Up close with the STRANGEST Airbus

Join us for a very special say with Airbus in Toulouse as we get a rare look behind the scenes at the BelugaXL, the very special aircraft that Airbus uses to transport large aircraft sections and parts across its supply chain. We're on the ground with the Beluga to get a look at its amazing size and shape, and then we're inside, where we speak to key people involved in the program including the chief pilot, to learn about what it's like to fly this unusual airplane. We roam around the cargo hold, which is reminiscent of an industrial-chic cathedral. And finally we're at the loading bay to see the very unique setup Airbus has in place to load and unload the BelugaXL efficiently, all while refueling it simultaneously to ensure quick turnaround times. A super fun day out with Airbus with very special access to this incredible bird. And for a special bonus today, it's both Gabe and Chris bringing us along. Join us, and let us know what you think!
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#airbus #belugaxl #bts

[@jvanvuuren8461]

Probably the happiest-looking plane out there.

[@EstorilEm]

The A380 sea turtles look pretty happy also lol.

[@garypocklington3396]

Thanks to Airbus and Flightradar24 for giving this great insight into the operations of the Beluga.

[@zero.697]

As someone who spent my working life in the airline industry this channel brings back all the buzz I used to feel being around and flying on aircraft. In my opinion the channel is by far the best on KZbin.

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Thank you!

[@nik94492]

I love how you do the intro with Beluga 1 in the background and saying: ".. visiting this." swinging to the other Beluga.

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

🙂

[@user-nu1sq2fz8s]

Great clip . Airb7s has been rocking last few years boeing has been shit ​@Flightradar24DotCom

[@Aviation_yeaaa]

@@Flightradar24DotComWhy do you guys over at flighradar register a KC-10 as a DC-10?

[@𝓕𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓪_𝓓𝓮_𝓕𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓮3647]

@@Aviation_yeaaacuz the kc-10 is a dc-10

[@Aviation_yeaaa]

@@𝓕𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓪_𝓓𝓮_𝓕𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓮3647 yea ik that but y not register it AS a kc-10 and not a dc-10?

[@stuartmacken7489]

Nice nod to the past on the ramp vehicles using Guppy callsigns / registrations.

[@EstorilEm]

Good catch!

[@graham1306]

I live just outside of Wrexham and the Beluga flies over where I live. I often go to Broughtan park to do some shopping and when the Beluga takes off at the factory it’s a sight to behold, graceful and elegant. I must try and find out when they land and takeoff, and make an effort to visit there. Great video and thanks for sharing. Graham.

[@kerryjones1508]

Google " airbus chocs away Broughton" free car park, cafe, both right next to the runway.

[@paulmclaughlin395]

I also get to see those as well Graham. A short walk along the side of the river Dee from Saltney Ferry gets you directly under the flight path.Great views!

[@graham1306]

@@paulmclaughlin395I may try that, thanks for the suggestion.

[@jamiestevens6691]

@@graham1306 B5129 if the beluga is landing from the direction of liverpool otherwise its either the Layby on the Chester Road heading toward Hawarden, or the Roundabout off the A55 heading toward Penymynydd on the A5104 if she's coming in the other way. you could also try the Chocks Away diner on the airfield itself for a coffee and snack whilst waiting, and check out the former Soviet hardware sitting on the airfield.

[@grafdog44]

You live close to a airport, any suspicious activity, cargo ?u know we haven't had any sun ! Any help??

[@siddchaudhary1995]

its such a pretty plane....specially with the smile and the eyes Airbus knew what they were doing

[@EstorilEm]

Agreed, they absolutely didn’t have to do that - could have saved money and just painted it white with an Airbus logo on it, but IMHO little things like this is why the company is where it is right now.

[@A7-BBI]

The Beluga is my favorite plane

[@planesbio]

The unspoken beast

[@PSPmaster321]

The precision of the procedures is absolutely astonishing. Manouvering all these mammoth machines within tolerances of mere millimetres! A true marvel of human engineering!

[@EstorilEm]

Agreed, looks like the loading guy had a touch screen - probably inputs the pallet types and where he wants them, and it moves everything as required under his supervision. Amazing system for sure! 😳

[@L367Q]

Grüße aus Hamburg-Finkenwerder. Manchmal denke ich, wie besonders es ist, das ich dieses Flugzeug jeden Tag sehen darf.

