A Super Jumbo Wing How to Build...


A Super Jumbo Wing

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Of course it's a gamble.

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Every time you launch a new commercial aerospace programme,

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you're betting the farm that it's going to be successful.

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This isn't just a beautiful wing.

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Inside this wing are the fuel tanks and a very complex fuel system.

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You're working on something so different compared to anyone else.

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Some of my friends are working down ASDA, and I get to work on the A380.

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As this wing unfolds, you'll see how big it is.

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You'll see what a massive task it is to take it out.

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You're standing there and you've got 29 tonne in the air.

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There are so many different parts,

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and you've got to know exactly, like the ailerons and the AGS.

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If you don't know what they mean, you're lost with what to order.

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This year, we're building four wings like this per month.

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Next year, we'll ramp up to six per month.

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It's a tough job for the whole team, but we'll get there.

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Every single component has to be right.

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We joke that when the paperwork is heavier than the aeroplane,

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you're about close to getting it right.

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Nestled among farmland in North Wales,

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this is the Airbus factory in Broughton.

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It's the biggest manufacturing site now in the UK, over 6,000 employees.

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We're enormous, we actually did a sponsored run around the site and

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I think it was something like

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five and a half miles to run around the site.

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And the people that help build the world's biggest passenger jet

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are arriving for the morning shift.

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Factory boss Paul McKinlay starts each day walking the factory floor,

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keen to see for himself that things are running smoothly,

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and no detail goes unnoticed.

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It's so much more expensive to dispose of contaminated waste.

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So we need to make sure that we segregate in the right way.

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That's one of the things I do during process confirmation -

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go and have a look in the bins.

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When the A380 factory was opened in 2003,

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it was the largest to be built in Britain for 20 years.

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But for the people who work here, it's more than just a workplace.

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The community feel is important, lots of guys live locally to the factory.

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People are excited by aircraft and love working with aircraft.

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I think that's what makes a lot of us stay.

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The Airbus A380 Superjumbo was launched in 2007,

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and today there are 53 already working the skies.

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Having spent an estimated £10 billion developing this plane,

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the company needs to make as many sales as they can.

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But building planes on this scale is a monumental task.

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Aviation history is littered with failed attempts to go this big.

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Like any big passenger jet, the A380 is first

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manufactured in smaller sections, with the fuselage,

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nose section and tail fin made in different sites across Europe.

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However, the greatest technical innovation on this plane

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are its enormous wings, and they're made right here in the UK.

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Broughton has a 70-year history of making wings,

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so Airbus decided to manufacture its A380 wings here too.

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Demand for the Superjumbo is high, with well over 200 now on order.

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And so the major task that Paul and his team of engineers face is

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how to build all those wings on time and on budget.

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The production flow is critical. On A380, we're ramping up.

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This year, we're building four wings like this per month.

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Next year, we'll ramp up to six per month.

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Our aim is to try and make six wings a month with the same

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number of operators that today make four wings a month.

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With an increased order book, it's critical that the workforce

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hit delivery times. If they succeed, they'll secure

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thousands of highly-skilled British jobs for years to come.

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But, any delays in production could have serious consequences.

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It's a tough job for the whole team in the factory, but we'll get there.

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We've got a great team.

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The attitude of all of our people is to try and succeed on challenges,

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so I'm convinced we'll get there.

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Each set of wings begin life as a collection of raw materials

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and arrive from all over the world,

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with some big enough to stop traffic.

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This cargo of 33 metre-long blocks of aluminium is

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bound for the panel-forming area of the factory, where

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manufacturing manager Mark Farrell is arriving for his shift.

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Everything about the wings is on a monumental scale,

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and the aluminium plates are loaded

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onto Europe's largest milling machine.

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Right, this is the start of the journey.

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We're starting to mill it now, and this is where it starts

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its long road, ends up on an aircraft.

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When we see it flying over, you get an appreciation

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that that started here at Broughton.

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Over a period of 72 hours, the panel,

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with all its intricate features, is carefully sculpted out of the metal.

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By the time they're finished,

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there's more aluminium in waste than the panel itself.

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But it's all recycled.

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The next stage for the perfectly-carved panel is to shape it

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to the precise aerodynamic contours demanded by the designers.

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So, it's sucked onto a specially-moulded bed.

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The panel's now been moved onto the transfer, it's now getting

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the actual shuttle moving across to line it up now to go into the oven.

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It is the biggest oven in the country.

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When the oven was actually brought in to Broughton,

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we had to have British Telecom working with us,

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because all the telegraph lines had to be removed

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while it travelled through,

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and then, when they finished, the lines had to go back up.

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Heating the panel to 160 degrees in this massive oven

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locks the aerodynamic curve in place.

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The A380's wings can lift 560 tonnes of Superjumbo to

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an altitude of 12,000 metres, and fly the world's longest routes.

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It's an amazing feat of engineering.

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The reason it's possible lies in the shape of an aircraft's wings.

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Wings are curved on top and flatter on the bottom.

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This shape makes air flow over the top faster than underneath.

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This means the air pressure is lower on top than below,

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causing the wing and the plane to lift up.

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The A380's wings are also more fuel efficient per passenger

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than an average family car, making them the greenest in the skies.

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This is the LCM treatment facility in Broughton.

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This is the biggest surface treatment plant in Europe.

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Once they've been heat treated,

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the enormous panels go through 12 treatment baths

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to clean and protect them.

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Europe's biggest surface treatment plant is

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a fully automated facility, operating 24/7.

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This is critical to the process, the one thing you don't want is

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contamination going into the fuel systems.

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It's an old saying, but there's no hard shoulder at 35,000 feet.

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Of the 6,000 employees at Broughton, 300 are apprentices,

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and one of them, Hollie McCreadie,

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is arriving for day one of a new wing build.

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Me and the girls went on holiday last year, and people were asking,

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"Where do you work,?" and I told them I work at Airbus

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as a Higher Engineering Apprentice, and I get the, "No, you don't."

