F-WUAB

{{Infobox aircraft

| name = F-WUAB/F-OCAZ

| image = 28.10.72 1er Vol d'Airbus (1972) - 53Fi1979 (cropped, restored).jpg

| image_caption =

| other_names =

| aircraft_type = Airbus A300B1

| manufacturers = Airbus

| owners = Airbus Industries

| civil_registration = F-WUAB (1972-1973)
F-OCAZ (1973-1974)

| military_serial = 001

| construction_date = 1972

| first_flight = October 28th, 1972

| in_service = October 28th, 1972-August 27th, 1974

| last_flight = August 27th, 1974

| preservation = Partially preserved as a display exhibit at the Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany

| fate = Disassembled, on static display

}}

F-WUAB (later known as F-OCAZ) is an Airbus A300B1 that was built by Airbus as the first prototype of the Airbus A300 and is known to be the first Airbus A300 ever built.

History

= Construction and first flight =

File:05.02.72 Airbus roule pour la 1ère fois (1972) - 53Fi1948.jpg

The aircraft was assembled at Airbus's Aérospatiale facility based in Toulouse, Occitania, France as the first Airbus A300 aircraft ever built, the prototype aircraft took its first flight on October 28th, 1972.{{Cite web |title=A300 First Flight 50th Anniversary |url=https://www.airbus.com/en/who-we-are/our-history/commercial-aircraft-history/a300-first-flight |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=www.airbus.com|date=27 July 2021 }}{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=10 facts about the Airbus First A300B Aircraft. |url=https://jetlinemarvel.net/10-facts-about-the-airbus-first-a300b-aircraft/ |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=Jetline Marvel Aviation News |date= 29 October 2022|language=English}}

The aircraft had recorded a maximum take-off weight of {{Convert|132|t|lbs|abbr=off}} and was powered by two General Electric CF6-50A engines.{{Cite book |last1=Norris |first1=Guy and Mark Wagner |url=https://archive.org/details/airbus0000norr |title=Airbus |publisher=MBI Publishing |year=1999 |isbn=0-7603-0677-X |location=Osceola, Wisconsin |pages=16–25 |ref={{harvid|Norris|Wagner|1999}} |url-access=registration}}{{rp|21}}{{Cite book |last=Endres |first=Günter |title=Airbus A300 |publisher=MBI Pub. |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-7603-0827-1 |pages=17–110}}{{rp|41}}

The Airbus A300B1 type had set several records, including being the first wide-body airliner powered by twin engines, the first commercial aircraft constructed of composite materials, and the first to use center-of-gravity control. It was also the first Extended Operations (ETOPS) compliant aircraft in 1977. The F-WUAB could accommodate 300 passengers in flight.

The aircraft remained as a testbed with its registration F-WUAB until September 1973 when Airbus Industries had reregistered the aircraft as F-OCAZ.{{Failed verification|date=September 2024}}

= Preservation =

File:Airbus A300 cross section.jpg]]

The aircraft was retired on August 27th, 1974, after only two years of service as a testbed by Airbus Industries and the aircraft was partially scrapped, but some parts were salvaged and placed on display at the Deutsches Museum based in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The parts that were salvaged from the breaker's yard included a fuselage section, the right-hand wing, and an engine.{{Cn|date=September 2024}}

References

External links

[https://aerocorner.com/aircraft/airbus-a300b1/ Airbus A300B1 - Aero Corner]

Category: Airbus A300