[@BiancaGubo]

😍 Ich würde schon genau so breit grinsen wie der Beluga, wenn ich ihn nur einmal sehen dürfte 😁 Das süßeste Flugzeug der Welt 💙

[@albertkruger9604]

Living in the approach path of the Bremen Airport and even after a few years i never get tired of it!

[@amandalewis-im3vf]

Flies over my dad's house regularly and I have seen it a couple of times... it's amazing!!❤

[@ChristofferETJ]

I don't really care about flying any specific type of aeroplane. But I would happily take that windowless seat, just for the experience.

[@botmsj]

Living 18 kilometers South-East of St Nazaire, I can see them passing by in the sky almost every day, and also hear when they take off. They make a recognizable sound during take-off (distant rumble in the air) and in flight (like an electric buzz). That was cool to have a glimpse of their inside in this video and how they are operated. Thanks.

[@larryluffel777]

I’ve got software in the FMS of this Airbus plane. CMC in Montreal did a large update about 10 years ago. We added vertical profile management to the flight plan functionality. Was very cool to work on!

[@stephenmcgeown]

What an incredible experience that must have been! Thanks Gabriel for taking us to see this fascinating airplane.

[@keller_]

Chief Pilot was real pleasure to listen to, even though he's veeery french lmao

[@IOSAShort]

Flightradar24, Your videos always make me happy, so I subscribed!

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Awesome, thank you!

[@UGARULES7]

Yo only one reply

[@lucien.lenormandrenard]

I work at the airport of Méaulte and we operate beluga 2 at 3 times a week. Beautiful plane, the pilots are always smily and happy !

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Very cool!

[@someaviationcontent]

I love flight radar 24 and I didn’t know that it was doing content, thanks for your app and your videos, I love them!

[@jwebbgrv]

Saw one of these do a flypast in 2022 at the Royal International Air Tattoo. Surreal looking plane! Great to see the operations up close. 👍

[@stevec00ps]

Same here, only time I've ever seen one, just had to go look at my photos again :)

[@trapy3550]

What a treat! I have memorys of the beluga back into very early childhood. Living right at the approach path into Bremen, hearing an aircraft isn't special, except when you heard people say "Beluga!" :D You just have to watch it fly past and to this day, take in the sight of such an unusual shaped, big, very big airplane, with roaring engines. Really cool insight into their actual operation and the bit about it's flying characteristics were interesting. I suppose it's the strength of a FBW system, to do all the work adjusting to the unusual shape and aerodynamics, while the pilots "just" fly an airbus. Well, one that is a tad bit more susceptible to wind. :P

[@NicolaW72]

Thank you very much for this great Insight View!🙂👍

[@adriankirk4644]

Some very serious engineering in that operation. Excellent, thank you.

[@phantlers]

The take off, climb and turn from Hawarden is spectacular. It's a very short runway and low clearance over the Hawarden Road. Anyone lucky enough to be passing by train on the north Wales coast main line at the other (northern) end must get quite a fright!

[@1Kaisermerlin]

Recently saw it exhibited at ILA Berlin, impressive plane. I especially appreciate the way they have so many jigs and special machines to make this work. Truly amazing engineering.

[@jamessmitka8066]

Another fantastic video from FR24! Aerodynamics with the help of CAD have come along way! BelugaXL makes me think of extra large -- seriously?? I want one to live in. Moving eyes would be fascinating too! The calmer, the winds, the better for takeoff and landing - Thanks - Jim

[@sarahgaskell6538]

I’m so envious of you guys getting so close to that amazing aircraft. Having worked at Hawarden Airport, seeing and hearing the Beluga was a daily occurrence but I never got any closer than maybe 15 metres away to a stationary one and even that was separated by wire fence. That pilot seems so cool about it all, not star struck like I’d be! Beautiful aircraft 🐬

[@d.b.cooper1]

I see these & the A380 all the time near Manchester/Liverpool, never gets boring.

[@vincenthevern9371]

This is just astonishing! I was captivated by the extraordinary engineering triumph of this plane. Thanks you.

[@Malik_Sylvus]

I can't imagine the joy and the pride of the designers of this aircraft when they saw it taking off whit that smile for the first time.

[@ChoppyChof]

Sat here watching you look at Belugas with my Beluga model next to the tv that I received after doing a work stint at TLS with the Belugas. LOVE this aircraft. Thanks for the great video.