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More and more girls are getting involved in it, it's just

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a lot of people don't believe you work here when you say you do.

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And if they do, it's, "Oh, are you a secretary, then?" And I'm not!

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How long does it take to come down then, usually?

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It takes four and a half, five minutes for it to come down.

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It's not that quick.

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Hollie is learning the ropes with the Heavy Gang,

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the team that work the 12 massive cranes that span the whole factory.

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Today, a delivery of major components has just arrived,

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and needs unloading.

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So, as we're coming down slow now, I'm sort of keeping an eye on

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the silver beam underneath in relation to where it's going to sit.

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I'm quite lucky really, because they're all lovely fellers.

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It's a nice environment to work in, strangely.

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You wouldn't think so, but it is.

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The job of ensuring that components from all over the world are all

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delivered on time for the build falls to the people in logistics,

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and it's what Hollie has decided she wants to make her specialty.

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Logistics is pretty much what makes everything run in Airbus.

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On each part that you see, all the nuts and bolts,

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they're all come through logistics,

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as well as all the large parts from all different suppliers.

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Hundreds of suppliers work for Airbus all round the world,

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so it pretty much keeps everything happening.

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Without it, nothing would get built.

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I wanted to be a hairdresser.

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Did you?

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Yeah, I did.

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There's nothing wrong with that.

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There's so many different parts.

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It's hard getting to grips,

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and you've got to know exactly, like the ailerons and AGS, because if you don't know

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what they're talking about, like butt straps and things like that,

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you're lost with what to order. You really need it.

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The A380 has around four million individual components,

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with the wings themselves containing nearly half a million alone.

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That's not surprising, given they're brimming with technical systems.

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They carry most of the aircraft's fuel,

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including a complex system of tanks and pumps.

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There's 37 kilometres of wiring, piping and ducting

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that drive all the flight control surfaces.

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And the wings have to carry four massive jet engines,

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which weigh over six tonnes each.

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And finally, there's landing gear.

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Capable of withstanding an impact weight of 560 tonnes,

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and landing at speeds greater than a Formula One racing car.

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The wing is now ready to be assembled, like a giant Meccano kit,

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from the rows of parts that are ready and waiting.

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To do this, each wing needs to go into a massive construction frame,

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known as a jig, and these are the biggest

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the aviation industry have ever used.

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This is the main assembly jig, the heartbeat of the factory,

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where the wing starts coming together.

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The jig is now being prepared to start its production cycle,

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so, as you can see, the guys are just checking all the location fixtures,

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all the locations pins, oiling

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and greasing ready for the next set of components.

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The Heavy Gang get to work.

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First in are the rear spars,

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three long sections that form the spine of the wing.

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These spars are fixed firmly in place to the 45 locating pins

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and will bear the whole weight of the wing,

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that'll rise up lengthways in the jig.

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Over the next five days, the team load all the 49 ribs that

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run across the wing.

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The ribs are made from aluminium and carbon-fibre composites,

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materials both known for their strength and lightness.

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Finally, the frame of the wing is fully assembled,

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and the skeleton is ready to be covered with the huge

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aluminium panels that form its skin.

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Giant automated machines drill holes in the panels.

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A total of a quarter of a million per wing set.

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And the panels are lifted into position.

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After 25 days, the main body of the wing is complete,

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and it's ready to come out of the jig.

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But it weighs nearly 30 tonnes,

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and is four storeys high, just lying on its side.

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This is definitely a job for the Heavy Gang.

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The Heavy Gang is the lifting team.

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We do all the heavy work.

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It's not Heavy Gang cos we're all big fat and old -

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it's Heavy Gang cos we lift heavy things!

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Only the most skilled and experienced crane operators

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can handle a job like this, and Al Burley is the Gang leader.

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Al has the unenviable task of getting the wing out through

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a gap with only a metre to spare either side.

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We're going to take the wing out.

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Put it on the turnover jig and lay it down. Safely, we hope.

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I must have been involved in about 70 to 80 wings.

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Down a bit, please, Jerry.

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Eight years ago, Al lifted the very first A380 wing out of its jig,

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but this one will be his last.

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I'm retiring tomorrow.

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So, hopefully... The cheque isn't in the bank yet.

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I want it to be in the bank before anything goes wrong!

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That'll do, John.

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Like a lot of people in Airbus,

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Al has worked at the company for many years.

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13 years, four months, two hours and 15 seconds.

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It's been a nice place to be, this side.

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See that sleeve hand, just ease that sleeve out.

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It's time to begin preparations for the big lift.

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OK, coming down.

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Despite its size, the wing is a very delicate object.

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-I'll the weight on that after.

-The strongest points on the wing are

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where the two engines will be mounted.

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These titanium brackets will be sustaining the entire weight

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of the wing during the lift, but must remain perfectly intact after.

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As the jig is pulled back from the wing, the narrow gap it will

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have to pass through on its way out becomes obvious.

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Do you want someone on the top?

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I'm on it.

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The smallest dent would mean a serious delay, and with

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the rate of production increasing, there really is no time to spare.

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The Heavy Gang work as an orchestrated team to release

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the wing from its moorings.

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Removing all the pins from the rear spar flags.

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If they're left in when we try to lift it,

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it'll either rip that part off the wing

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or it'll rip the jig bit out.

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So, it is important to get them all out.

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Massive, isn't it?

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You don't really appreciate how big it is until you stand here.

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Cos I'm here, and then I've got the rest of the wing, haven't I?

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It's unbelievable.

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And it's even more daunting when we take it to the ceiling.

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Cos you're actually standing there and you've got 29 tonne in the air.

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As this wing unfolds, you'll see how big it is.

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You'll see what a massive task it is to take it out.

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A final check that all the pins are out,

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and it's time to release the master pins, leaving

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nearly 30 tonnes of wing hanging from the crane at just two points.

