Hi, Dan here. Welcome to the Fun Kids Science Weekly Reach for the Sky Special,

the podcast that explores the future of aviation from the design and sustainability of future planes

to the people who keep them flying and make sure our experience is top-notch.

Airplane manufacturing is a truly global business,

and the main builders are huge from the mighty American Boeing Corporation to the huge Airbus.

Other big names are Lockheed Martin, Embraer, and Bombardier,

and these five dominate both commercial and military aircraft production.

In this podcast, we're meeting Airbus,

who make a wide range of different planes for flying people and cargo around the world.

Airbus was started in 1970 by some European countries to compete with Boeing. It's known for building amazing, cool, innovative aircraft like the popular

A320, the huge beluga, which we'll be meeting later, and not forgetting the A380, the world's

largest double-decker passenger jet, which, get this, has a wingspan as long as a football pitch.

It's just insane. Airbus has factories all across

Europe, including here in the UK at Filton in Bristol and Broughton near Chester. Filton is a key

hub for the research and development of all Airbus wings, as well as fuel systems and landing gear

integration. Broughton is Airbus's primary manufacturing site for

wings. It has a long history in aerospace, dating back to 1939. Airplane wings are crucial for flight,

primarily generating the lift needed to counteract gravity and enable takeoff, flight and landing.

They also play a vital role in stability and

maneuverability through ailerons and flaps. So to start us off, here's Amy, giving us the

background on wings and how they might look different in the future.

Amy A. Amy A. Amy Aviation, reaching for the sky.

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