The first Airbus A330-200F, now fully painted, came out in the sunlight at Toulouse after departing the paint shop. The aircraft, registered F-WWYE (MSN1004), will head to the flight line toward the end of the month and will be handed over to flight test to begin ground testing ahead of its planned November 2009 maiden flight.
So you’re probably asking, “What’s up with that nose gear blister?”
From an April 8th article on flightglobal.com:
Images released by Airbus of the first A330-200F
on the move in Toulouse reveal the modification made to the landing
gear and forward fuselage to address the nose-down pitch that is a
characteristic of the A330/A340 and provide a level cabin floor during loading.This has been achieved by lowering the nose-gear leg attachment
points to raise the nose height, in turn requiring a larger gear bay
that is faired by a blister on the underside of the nose.
Photo Credit Airbus
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.