F-WUAB

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.

F-WUAB/F-OCAZ
General information
Type	Airbus A300B1
Manufacturer	Airbus
Owners	Airbus Industries
Registration	F-WUAB (1972-1973) F-OCAZ (1973-1974)
Serial	001
History
Manufactured	1972
First flight	October 28th, 1972
In service	October 28th, 1972-August 27th, 1974
Last flight	August 27th, 1974
Preserved at	Partially preserved as a display exhibit at the Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany
Fate	Disassembled, on static display

History

Construction and first flight

F-WUAB when being constructed in 1972.

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.^[1][2]

The aircraft had recorded a maximum take-off weight of 132 tonnes (291,000 pounds) and was powered by two General Electric CF6-50A engines.^{[1][3]: 21 [4]: 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.^[1]

The aircraft remained as a testbed with its registration F-WUAB until September 1973 when Airbus Industries had reregistered the aircraft as F-OCAZ.^{[1][failed verification]}

Preservation

Cross-section of A300 F-OCAZ preserved at the Deutsches Museum

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.^{[citation needed]}