[@mandate4uuk1]

What a wonderful aircraft and thank you for the insight, filming and commentary are first class.

[@pascalhousieaux474]

Thank you Guys for sharing and allowing us to visit this amazing Aircraft 👏🤙

[@jjmetrejhon1743]

When they fly from Hamburg, I'm under the flight path - this is my favourite arcraft 🐬❤

[@danielbooker3508]

Outstanding video! Being able to take off and land 205 Tons of anything is absolutely amazing. Thanks for the walk around.

[@Czeiner]

I love the Beluga...what an amazing plane! Excellent video! ...and the music around 14:00 reminded me of "Art of Noise - Moments in Love"...

[@DerinTheErkan]

Thanks for the great video! I live in Ankara and I had no idea the Beluga comes to visit from time to time - Akıncı air base where the parts are manufactured is sadly very far away from the city center.

[@StardustYT]

Finally guys ! Ours comes soon ;)

[@Jeanbon_Artstation]

J'ai hâte ! :)

[@nikkiredfern4515]

Absolutely phenomenal! Thanks @GabrielLeigh and everyone at FR24, ATI and Airbus, I have always been fascinated......what an amazing load/unload system! And unbelievable that the ride feels the same as any other A330, I would have thought that turbulence would be a different sensation? But apparently not. Can't wait for the next episode when FR24 can take us along for the ride inflight!

[@ianmarkham149]

Chief pilot couldn't look any more French if he tried!😁

[@wilcochris]

I was on a commuter ferry in Hamburg a couple of days ago and picked the right seat. I was at the front and got to see a Beluga XL on its climb. I was happy I did as I didn't get to see one when I was in Toulouse last year

[@martinvareed8756]

thanks for the lovely visual treat.....keep soaring high bro!!

[@ioannis69k]

at @16:55 walking the dog out 😹 lovely plane ! and nice video !

[@janeelliott6772]

Fascinating. Thank you.

[@TimEDGAR]

Fascinating. Thank you. And good good filming. What camera equipment did you use?

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Sony FX3 with a 16-35mm Zeiss lens. Thanks a lot!

[@brianseeley7376]

Very cool! That is one big plane!!!

[@ScottishT]

This was a brilliant video, real treat seeing those aircraft

[@ravishankarrs8018]

Flightradar24, thanks for this very informative video tour of the Beluga and thanks also to Airbus. FR24 you rock ✌️

[@cindyclaws]

My 5yo granddaughter thought it looked so cute at takeoff!!🥰🥰🥰

[@EwanWeetch]

Living near Chester I see this all the time. Awesome video!

[@RCrosbyLyles]

Absolutely fascinating!

[@halina8369]

Fantastic video. ✈️ Thank you . 💐

[@gaminglegofan]

Cool video as usual! Just got myself a silver subscription! 😎

[@fredsmith6324]

Amazing that thing can fly! Nice takeoff at the end.

[@sujoydass2057]

Always wanted to see this. Its so well designed by the Airbus Engineers, congratulations to them from me and all of us here at India, please pass it on, and an especial thanks to you and your colleague for giving us this excellent insight into the aero-engineering marvel.

[@ARK7779X]

Great Work 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@abdellahsendjasni812]

Thanks for the video, what a lovely plane!

[@statters]

Very cool. Thanks very much for the video.

[@gbin21]

That's a cool pilot!

[@palleh.jensen4648]

Fly safe Jean-Marc. Cheers.

[@mickboakes7023]

One amazing aircraft. Thank you.

[@EstorilEm]

When you see the this level of ultra-modern and ultra-efficient production and integration within a company, it’s no wonder Airbus went from less than 30% market share in 1995, to over 60% today. That is simply a remarkable feat when you’ve got a duopoly of “equal” (to some…) competitors. Consider that Airbus is also the newcomer, you’ve got to give them credit. I’ve always thought of their design philosophy as being clean and modern, but seeing a video like this is just telling - that same philosophy clearly carries down into every element of their supply chain and production elements as well. Even that tug was pretty damn cool lol, the way it’s designed to contour to the lower nose structure of the XL. Even the aircraft paint jobs are just… “fresh” - I love it. That turn-around time is incredible, but when you see their unload/load system in action, it’s not surprising. I’m pretty unapologetic towards Boeing at this point. This is the direction they should have gone decades ago. I realize they have the dreamlifter (and ironically, Airbus transports previously) but the system doesn’t seem nearly as efficient. You all should tour their US factory in Mobile! I feel like that would be an awesome PR video for them, as most don’t associate Airbus with production in the US.

