Beluga....one ugly plane

[Mojocvh]

egomeister said:

G600 said:

I mean I thought that's what it moves.

Why do I have an image of xzibit in my head now?

Spectacularly ugly aircraft but what it can do is very impressive!

Yep esp the 3 freezers in the back full of German and Austrian meat product on the Hamburg/Toulouse run, nothing wrong with a taste of "home"

[Darranu]

Black9 said:

They use it to transport 320/330/340/350 Fuselages and wings, also the 380 tail and stabliser.

It's an amazing aircraft as ugly as it is, and I'm proud to say I helped build the main door assembly for Beluga No.1 at what was Aerostructures Hamble.

Small world, I worked on the last two doors down at Hamble.
Was it just the first one you were on?

[mr_fibuli]

Black9 said:

It's an amazing aircraft as ugly as it is, and I'm proud to say I helped build the main door assembly for Beluga No.1 at what was Aerostructures Hamble.

I think my girlfriend's dad said he worked on the hinge mechanism for it. Anyone know how many they built in total?

I watched one take off the other day from the end of the runway, really doesn't look like it should fly

[jonny142]

Beluga No.1 was at filton this morning,collecting A400M Wings i guess..

[Black9]

Darranu said:

Small world, I worked on the last two doors down at Hamble.
Was it just the first one you were on?

Just the first door. My friends dad was a project manager there and he managed to get me some summer temp work there and that is what I was put on.

[Black9]

jonny142 said:

Beluga No.1 was at filton this morning,collecting A400M Wings i guess..

Dam I'm not far from Filton, I would have gone to see it.

[wilfandrowlf]

I believe there are 5 Belugas in total although as technically they are experimental aircraft (IIRC) only 4 can ever fly at the same time! I was told by an Airbus aerodynamasist that they aren't certified for commercial flight hence the reason no one else has one.
Aparently you can have 5 "experimental" aircraft in a fleet so technically they are operating in a kind of loophole I guess.
Still butt ugly but built for a job and do it very well I'm told.

[BlackLabel]

They are making an even bigger Beluga - based on the A330 this time.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/19/travel/airbus-ne...

[Mabbs9]

We heard a Dreamlifter over Canada recently. ATC queried why a -400 747 was cruising so slowly, he pointed out the odd variant and it's much lower speed. Shame it was dark, they passed close by.

I remember the Super Guppy operating out of Manch too.

[Mabbs9]

We heard a Dreamlifter over Canada recently. ATC queried why a -400 747 was cruising so slowly, he pointed out the odd variant and it's much lower speed. Shame it was dark, they passed close by.

I remember the Super Guppy operating out of Manch too.

[vournikas]

egomeister said:

G600 said:

I mean I thought that's what it moves.

Why do I have an image of xzibit in my head now?

Indeed

[paulrussell]

BlackLabel said:

They are making an even bigger Beluga - based on the A330 this time.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/19/travel/airbus-ne...

Couldn't Airbus modify an A380 so the rear part was hinged? Surely that would be a lot cheaper than creating a new roof, lowering the flight deck and training pilots.

[AER]

paulrussell said:

Couldn't Airbus modify an A380 so the rear part was hinged? Surely that would be a lot cheaper than creating a new roof, lowering the flight deck and training pilots.

Probably because of the limited airport access for the A380 compared to the more conventionally-sized aircraft.

[The Turbonator]

Whilst I think the 747 is a beautiful aircraft, I've always thought the SP version was it's ugly sister.

[BlackST]

See the Beluga quite regularly over Prescot/ M57. Pretty cool seeing something so big in the sky. Makes you think how the hell do they keep something like that in the air?!

[Amused2death]

BlackST said:

See the Beluga quite regularly over Prescot/ M57. Pretty cool seeing something so big in the sky. Makes you think how the hell do they keep something like that in the air?!

They don't keep it in the air. It's so ugly Earth repels it.

[anonymous-user]

paulrussell said:

Couldn't Airbus modify an A380 so the rear part was hinged? Surely that would be a lot cheaper than creating a new roof, lowering the flight deck and training pilots.

The beluga and new a340xl both have larger cabins than the a380. The a380would also have to have all the floors removed and the cabin then strengthened and your hinged body added.

[alangla]

sorrento205 said:

Boeing have one too:

Pretty sure I've seen this on the ground at Prestwick - I remember doing a double-take because the top deck went all the way to the back.

[FourWheelDrift]

There's a guppy at Hurn, a CL-44



Was being restored to flight and engines were running in 2013, anyone know what the latest is?

[Boatbuoy]

The Soviets played around with strapping roof boxes onto planes!





Just imagine, all those female weightlifter's pants strewn over the runway if the lid blew off!