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Right, Al, the last one out now.

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Right, the wing's free, I'll get the radio,

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and on my command, we'll get it out.

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We're ready.

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Right, take it up on the one.

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12, 8 on the inboard.

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6, 9 on the outboard.

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Hang on, hold it there.

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Jimmy, stop. Jim, stop.

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That's got to come over.

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Chris, loosen yours off, tighten yours up a touch, Jim.

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'Right, Al take it up again on both, please.'

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19, 8, 675.

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Hold it there. Right, Al, we're ready for you to come west.

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Take that chain off, mate, please. Cheers, Jim.

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Going up.

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Finally, the largest wing in commercial airliner history

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takes its first flight.

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Only now can the sheer scale of the A380 Superjumbo

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be truly appreciated.

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One of its tail planes alone is larger than the wing of an A320,

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the favourite carrier of budget airlines.

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And the wings themselves are a whole 50% bigger

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than those on a jumbo jet.

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In fact, this Superjumbo would be a tight fit in Wembley Stadium.

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The wings are over ten metres wider than a football pitch.

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But, covering an area of over 400 square metres,

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this enormous wing will, when it's finished, fly more efficiently

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and more quietly than any of its current commercial rivals.

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Crane's broke down.

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John, can you get us box one, please?

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Lock to latch it over?

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That's what I've got to do, got to take it back that way.

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Otherwise I won't get it on.

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See, they're turning on.

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Try one at a time.

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That one, doesn't look....

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There we go, lads, we're in business.

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A momentary loss of signal with the crane is re-established,

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and they can finish the job off.

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After 30 years of operating heavy machinery,

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Al's ready to land his final wing.

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OK, that's the end, we're going home now.

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These lads here they're more than capable of looking after the job.

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We need a couple more, cos we're going to get busier and busier.

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But as long as we can get them out as good as this was,

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we won't have a problem, will we?

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OK, is that it? I've got to go.

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Thank you.

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With the wing now out of the jig, it's time to check whether this hand-built creation

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is actually the right shape.

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Right. I'll shoot the top point. Did you get that first point there?

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OK, good to go.

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Alex Jones has recently become a metrologist,

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an expert in precise measurement.

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It's his job to make sure

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the contours of the wing are exactly right.

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Precision is key in this job, it's got to be right first time.

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The laser is shot into the three mirrors

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on this corner cube reflector,

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and then bounced back to give us measurements all over the wing,

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so that we can make sure it's aerodynamic in flight.

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The shape of the wing has been painstakingly designed to

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have particular aerodynamic properties.

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They make it as efficient as possible.

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Cos each individual one is handmade, not made by robots,

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you get some slight variations that need to be sorted out or have

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the final finishing touches done to them.

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We've got set tolerances on each individual point,

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which can be down to hundredths or thousandths of millimetres.

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-OK, mate, yeah.

-Next one.

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If anything is out of place,

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it could mean a costly delay to production while it's put right.

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What are the figures like, Dave?

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Yeah, just looking at the report, mate. They're all good.

0:23:320:23:36

The team know they can't make a single mistake,

0:23:360:23:39

and are immensely proud of the work they do.

0:23:390:23:42

You're working on something so different compared to anyone else.

0:23:420:23:45

Some of my friends, you know,

0:23:450:23:47

working down ASDA, I get to work on the A380.

0:23:470:23:50

And there are other benefits to working at Broughton.

0:23:520:23:55

A couple of times a week, Alex and his dad Gary head for the gym,

0:23:550:23:59

built with the rest of the factory in the 1930s.

0:23:590:24:03

It's like a release from, obviously, the pressures of working here.

0:24:140:24:17

Everything has got to be right.

0:24:170:24:20

And then you can come here and let off a bit of steam.

0:24:200:24:23

It's all good.

0:24:230:24:25

Fortunately for Alex, he's always been keen on planes.

0:24:290:24:32

Me Dad always used to bring home

0:24:320:24:34

little models from Airbus that he'd get,

0:24:340:24:36

and I knew I'd be working here one day.

0:24:360:24:40

So here I am.

0:24:400:24:42

I think Airbus at Broughton has had a history of families

0:24:420:24:45

working at Broughton, fathers, sons, daughters, mothers.

0:24:450:24:48

I've got a brother working here.

0:24:480:24:50

I left school in mid-'70s, joined as an apprentice and served the four-year apprenticeship,

0:24:500:24:54

and I've worked here ever since.

0:24:540:24:56

It's a lot of years' service, 35.

0:24:560:24:59

It's a long way off for me, personally, at the moment.

0:24:590:25:03

But hopefully, I do enjoy working here,

0:25:030:25:05

so one day I might be able to say I've worked here for 35 years.

0:25:050:25:09

Broughton has a long aviation history.

0:25:110:25:14

During the war, Wellington bombers were made here,

0:25:140:25:19

and at one point rolled off the production line

0:25:190:25:21

at a rate of one a day.

0:25:210:25:23

But another of Airbus's sites in Filton, near Bristol,

0:25:230:25:27

has even longer aviation heritage.

0:25:270:25:29

They've been building planes for over 100 years there,

0:25:310:25:34

but are probably most famous for developing Concorde,

0:25:340:25:38

which was designed and tested in its unique laboratories.

0:25:380:25:42

And it's still the place where Airbus designs

0:25:480:25:50

and tests their wings, sometimes to destruction.

0:25:500:25:53

-211.

-Yes, look at the bend on that.

0:25:530:25:58

You're looking for the last few percent of improvement

0:25:580:26:02

on every aspect of the design.

0:26:020:26:04

We have to look at every nut, bolt, washer, rivet,

0:26:040:26:09

everything is brought down to

0:26:090:26:11

the minimum weight that maintains the safety and integrity.

0:26:110:26:14

It takes the world's best engineers over a long period of time to

0:26:140:26:18

get to this level of performance and efficiency.