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Thanks for your thoughts, and yeah Mobile would be very cool indeed! We'll look into that.

[@andreagrasselli1169]

Thank you, really interesting!

[@headbangingzizou]

Airbus ❤❤❤

[@manqustitch]

amazing machine... maybe make a bigger version ,now there no antonov....love it x

[@michaelosgood9876]

Been waiting for a video on the Beluga. One of the most amazing of planes, in my reckoning. Thanks for bringing us this video. Thought you may have asked-- 'Why Rolls Royce engines to power these planes?' Airbus themselves would be very aware of the efficiency of all the A330 powerplants.

[@os4908]

Thanks again

[@Bertil_Lundin]

Interesting airplane and video! Thanks for sharing and have a good day! // Bertil.

[@skywarddreamschannel]

I love this plane. Is very very wonderful

[@RetroJack]

I love how from the front, it looks like someone about to have their mind blown! 🤯

[@juliomanuelbenavideszapata6514]

Great Plane

[@MaxLovesNascarOfficial]

ITS THE BEST CARGO AIRCRAFT EVER

[@davidmays9650]

Another amazing video and story Gabriel and Flightradar24. I was surprised how long the wheels stayed down after the take off at the end. Could have been an illusion.

[@Dreamweaver787]

I also have the pleasure of being up-close to this beast, but not in Toulouse😊

[@sahajasam]

Fascinating, thank you

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Thanks for watching!

[@francoiser.4413]

Formidable reportage ! Cet avion est fascinant !

[@mkcello33]

Wow cool video! Very random question, but does the additional circle on the captains stripes has a meaning or is it just a design choice? I thought maybe it could be an indication of the chief pilot

[@sbrinkmann]

Thank you for this great inside look of this crazy plane. Just one thing: Outside, the sound was sometimes really bad due to the wind.

[@larou14]

It's very very impressive! 😮👍🏼

[@EchoCharlie104]

I hope you've visited Aeroscopia, at the other side of the airport. There is a Super Guppy, the first "Beluga" Airbus used to carry ac parts

[@NicolaW72]

The Beluga XL - A 330-700 - is indeed the third Generation of these kind of Aircrafts for ATI - the firsts Generation was the Super Guppy and the second the Beluga A 300-600ST.

[@sinenomine4366]

I love to take photos of the lovely bekugaXL passing 8000 m over my head , on the way from Hambourg XFW to Toulouse TLS

[@DavidAlanGilbert]

Those hanger doors are great!

[@allenjones7433]

Great video. Great aircraft.

[@RT-sk2li]

Good Stuff!

[@suspiciousafternoon]

always wondered how this fascinating plane works

[@johnclauder615]

INCROYABLE !

[@hernancho007]

For me, this is the prettiest aircraft on the sky at the moment

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

That's a much newer cockpit. The older Belugas were based on pre-sidestick aircraft and had old fashioned interconnected yokes.

[@Vicomobile]

Amazing Beluga xl bigest aircraft

[@rodrigoaponte9216]

It’s really insane how they built all of this just to transport parts and don’t manufacture them all in one same place.

[@danielholland4520]

its so hideous that it somehow came back around and is beautiful

[@amtrakharry]

That was awesome !!! :):):)

[@nonyanks2510]

Impressive!

[@neilgandhi5565]

Another great vlog Gabriel this is also why I have a golld membership but a upgrade to business might be nice😮😮😮 but keep em going

[@briandillon9503]

Brilliant.

[@tomarmstrong1281]

They are truly spectacular, awesome machines. And yet I cannot forget - at what price to the planet?

[@planesbio]

A great and special aircraft

[@glyph27]

At 16:50 it looks like "a man taking his big fish for a walk... "

[@evaluateanalysis7974]

I think the nose section is elegant, with the black stripe emphasising it. I didn't realise until halfway through the video that the black dot was an eye and the stripe was a mouth. Nice sense of humour, I really like the idea, but they should have got a better graphic designer - who would have made it immediately obvious what it was.

[@nrml76]

Most people see it instantly. You are probably one of the few for whom it doesn't register straight away but once you see it, you can never unsee it again if that makes any sense.

[@evaluateanalysis7974]

@@nrml76 That's interesting where did you find this research?