Making aircraft in minutes

When we get on a plane, everything is in place. In fact, we expect it to be. The spaces are intelligently occupied by seats, luggage racks, catering areas and toilets. And everything that we don't see is presumed to be in place when the plane is on the runway: engines, avionics, lighting, on-board computers, emergency systems and landing gear. Everything fits.

The attractive technique of time-lapse allows us to see the complete aircraft assembly process in a few minutes and to understand the complexity of the process.

Aircraft manufacturing is an industry as complex as it is attractive. On more than one occasion we have spoken of the large doses of craftsmanship, as well as specialisation, required in the manufacture of an aircraft.

In reality, it is not common for there to be a single site where an aircraft is manufactured. There are many companies and industrial facilities involved in the processalthough there is always a final assembly point, known as the FAL (for Final Assembly Line), where it is possible to see how all the pieces fit together properly and form a whole.

There are some cases in which the logistical complication involved in the manufacture of an aircraft is further increased by the fact that its parts come from points thousands of kilometres away. This is the case of Airbus, with factories and suppliers in more than a dozen countries.

The sequence from the time the parts of an aircraft begin to be manufactured until it leaves the hangar, painted and ready for its first flight, lasts many weeks. Without observing the whole process, it is difficult to understand the immensity of the work.

Occasionally, on the occasion of the launch of a new aircraft or delivery to a particular airline, major manufacturers have released videos showing the different stages in the assembly of an aircraft. To help visualise the workflow, they often use the technique of the time-lapseThis allows the long process of days or weeks to be concentrated in just a few minutes.

The result is often very attractive, but beyond how entertaining the videos can be, they become an essential element to perceive the complexity and intrinsic value of the aeronautics industry.

We have made a selection of several videos in which, using the technique of the time-lapseThe assembly process of some of the most popular commercial aircraft. I'm sure you've already been on board one of them. Now find out how they were made.

Have a good flight.