0:26:180:26:21

Not many people realise that the UK has the second-largest

0:26:240:26:28

aerospace industry in the world, beaten only by the United States,

0:26:280:26:33

providing UK jobs for a quarter of a million people.

0:26:330:26:36

It's a fiercely-competitive industry,

0:26:380:26:41

and the battle for supremacy of the 21st-century skies is now

0:26:410:26:44

all about efficiency.

0:26:440:26:46

It's a race to reduce the weight of aircraft,

0:26:460:26:49

making them cheaper on fuel and cleaner on the environment.

0:26:490:26:52

And although in production with the A380, the team are always

0:26:520:26:56

looking for improvements.

0:26:560:26:59

In a unique facility on the Filton site, engineers are about to run

0:26:590:27:02

a series of tests on a new, lighter landing-gear design.

0:27:020:27:07

Stuart Hazelwood is the man in charge.

0:27:070:27:09

The tanks and manifolds are exactly as they would be on the aircraft.

0:27:110:27:15

Around the whole rig, all the pipe lengths

0:27:150:27:18

and all the wire lengths are exactly the same

0:27:180:27:20

as you would have on the aircraft's landing gear.

0:27:200:27:23

When modifications are brought in, we are truly replicating

0:27:230:27:26

what we'd see on the aircraft.

0:27:260:27:27

The landing gear system is partly housed in the wing,

0:27:270:27:31

and, just like the real thing, the test rig is able to raise

0:27:310:27:35

and lower the 22 massive wheels of the A380.

0:27:350:27:39

There's a lot of pride that goes on here.

0:27:390:27:41

When you see the aircraft flying or hear good news about the aircraft,

0:27:410:27:45

you think, "Oh, yeah, I've got something to do with that,"

0:27:450:27:48

which is quite nice, actually.

0:27:480:27:50

Even though the plane is now in service,

0:27:520:27:54

testing for safety is a continuous process.

0:27:540:27:57

Every tiny change to the design, no matter how small the component,

0:27:590:28:04

means the whole system has to be thoroughly tested again.

0:28:040:28:07

And it's going to be a busy day

0:28:090:28:11

for chief landing gear designer Nigel Owen.

0:28:110:28:15

The A380 has 16 braked wheels, four on the body landing gears

0:28:150:28:21

and four on the wing landing gears.

0:28:210:28:24

And we're currently developing a new brake,

0:28:240:28:28

a reduced weight of brake and wheel.

0:28:280:28:31

Overall, we'll save about the weight of a passenger,

0:28:310:28:35

and this is the new brake which we intend to fit.

0:28:350:28:39

Shaving the weight of one passenger from several hundred tonnes

0:28:390:28:43

may not sound a lot, but multiply that over 20,000 flights

0:28:430:28:49

and you're looking at big fuel savings.

0:28:490:28:51

Today, they're testing for the worst-case scenario.

0:28:530:28:56

They want to ensure that, even if the hydraulic system that powers

0:28:560:29:00

the landing gear failed, it would still be deployed.

0:29:000:29:03

It's called the emergency free fall test.

0:29:030:29:06

The landing gear is designed in such a way that they can push open

0:29:080:29:11

the doors and drop into position under their own weight alone.

0:29:110:29:15

It's a situation most pilots would never encounter,

0:29:160:29:19

but now the landing gear is lighter with their new brakes,

0:29:190:29:23

Stuart and Nigel need to ensure that the procedure still works.

0:29:230:29:27

We are here to find out

0:29:270:29:28

if there would be any problems in certain scenarios.

0:29:280:29:32

You want it to happen here rather than on an aircraft.

0:29:320:29:35

You put lives at risk if that happens on an aircraft,

0:29:350:29:37

so that's why we're here.

0:29:370:29:39

Months of design work will stand or fall on the result of this test.

0:29:390:29:45

I wouldn't say it's fun.

0:29:450:29:46

It can be nerve racking, cos you don't want things going wrong.

0:29:460:29:49

There's a lot that can go wrong as soon as you get

0:29:490:29:52

big pieces of metal and rubber coming down.

0:29:520:29:55

After one final check,

0:29:570:29:59

they're ready to run the emergency landing simulation.

0:29:590:30:01

There's always a slight tinge of apprehension

0:30:010:30:04

when you're doing something for the first time.

0:30:040:30:06

It's a major step on the development activities,

0:30:060:30:09

successful completion of the test.

0:30:090:30:11

So let's get on with it, I think,

0:30:110:30:13

and demonstrate it all works as it should.

0:30:130:30:15

-OK, ready to go.

-OK, let's do it.

0:30:150:30:18

Enable the pump system now.

0:30:180:30:20

Should be 350 bars on green system,

0:30:270:30:29

that's two pumps on the yellow system. 350 bar of yellow pressure.

0:30:290:30:33

-Are you ready on the logger?

-Ready.

0:30:330:30:36

OK, happy? Ready for the free fall now.

0:30:440:30:47

And starting emergency extension.

0:30:490:30:52

Cut out valve selected. Vent valves selected.

0:30:550:31:00

There's the doors.

0:31:060:31:08

Doors have opened.

0:31:080:31:09

Gears are still uplocked.

0:31:110:31:13

And nose.

0:31:170:31:19

Body.

0:31:250:31:27

OK.

0:31:300:31:32

Doors shut, that's complete.

0:31:370:31:40

All down and locked.

0:31:400:31:41

-All down, doors shut, no faults.

-Great.

0:31:410:31:44

That's a successful emergency extension.

0:31:440:31:47

It's great when it goes well.

0:31:490:31:51

You put a lot of effort into it and when it happens seamlessly,

0:31:510:31:55

and when it goes like that, everyone is pleased.

0:31:550:31:57

And you go home and look for the next problem to solve.

0:31:570:32:01

Although the wings are made in the UK, Airbus has

0:32:060:32:09

test facilities all over Europe.

