weight at around 725,000 pounds.
He’s not concerned. “Pavement index
numbers identify the weight bearing
capacity for continuous operations
on a runway,” Peter explained. “Our
pavement will support the short term
use of the A380.”
The aircraft will land on Runway
36 and depart on 18, he added, to
minimize jet blast problems with the
many aircraft attending AirVenture
2009.
It’s easy to predict that A380 will
be one of the most, if not the most
memorable aircraft for AirVenture
attendees. Adam said he believes
this is exactly the kind of aircraft
visitors love to see at Oshkosh—high
profile, exciting, state-of-the-art,
and truly enormous in size. ”Each
year we try to identify a number
of really large aircraft to have on
AeroShell Square,” Adam said. “It
creates a visual spectacle, plus our
visitors get a real buzz from being
able to get up close to some of the
world’s largest aircraft.”
Terry also provided a glimpse
of what the aircraft stands for, and
what you’ll see—what you won’t be
able to miss—when you arrive on
AeroShell Square.
“The A380 we are bringing,
F-WWOW, is the first one built. When
people see it, they will understand
what an engineering achievement
it was to take the basic concept of
a very large aircraft and make it a
reality. It shows that given the right
team and the right challenge you
can create something of your dreams
and beyond. As a test aircraft, we’ve
done everything possible with it—all
possible flight control configurations,
all the runway performance testing
required for certification. It’s a very
robust aircraft; we put fuel in it,
maintain it, and it does everything
we ask it to.”
Terry Lutz, an RV- 8 builder and pilot,
will be joined by Claude Lelaie, who’ll
be flying in the left seat of the A380
when it lands at Wittman Field.
Long-time EAAers may recall Claude’s
name, as he brought a Cri-Cri he built
to EAA Oshkosh 1981. Look for a
story about Terry and Claude in next
month’s magazine.
