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Normally, I wouldn’t focus so much on the civilian side of things at Farnborough (this is Armchair General after all), but this year the airliners present probably deserve a mention as this was an important show for Airbus, the European conglomerate, and rival to Boeing. First off, here’s an Airbus A340 – pretty standard fare and very nice to look at, but just wait…

This massive machine is the brand new Airbus A380 – a truly huge airliner with a double-deck running along its entire length. This plane has only been flying for a few months, and this was its first public airshow.

Despite the size, and the four engines, this was a remarkably quiet and agile plane which performed some incredibly tight turns above our heads.

As the A380 cruised low over our heads, we could get a glimpse of how graceful this new creation was. If Airbus are to be believed, this is the future of air travel. We shall have to wait and see if this is so.

Meanwhile, the rain continued to pour and we all continued to get wet. Rather sadly, columns of people started to leave the airfield…

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