0:32:090:32:10

Chief engineer John Roberts is responsible for

0:32:120:32:15

the ongoing development of the wing and is on his way to

0:32:150:32:18

the German city of Dresden

0:32:180:32:20

to visit one of his most important test sites.

0:32:200:32:23

I've got probably the best job in the factory,

0:32:230:32:26

it's a great job looking after this aeroplane.

0:32:260:32:30

And they pay me for it, as well, which is good.

0:32:300:32:33

The Dresden rig is a test structure so large it took two years to build.

0:32:360:32:42

You always get a buzz and an excitement seeing the sheer scale

0:32:450:32:49

of this test facility that we do here.

0:32:490:32:51

If you don't get an excitement out of things like this,

0:32:510:32:54

you're in the wrong business.

0:32:540:32:56

Here we are, welcome to IABG in Dresden.

0:32:560:33:00

What John's engineers are after is proof that the Superjumbo

0:33:020:33:05

and its wings are strong enough to last a lifetime of flight.

0:33:050:33:10

To find out, they've spent well over £100 million

0:33:100:33:14

on the largest test rig of its kind ever built.

0:33:140:33:17

Achtung...

0:33:190:33:21

The rig is essentially a giant torture machine,

0:33:250:33:27

to expose any weaknesses in the design of the plane's structure

0:33:270:33:31

that might develop, by simulating the kind of stresses

0:33:310:33:34

a real plane would experience in flight, over and over again.

0:33:340:33:39

The most interesting part of this test is the bit which takes

0:33:440:33:47

all the punishment.

0:33:470:33:50

The aircraft, when it's flying, all its loading is being taken

0:33:500:33:54

up on the wing, which you can see up there.

0:33:540:33:57

So all the punishment is being driven into the wing structure,

0:33:570:34:00

and this is a demonstration of what it looks like

0:34:000:34:03

while it's actually in flight.

0:34:030:34:06

A computer system drives a network of 180 hydraulic rams

0:34:080:34:12

that bend and distort the wings.

0:34:120:34:14

It bends, doesn't it?

0:34:170:34:19

You can never fail to be impressed on seeing something like that.

0:34:190:34:22

Computer modelling of real journeys means that, in this simulation,

0:34:220:34:28

flight times can be reduced to only the bits of the journey where

0:34:280:34:31

the plane is particularly stressed, like turbulence and landing.

0:34:310:34:35

This would be a window which an ordinary passenger might be

0:34:390:34:44

looking out along the wing, and in the test here

0:34:440:34:47

the end of the wing is moving up by over four metres during normal flight cycles,

0:34:470:34:52

and down, when it's on the ground, by nearly two metres.

0:34:520:34:55

People always look out along the wing and see it bouncing up and down

0:34:550:34:59

in turbulence and thinking is this something I should worry about?

0:34:590:35:03

Well, we test it with the assumption it happens all the time and, no, you don't need to worry.

0:35:030:35:07

And precise engineering ensures the wings bend in exactly the right way.

0:35:100:35:15

The ability of the wing to take huge punishment is down to

0:35:180:35:22

the design of its internal structure.

0:35:220:35:24

It needs to be light but also very strong.

0:35:240:35:26

The ribs and spars give strength, but also just the right amount

0:35:290:35:33

of flexibility to cope with the enormous loads on them.

0:35:330:35:36

This fatigue test is the pinnacle of a whole testing programme

0:35:400:35:44

John is responsible for, to prove the plane is safe to fly.

0:35:440:35:48

In terms of proving the aircraft is safe, you have to put together

0:35:480:35:52

a portfolio that shows everything from the individual little valve

0:35:520:35:57

that sits within the wings, through to the complete structure test.

0:35:570:36:00

We always joke that when the paperwork is heavier than the aeroplane

0:36:000:36:05

you're about close to getting it right.

0:36:050:36:07

After five long years of continuous punishment,

0:36:090:36:12

24 hours of the day, an amazing milestone has now been reached.

0:36:120:36:18

An aircraft like this would do around 25 years of normal operation.

0:36:180:36:23

We've demonstrated here the equivalent of 65 years of operation.

0:36:230:36:28

And that basically confirms that the analysis that was done

0:36:280:36:31

by all those clever engineers sweating over computers for years on end

0:36:310:36:36

have been proved to be right.

0:36:360:36:38

It's quite an achievement,

0:36:380:36:40

but John's decided that even though the plane could carry on going,

0:36:400:36:44

it's time for the test to finally come to an end.

0:36:440:36:47

We'll basically cut out the bits that we want to keep

0:36:470:36:49

for reference and the rest of it will be recycled as aluminium.

0:36:490:36:55

So it will be appear in a Coca Cola can near you

0:36:550:36:58

at some stage in the future.

0:36:580:37:00

Back in Broughton, it's shift change at the factory

0:37:130:37:16

and Janet Hardy is clocking on for the afternoon.

0:37:160:37:21

Fuel for later.

0:37:250:37:26

The wing is almost ready to be kitted out with all its flight systems.

0:37:300:37:34

But before that can start, Janet has an important safety test to perform.

0:37:340:37:39

As well as flying and steering the plane,

0:37:400:37:43

the wings are also the enormous fuel tanks of the A380.

0:37:430:37:47

The wing's made up of little sections,

0:37:470:37:49

and each one is called a rib.

0:37:490:37:51

And certain sections are sealed,

0:37:510:37:54

and those are actually the fuel tanks.

0:37:540:37:57

In between each fuel bay we have sealed ribs,

0:37:570:38:00

and these are the ribs that we actually test to make sure

0:38:000:38:03

that they are water tight or fuel tight, in this case.

0:38:030:38:06

The test begins by sealing up the tank that's going to be tested,

0:38:080:38:12

so it can then be filled with high pressure air.

0:38:120:38:15

Can you pass me my overshoes, please?

0:38:160:38:19

The only failsafe way to spot a leak is to get up as close as possible.

