#Airbus Beluga

[cat-boots]

feed her!! @wolfsgestalt

[dailyplanes]

✈️ Daily Plane #1 - 10/02/2024

Airbus Beluga XL

Time taken: 46 minutes

requested by @garlic-the-gnome

ID: a sketch drawing of an Airbus Beluga XL cargo plane. It is positioned flying away from the viewer towards the background. It is flying over open sea and clouds. End ID.

[planeyboys]

ARRR THERE IT BE... THE WHITE WHALE 🐋

[nerocoin]

artfight attack on ~ChiropteraGrimm

[snavel-van-vogel]

at ILA Berlin 1995, Airbus Beluga debuting

[gwyn-bd]

i don't make the rules

[danikoshi-doodles]

Haha silly big brain 5head plane get cheese'd

I did like one minute of research max on the Airbus Beluga before drawing these. I simply saw the big silly guy and instantly fell in love. But don't ask me what specific model I drew, I have no idea

[ghostlyarchaeologist]

(Oooh! Niche special interest activated!)

*Gasp* How can you not love the Beluga??? How can you look at that and not instantly fall in love with it??? And I'm talking about the original here! Not the XL! (I'm coming to that!)

Look at this silly, overinflated, how-the-fuck-can-you-even-fly-on-two-engines of a plane!

*David Attenborough voice* Observe, the mother plane, having gained the trust of the humans surrounding her, choosing to finally open her hatch and reveal her baby to the world.

If you didn't know, the parts for Airbus' planes are produced around Europe, and then transported using the Belugas to the final assembly facilities.

Fun Fact: Beluga was not originally the official name for this plane. It was the A300-600ST (Super Transporter), and apparently Airbus hated the nickname Beluga! But, it stuck, and they eventually went 'finnnnneeeee' and officially adopted it as its name. Yay!

Aw, look at them! Plotting to overthrow humanity.

And then 2013 rolled around, and the original Belugas were now 21 years old and struggling to keep up with both production growth and the increasing size of aircraft produced. A larger plane was needed and so, in November 2014, the programme was launched!

And almost four years later, on 19th July 2018, the new, bigger, plane made its first flight! (Yes, I was stupidly excited for it, why do you ask?)

Remember what I was saying about Airbus originally hating the name Beluga? Well, by this point they've accepted fate and just painted a face on it. After all, why fight it?

So cute!

(If anyone is an aircraft nerd like me, it's offical type is A330-743L)

In fact, this beast is so big, it can't fit in the loading hanger, so they built a special door for it to stick it's head inside, while the rest of it stays outside!

(I don't know why I find this so funny. I just do!)

Anyway, originally, the plan was to produce only 5 XL's, the same number as original Belugas, which were built and rolled out from 2018 to 2022.

But, then, in June 2023, Airbus rolled out XL no 6, which has a different face to the others!

Look at it!!!

Look how happy it is to be flying!!!

AND! It has a love heart on the other side!!! (And yes, it only has one eye closed, but c'mon, it needs to see where its flying!)

Finally, did you know that the XL also has a mascot? No? Well, now you do!

Anyway, I adore the Belugas, and after this infodump, I hope you now do too!

just found the most fucked up plane

[dynamojono]

Finally got Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 running on my PC and no freakin' way! You can fly the Airbus Beluga in it?

This plane is a very common sight for me as I live only a few minutes from the Airbus factory and airport, so to be able to fly it in a game is rather awesome!

[stoneoferech]

Airbus A300-600ST Super Transporter XL, Beluga

[foreignobjecticus]

Saw this flying overhead today. Looked up and saw something not flying at all like a passenger plane, whipped out my binoculars, saw the weird fin stabilisers (can’t really see in this pic) and then the bumpy head & blue tail art. Can’t believe googling “plane with dolphin nose“ worked lol. It was this!!! Fucking amazing. New favourite aircraft. Turns out my sister in Aus saw a documentary about these for the first time today too. The sky whales are up to something and I fully support them. :)

[planeyboys]

baby man spotted telescope baby whale flying wee man perfect and porpoisy distant and large or close and small I can't tell either way baby man tiny guy not a cloud in the sky probably got important places to be hey why not come say hi looks like a friendly guy I love your little whale face so cute so smile stay in the sky a while I like to look at you reflect the sun oh what fun baby man

[sturgeonrot]

i nfeed to talk aboutplanes or else ill explode but this is an account for yt audio drama fandoms its so over for me

[dead-clade-waltz]

beluga oc

[opelman]

XL by Treflyn Lloyd-Roberts Via Flickr: Beluga XL F-GXLI arrives at Hawarden with a flight from Toulouse. Aircraft: Airbus Transport International (4Y/BGA) Airbus A330-700L Beluga XL F-GXLI/XL3. Location: Chester Hawarden Airport (CEG/EGNR), UK.