Posted By Descarte Sorry I could hold this one till Friday http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4847344.stm Or for those not wanting to follow the link: Volunteers injured in A380 drill One man broke his leg and another 32 people suffered minor injuries during an emergency evacuation drill of the new A380 superjumbo in Germany. Plane owner Airbus said the exercise - a key step which the A380 must take to prove its airworthiness - was a "great success" despite the injuries. About 850 passengers and 20 crew were evacuated from the plane in 80 seconds. European and US regulators will reveal on Monday whether the drill met their safety requirements. The drill is a key milestone on the road to certifying the plane for public use - which Airbus hopes to do by the end of 2006. It has so far sold 159 A380s to 16 airlines, with the first due to go into service next year. Officials from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration Agency were present at Sunday's drill, which took place in Hamburg. "That was a very great success," Gustav Humbert, Airbus' managing director, said of the exercise, despite the injuries. The drill took place in an aircraft hangar in Hamburg, the site of one the company's largest factories. "The initial impression is that the test went very well," EASA spokesman Daniel Hoeltgen said. There was huge interest in the exercise and Airbus was inundated with volunteers wanting to take part, most from the local area. This was despite the fact that none of the participants were paid and previous evacuation drills of civilian aircraft have resulted in serious injuries to volunteers. The success of the exercise will determine the number of passengers that the aircraft can legally carry. Although the A380 has room for 853 passengers, Airbus' first customers - including Singapore Airlines and Emirates - intend to carry only 650 passengers. If required, Airbus will conduct a second drill early next month. The practice drill proved a nerve-wracking exercise for those taking part as well as those watching. The passengers had 90 seconds to get out of their seats and to exit the aircraft by one of the eight exits available - the A380 has 16 exits but half of these were closed off. The drill took place in the dark and passengers had to contend with luggage, blankets, pillows and other debris strewn across the aisles. Those sitting in the upper tier of the twin-deck plane found themselves 26 feet off the ground, although emergency slides had been put in place before the exercise began. To make the drill as realistic as possible, the volunteers represented a broad-cross section of the population in terms of age and sex. About 40% of those taking part were women, while 35% had to be over the age of 50. Three life-size dolls were carried on board to represent children under two-years old. The A380 completed its maiden flight last year but Airbus had to drop plans for an evacuation drill in 2005 because of technical problems.

Posted By Alison Melrose There was a couple of programmes over Christmas on the A380 (on Sky) which included evacuation simulations. The volunteers run down large chutes so I can only guess that someone slipped and fell as they were running down. On the programme they soaked the chute to simulate a landing in poor weather / at sea and there were a few that slipped (but managed to remain upright)- guess they didn't in this run!

Posted By Merv Newman Do you see the similarities to experimenting with live animals ? (because it's the only way we can think of) I also reaad on another link (Times ?) that most volunteers were recruited from local sports/health clubs. I'm going by bus.

Posted By Jonathan Breeze Because of the perceived fun of sliding down a giant bouncy slide? Because you can claim to have been on the worlds largest plane? I'm sure I could think of several more reasons if you want me to.

Posted By Stuart Bower I work in an organisation where risk and realism in training are real issues, - much like this would appear to be. I would rather see a broken leg in training than a fatality in real life (although I'd rather see neither). Makes for some interesting balancing acts!!

Posted By Mark Talbot I spent a day with British Airways a couple of years ago going through cabin evacuations, simulations, etc. It's highlight was a slide down one of these chutes set at 747 height. It was great fun and the day was an eye opener. I would happily volunteer. Very few people that fly ever experience the evacuation ... those that do have less to contend with should the worst happen. Happily, we had no injuries.