0:38:190:38:23

I have to be a contortionist at times.

0:38:260:38:29

It's not the easiest of places to get to.

0:38:290:38:32

You have to be double jointed!

0:38:360:38:37

Safely nestled in the next door tank,

0:38:390:38:42

Janet applies a solution to the seal around the rib.

0:38:420:38:45

I'm snooping the rib to see if I can detect any leaks.

0:38:450:38:49

If there's any air trying to escape, it'll blow bubbles,

0:38:490:38:53

like a bicycle with a puncture.

0:38:530:38:56

It's looking pretty good so far, to be fair.

0:38:560:39:00

As safety is the top priority, it's a necessary task,

0:39:000:39:04

but Janet's job is not for the fainthearted.

0:39:040:39:06

When you first join Airbus, you are tested to see

0:39:060:39:10

if you've got any problems with confined spaces,

0:39:100:39:13

so in the training school

0:39:130:39:14

you actually go up head and shoulders inside a wing tank

0:39:140:39:18

and they ask you to read some numbers off a card, and obviously if you've

0:39:180:39:21

got your eyes shut and you're terrified, you can't read the numbers!

0:39:210:39:25

I've got a bungalow, so maybe I'm more terrified of heights!

0:39:250:39:29

SHE LAUGHS

0:39:290:39:32

But anyway. OK, job done. Time to have a cool down.

0:39:320:39:37

Very warm and very sweaty.

0:39:370:39:40

I don't know why I did my hair this morning, I don't think there was much point!

0:39:400:39:44

Janet finishes off by testing the outside of the wing for leaks.

0:39:460:39:51

This time the tank is filled with helium.

0:39:510:39:54

Any that escapes she'll detect with a sensor.

0:39:540:39:57

Once all the fuel tanks have been tested,

0:39:570:40:00

the wing and its matching partner can finally be equipped with all the systems they need to fly.

0:40:000:40:06

The wiring, piping and ducting for the hydraulics

0:40:070:40:11

that connect all the controls, and the fuel system are installed

0:40:110:40:15

by 200 workers over 22 days.

0:40:150:40:19

This is a vast undertaking, but the company has a full order book

0:40:270:40:30

and so they'll need to constantly look for ways to make the process more efficient.

0:40:300:40:34

Today, their fuel systems specialist, Lorraine McIlree,

0:40:390:40:44

is visiting the factory.

0:40:440:40:46

She's on a mission to see if they can build the wings any quicker.

0:40:460:40:50

There's a lot of equipment in the wing, a lot of fuel equipment in the tanks.

0:40:540:40:59

We've got 21 pumps,

0:40:590:41:01

we've got 46 valves that are installed,

0:41:010:41:04

and hundreds of pieces of sensing equipment

0:41:040:41:06

all installed in the wing here, and we want to be able to see

0:41:060:41:09

what improvements we can make to make that job easier along the way.

0:41:090:41:12

The people here are doing this job every day

0:41:120:41:15

and they are key to being able to give us

0:41:150:41:17

pointers or suggestions on potential improvements.

0:41:170:41:21

So it's really useful to talk to them.

0:41:210:41:23

Today, she's looking at how the engine feed pumps are installed.

0:41:260:41:30

Nightmare. They're like this all the time.

0:41:300:41:32

It needs to be able to go in a bit easier, it's always like this.

0:41:320:41:35

OK, that's quite easy to take on board, that's really useful to know.

0:41:350:41:40

Making one pump easier and quicker to fit may seem fairly minor,

0:41:400:41:44

but it's just the kind of thing that Lorraine wants to improve on

0:41:440:41:48

to get the wings flowing out of the factory even faster.

0:41:480:41:51

But for her, the wing is more than just the sum of its parts.

0:41:530:41:56

I absolutely love the profile of that wing,

0:41:560:42:00

and whenever I see a 380, one of the views

0:42:000:42:03

I most enjoy is the back of a 380 and that sweeping wing shape.

0:42:030:42:06

Absolutely stunning, really lovely, and I feel really proud when you see that as well.

0:42:060:42:11

The sheer scale of the Superjumbo

0:42:160:42:18

called for a new type of fuel system.

0:42:180:42:21

Fully loaded, there's up to 118 tonnes of fuel in each wing.

0:42:210:42:26

With a conventional fuel system,

0:42:260:42:28

that weight would put huge stress on them.

0:42:280:42:31

So the designers created a dynamic system that could constantly

0:42:310:42:35

distribute fuel around 11 separate tanks,

0:42:350:42:38

to ensure the weight was where it was needed.

0:42:380:42:40

On the ground, fuel is loaded towards the centre

0:42:430:42:46

of the craft to prevent the wings from bending down too much.

0:42:460:42:50

But during flight, fuel has to be pumped out to the tips,

0:42:500:42:53

to stop them being forced up.

0:42:530:42:55

Tanks are also located in the tail, and fuel is pumped

0:42:560:42:59

forward during flight to maintain the perfect centre of gravity.

0:42:590:43:04

This weight reducing fuel system has helped the A380 become

0:43:040:43:08

the most fuel efficient airliner in the skies.

0:43:080:43:11

But going so large could mean the plane taking too long

0:43:110:43:15

to prepare for flight, losing money for the airlines.

0:43:150:43:17

If you stand next to it you can actually, you know,

0:43:170:43:20

put that into perspective as to quite how big that tank

0:43:200:43:24

of fuel actually is, that's a lot of fuel that can fit into that wing.

0:43:240:43:28

Fortunately, the fuel system has another trick up its sleeve.

0:43:280:43:34

If you were to take your 380 to your local petrol station to try

0:43:340:43:37

and fill it up with fuel, it could take up to six days to fill up.

0:43:370:43:41

On 380, we have a complex refuel system which will enable us

0:43:410:43:47

to potentially fill the aircraft, ready for dispatch, in 45 minutes.

