F-WUAB_(Airbus_A300B1)
F-WUAB
Preserved prototype of the Airbus A300
F-WUAB (also known as F-OCAZ) is an Airbus A300B1 that was built by Airbus as the first prototype of the Airbus A300 and is known to be the first Airbus A300 ever built.
| F-WUAB/F-OCAZ | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Airbus A300B1 |
| Manufacturer | Airbus |
| Management | Airbus Industries |
| Registration | F-WUAB (1972-1973) F-OCAZ (1973-1974) |
| Serial | 001 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1972 |
| First flight | October 28th, 1972 |
| In service | October 28th, 1972-August 27th, 1974 |
| Last flight | August 27th, 1974 |
| Preserved at | Partially preserved as a display exhibit at the Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany |
| Fate | Disassembled, on static display |
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Construction and first flight
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The aircraft was assembled at Airbus's Aérospatiale facility based in Toulouse, Occitania, France as the first Airbus A300 aircraft ever built, the prototype aircraft took its first flight on October 28th, 1972.[1][2][3]
The aircraft had recorded a maximum take-off weight of 132 tonnes (132,000 kilograms; 132,000,000 grams; 291,000 pounds) and was powered by two General Electric CF6-50A engines.[1][4]: 21 [5]: 41
The Airbus A300B1 type had set several records, including being the first wide-body airliner powered by twin engines, the first commercial aircraft constructed of composite materials, and the first to use center-of-gravity control. It was also the first Extended Operations (ETOPS) compliant aircraft in 1977. The F-WUAB could accommodate 300 passengers in flight.[1]
The aircraft remained as a testbed with its registration F-WUAB until September 1973 when Airbus Industries had reregistered the aircraft as F-OCAZ.[1][2]
Preservation
The aircraft was retired on August 27th, 1974, after only two years of service as a testbed by Airbus Industries and the aircraft was partially scrapped, but some parts were salvaged and placed on display at the Deutsches Museum based in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The parts that were salvaged from the breaker's yard included a fuselage section, the right-hand wing, and an engine.[2]
- "A300 First Flight 50th Anniversary". www.airbus.com. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
- "F-OCAZ Airbus Industrie Airbus A300B1". www.planespotters.net. 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
- "10 facts about the Airbus First A300B Aircraft". Jetline Marvel Aviation News. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
- Norris, Guy and Mark Wagner (1999). Airbus. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Publishing. pp. 16–25. ISBN 0-7603-0677-X.
- Endres, Günter (1999). Airbus A300. MBI Pub. pp. 17–110. ISBN 978-0-7603-0827-1.
- Endres, Günter G. (1999). Airbus A300. MBI Pub. ISBN 9780760308271.
- Kemp, Kenny (2013). Flight Of The Titans: Boeing, Airbus and the Battle for the Future of Air Travel. Ebury Publishing (published 2013-07-31). ISBN 9781448133918.