at all." "Already another" "Air France crew are preparing to board the plane for its return flight to Los Angeles." "On the tarmac, ground crew have just two hours to clean, refuel, restock and send it on its way." "In one year, this giant bird will fly 230,000 passengers" "2.5 million miles on the world's longest routes." "It will travel in a global relay race between the biggest cities on the planet, from New York to" "Dubai, and Beijing to London." "In its entire lifetime, the A380 superjumbo will fly a staggering" "75 million miles, the equivalent of travelling 3,000 times around the circumference of the earth." "It's all thanks to ingenious inventions hidden under her hood:" "bulletproof brakes, extreme air conditioning, engine blades shaped like swords, eagle-like wings and an armoured airframe." "The A380 is the biggest passenger jet to ever fly." "It's these technological secrets that have helped this aircraft evolve to rise above all other machines."