0:43:470:43:52

Airlines are always keen to reduce the amount

0:43:550:43:58

they spend on expensive fuel,

0:43:580:43:59

making fuel efficiency a constant subject of competition

0:43:590:44:03

in the aircraft industry.

0:44:030:44:05

So, although the A380 wing is the most fuel efficient there is,

0:44:070:44:10

the company has been redesigning it to make it even lighter.

0:44:100:44:14

It's been Chris Bennion's job for the last two years to implement

0:44:190:44:24

all those design changes into the production line.

0:44:240:44:27

It might seem quite small to maybe reduce this,

0:44:270:44:30

this web thickness by a mil, but when you do so across

0:44:300:44:33

the length of an aircraft, you know, then things soon add up

0:44:330:44:36

and they soon start to impact on the overall weight of the wing.

0:44:360:44:39

We changed a lot of parts, and when that came together,

0:44:390:44:42

then you start talking about substantial, hundreds upon hundreds of kilograms saving.

0:44:420:44:48

If they've got their sums right, all of this should add up

0:44:500:44:53

to about 350kg per wing.

0:44:530:44:56

Enough to save several million pounds

0:44:560:44:58

when calculated in fuel savings over the lifetime of the aircraft.

0:44:580:45:02

And there's only one way to find out if all the hard work has paid off.

0:45:020:45:07

It's two in the morning.

0:45:110:45:13

But this factory never sleeps.

0:45:130:45:15

A team has been assembled to perform a special task.

0:45:210:45:25

The first wing with all the weight reduction modifications

0:45:250:45:29

is about to come off the production line.

0:45:290:45:32

It's time to prove whether it's as light as it should be.

0:45:320:45:34

Stuart Sutton is a man with a very large set of weighing scales.

0:45:370:45:42

This is a 20 tonne weighing cell.

0:45:420:45:45

Use four of these on this weigh.

0:45:450:45:47

Just attaching it into the lifting system.

0:45:470:45:51

It's time to get started and the lifting beams are married up

0:45:540:45:58

to the wing by four small sockets that will bear several tonnes each.

0:45:580:46:03

OK there now.

0:46:040:46:06

6.3, Joe.

0:46:060:46:10

Take it up on both to start with and we'll keep an eye on the plum lines.

0:46:100:46:14

Hold it there, up on the outboard.

0:46:160:46:20

Down on the inboard.

0:46:230:46:25

Down a touch.

0:46:250:46:27

That's fine.

0:46:300:46:32

We'll take the figures on that.

0:46:320:46:34

The predictions and calculations done by computers are now about to be put to the test.

0:46:370:46:42

Bit of movement.

0:46:420:46:44

Any movement in the crane system,

0:46:440:46:46

so we've got a bit of a bounce to settle now.

0:46:460:46:50

First impression, that's good.

0:46:560:46:58

It is the 350kgs lighter that we were expecting.

0:46:580:47:01

I think they'll be happy with the results once they get them.

0:47:010:47:05

Two years of hard work by hundreds of people has finally been vindicated.

0:47:060:47:11

The wing is lighter and greener

0:47:110:47:14

whilst safely maintaining its strength.

0:47:140:47:16

It's gone smoothly, good team effort.

0:47:160:47:19

Factory boss Paul McKinley is in a good mood.

0:47:340:47:36

Another wing is about to roll off the production line,

0:47:360:47:40

but also, the company's football team, Airbus UK, is on the verge

0:47:400:47:45

of breaking through to the semi-finals of the Welsh Premier League.

0:47:450:47:49

WHISTLE

0:47:490:47:51

There's been a football club on the site since 1946.

0:47:550:47:58

I do wear two hats, proper job is head of the plant here at Broughton.

0:48:030:48:07

My fun hat is being chairman of the football club

0:48:070:48:11

and you can see from the crowd we've got here tonight, there's probably

0:48:110:48:15

400 here from the local community.

0:48:150:48:16

The football club and the company plays a big, big part in this community.

0:48:160:48:20

You know, you come here on Friday night after a tough week in work.

0:48:200:48:23

It's a good way to relieve some stress as well from the work place.

0:48:230:48:27

Go on, Shed, you're in!

0:48:270:48:29

Go on, Shed!

0:48:290:48:31

Yeah!

0:48:340:48:36

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

0:48:360:48:40

WHISTLE

0:48:480:48:49

Penalty, it's a penalty to the other team.

0:48:520:48:55

What a save that was!

0:48:570:49:00

Eh, Reg, you couldn't have done that!

0:49:000:49:02

You'd have held it!

0:49:040:49:06

I like winning in everything I do.

0:49:080:49:10

We always say in football there's no such thing as a friendly, you play to win.

0:49:100:49:15

And I do everything that I do, you give your best.

0:49:150:49:19

You want to win and be competitive.

0:49:190:49:22

People have different strengths in the workplace,

0:49:220:49:24

and part of having a team is bringing the different strengths

0:49:240:49:28

and competencies of that team together.

0:49:280:49:31

Go on, Shed, you can get in, you've got the pace.

0:49:310:49:34

Keep hold of the ball.

0:49:400:49:41

Oh, no!

0:49:410:49:43

FINAL WHISTLE

0:49:470:49:49

Point's OK.

0:49:500:49:52

Could have been none, and we needed a point tonight.

0:49:520:49:55

So, you take it and you move on.

0:49:550:49:57

Morning, and a set of wings are ready to leave the factory.

0:50:020:50:05

Each wing is shrink-wrapped to protect it from the elements

0:50:070:50:10

on its 28-day journey to Toulouse in France,

0:50:100:50:13

where it will be joined up to the rest of the plane.

0:50:130:50:16

The first leg is by river, but the barge is a mile away,

0:50:160:50:20

so first it'll have to negotiate a country lane.

0:50:200:50:24

Not easy for something 39 metres long, so it's one wing at a time.

