A PERFECT - Orient Aviation

want to see Airbus fly. Wetake great pride in takingour airplanes to the public.”Stuart is well placed todraw comparisons betweenAirbus’s earlier days andits current position. He was one of only afew people on hand in 1987 to watch thetest flight of the A320, which representedAirbus’s brave, and subsequently successful,move into the single-aisle market. Thisfirst fly-by-wire aircraft was an importantstep towards the development of a full family,now completed by the A380.“We got on to the roof of the old Blagnacairport to watch the airplane go,” saidStuart. “Two hours later it came back andtaxied on to the tarmac. Out came the crewin their orange suits. There were only 100 ofus. We had a champagne party at midday inthe airport. It was low key, but it was fun.“We had made a beautiful plane,although we didn’t know where we weregoing. But we did know that we were goingsomewhere.”Airbus’s presence at Le Bourget overthe last three decades mirrors the growthof the company. This year, it will be housedalongside its giant parent company, EADS(European Aeronautic Defence and SpaceCo). Back in 1973, when the A300B flewthere for the first time, it took its first, oneunitchalet, next to one of its then owningpartners, Aerospatiale.“It was very small. We were largelyunknown. But we were flying this plane andstarting to get attention,” said Kracht, whosefather Felix helped set up the industrialorganisation for the A300’s production.The need to be noticed was a key driverin the way Airbus presented itself in thoseearly years, especially after the publicitymindedBernard Lathiere became chiefexecutive.In 1975, when an important early orderfrom Lufthansa was confirmed at the show,the theme was green, pushing an economical,environmentally-friendly message,complete with parrots and other birds incages in a lushly-outfitted chalet.Later that decade Toulouse’s centralattraction, La Place du Capitole, wasrecreated, with the city’s famous set of buildingson the wall and a dining room full ofumbrellas in front. “Lathiere was adamantthat if we wanted to be different, we had toattract attention,” said Kracht. “You know,we had one product, we had to be creative.”The planes, and the orders for them,‘ The need to be noticedwas a key driverin the way Airbuspresented itselfin those early years’kept ticking along. Butit was not always smoothprogress. In 1977, spiritswere higher thanthe year before at theFarnborough air showin Britain. A 16-month drought had beenbroken when Thai Airways Internationalplaced an order and an important breakthroughwith America’s Eastern Airlineshad also just been made. There was talk atthat time, too, of the A310’s development. Itwas launched the next year.By 1979, the A300 had taken 30% ofmarket share in its niche, Asian sales werebooming and Rolls-Royce had come onboard for the first time, signing up to supplyA300-600 engines. The first A320 commitment,for Air France, was announced at LeBourget in 1981.In 1993, the A340-300 “world-ranger” stole the showBut air shows are not only about salesannouncements. There has to be someentertainment as well. In 1983, an A310arrived at Le Bourget at the end of a nonstopflight from Brazil, a little in the shadowof a B747 carrying atop the space shuttle,Enterprise, perhaps.In 1985, former Indian Airlines’ pilotRajiv Gandhi, then his country’s primeminister, tried out a simulator for theA320’s new cockpit installed in an outdoorstand. The plane itself flew at the next show,in 1987, just after the A330/340 range hadbeen announced.“Over the years, Le Bourget grew froma commercial point of view, and maybe alsothanks to Airbus. Nineteen eighty seven and1989 were very good years for us commercially.Probably because of the importanceof Airbus, other airline manufacturers wereobliged to pay attention to Le Bourget morethan they would otherwise,” said Kracht.In 1993, two A330/340s staged a magnificentdemonstration. It was this year theA340-300 “world-ranger” stole the show. Itflew round the globe with only one stop inAuckland, arriving back where it started –at Le Bourget – 48 hours later. The crewgave satellite interviews from New Zealandwhile refuelling. Interest built in Paris as theplane headed for home.“It was dull in 1993. There were no ordersfor anyone,” said Kracht. “On the Friday, itwas announced the aircraft would arrive.The whole of the chalets rose. Everyone wasstanding and watching and waiting for theworld-ranger to arrive.”Airbus will continue its tradition of flyingits aircraft at Le Bourget this year, if theA380’s test schedule permits. It’s an importantpart of the company’s philosophy, toshow an airplane’s flying characteristics notonly to potential buyers, but to pilots andothers in the industry.The paying customers are part of this,too. “We always fly at air shows becausewe think there is such an empathy for aviation.If you go to an air show you go to dobusiness, but you also have to respect thepublic,” said Kracht.Take it one step further, however, andcall Le Bourget Airbus’s home air show, andshe politely questions the overall assumption,although accepts it in part.“What would you call a home show? Weare at home in Germany. We are at homein the UK. From the other side, we are inFrance. From a public perception point ofview, we are in the country that is mostsupportive of aviation and of Airbus. Theyreally consider it as theirs. There is a specialrelationship with us.”JUNE – AUGUST 2005 ORIENT AVIATION / A380 Quarterly Update 7