0:50:240:50:30

Take this wing out now.

0:50:300:50:31

Our main thoughts are to make sure we actually don't hit anything,

0:50:310:50:35

because that would be embarrassing.

0:50:350:50:38

The wing inches along.

0:50:560:50:59

And an hour later departs for the coast on the River Dee.

0:51:000:51:04

Both wings are then loaded onto a specially built ferry,

0:51:120:51:16

ready for their journey to France.

0:51:160:51:18

At the same time, fuselage sections are starting their journey

0:51:200:51:24

from Germany.

0:51:240:51:25

And in Spain, the tail section is loaded on to a Beluga,

0:51:300:51:35

Airbus's specially built transport aircraft.

0:51:350:51:39

Two weeks later, the wings dock in France.

0:51:430:51:48

They're about to embark on the trickiest part of their journey.

0:51:480:51:52

They've been joined by all the other major sections of the plane.

0:51:560:52:00

And the convoy heads off on a 240km journey through rural France.

0:52:000:52:05

It's the middle of the night, and the whole convoy needs to

0:52:090:52:12

drive through the medieval village of Levignac.

0:52:120:52:15

The street is so narrow that Airbus had to redesign the balconies

0:52:180:52:22

to make room for the wings.

0:52:220:52:25

It's dawn, and the convoy arrives at the final assembly line in Toulouse.

0:52:280:52:33

Paul McKenzie, Broughton's overseas manager,

0:52:560:52:58

is on his way to greet the wings.

0:52:580:53:02

When I was growing up, the one thing I always loved, we used to go

0:53:030:53:06

every Sunday to Liverpool Airport to watch the aircraft.

0:53:060:53:09

I always wanted to work in the aircraft industry.

0:53:090:53:12

It's the day of the marry up,

0:53:200:53:22

when all the parts of the plane that have been

0:53:220:53:24

worked on for months in different countries finally come together.

0:53:240:53:29

I think this without doubt, in terms of the A380,

0:53:290:53:33

is the most critical point.

0:53:330:53:35

Everything has to be absolutely right, everything has to be

0:53:350:53:39

absolutely spot on.

0:53:390:53:40

BEEPING

0:53:400:53:42

It's a fantastic feat of co-ordination

0:53:420:53:46

as the whole operation will take under an hour.

0:53:460:53:49

It's rather like a ballet of sorts, you have five teams choreographed

0:53:500:53:56

so everybody knows exactly what everybody else is doing.

0:53:560:53:59

All the major components are simultaneously being

0:53:590:54:01

moved into position.

0:54:010:54:03

And ultimately everything is moved into the jig,

0:54:030:54:06

and then we begin with the assembly of yet another A380.

0:54:060:54:11

With the marry up under way,

0:54:140:54:16

everything is coming together at once in a clockwork manoeuvre.

0:54:160:54:21

It's an incredible sight to see,

0:54:290:54:31

never fails to amaze.

0:54:310:54:32

It's a privilege to have been involved in the project

0:54:320:54:35

and I think it goes without saying that all the many thousands of people that have contributed to this,

0:54:350:54:41

I think it's credit to all those guys for the efforts they put into it, the determination,

0:54:410:54:45

the commitment put in to get the product to this stage.

0:54:450:54:48

The moment is approaching

0:54:520:54:55

when the wings will finally become part of an aircraft.

0:54:550:54:59

You can see the centre fuselage ahead of us and that area,

0:55:050:55:08

just behind the jack,

0:55:080:55:10

is the actual area that the wing will be married up to.

0:55:100:55:13

It looks like the guys are ready to start moving

0:55:130:55:15

the wings into the fuselage, so I think we'd better move on.

0:55:150:55:18

The wings are finally joined to the plane with hair-width precision.

0:55:200:55:25

And secured in place with 4,000 bolts.

0:55:250:55:27

Over the next 14 days, the sections are joined together,

0:55:310:55:35

and other parts, like the landing gear, are attached.

0:55:350:55:38

Next, four enormous engines are attached

0:55:470:55:51

that can produce 300,000 pounds of thrust.

0:55:510:55:55

It's put through Europe's largest paint shop,

0:55:590:56:02

where they apply half a tonne of paint.

0:56:020:56:05

And finally, the work is done,

0:56:160:56:18

and the Superjumbo is ready to leave the factory.

0:56:180:56:20

It's always a proud moment to see one leave.

0:56:290:56:31

Every one of the team is devoted to this aircraft

0:56:310:56:34

and making sure that it is the best aircraft, best quality,

0:56:340:56:39

quality that the customers deserve.

0:56:390:56:41

It's now a complete aircraft, and ready for its maiden flight.

0:56:410:56:45

The latest addition to a fleet that the company hopes

0:56:450:56:49

will grow and grow over the next 25 years.

0:56:490:56:53

But back in Broughton, it's just another working day.

0:56:530:56:57

Morning, Joan, are you all right?

0:56:570:56:59

Yeah, fine, you?

0:56:590:57:00

The number of wings coming off the line is now up by 50%,

0:57:020:57:06

and these new orders will help secure jobs for the company.

0:57:060:57:10

We're changing the face of commercial aerospace industry.

0:57:110:57:15

Passengers want to fly on A380.

0:57:150:57:17

And when you see it in production,

0:57:170:57:19

when you see the complete aircraft, I think you understand why.

0:57:190:57:23

It's absolutely fantastic. Yeah, the A380's an icon.

0:57:230:57:26

It's still only four years since its launch,

0:57:310:57:34

but it seems that Airbus's big gamble might just have paid off.

0:57:340:57:38

In the next programme, we go to iconic British company McLaren

0:58:020:58:07

and discover how to build a supercar.

0:58:070:58:10

From sketch to structure, see how designs come to life by visiting:

0:58:130:58:18

Follow the links to the Open University.

0:58:180:58:23

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:58:490:58:51

E-mail [email protected]

0:58:510:58:53

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