Editing Airbus A300 (section)

=== Prototype and flight testing ===
[[File:28.10.72 1er Vol d'Airbus (1972) - 53Fi1979 (cropped, restored).jpg|thumb|The 28 October 1972 maiden flight]]

Airbus Industrie was initially headquartered in [[Paris]], which is where design, development, flight testing, sales, marketing, and customer support activities were centred; the headquarters was relocated to [[Toulouse]] in January 1974.<ref name="airbus 30" /><ref name="first order flight" /> The final assembly line for the A300 was located adjacent to [[Toulouse Blagnac International Airport]]. The manufacturing process necessitated transporting each aircraft section being produced by the partner companies scattered across Europe to this one location. The combined use of ferries and roads were used for the assembly of the first A300, however this was time-consuming and not viewed as ideal by [[Felix Kracht]], Airbus Industrie's production director.<ref name="first order flight" /> Kracht's solution was to have the various A300 sections brought to Toulouse by a fleet of [[Boeing 377]]-derived [[Aero Spacelines Super Guppy]] aircraft, by which means none of the manufacturing sites were more than two hours away. Having the sections airlifted in this manner made the A300 the first airliner to use [[just-in-time manufacturing]] techniques, and allowed each company to manufacture its sections as fully equipped, ready-to-fly assemblies.<ref name=Bowen />{{rp|53}}<ref name="first order flight" />

In September 1969, construction of the first prototype A300 began.<ref name=NorWag />{{rp|20}} On 28 September 1972, this first prototype was unveiled to the public, it conducted its [[maiden flight]] from Toulouse–Blagnac International Airport on 28 October that year.<ref name=Simons />{{rp|39}}<ref name=Senguttuvan />{{rp|34}}<ref name=Endres>{{cite journal|last=Endres|first=Günter|title=Classic Airliner: Airbus A300|journal=Flightpath: The International Journal of Commercial Aviation|volume=3|date=Spring 2004|publisher=AIRtime Publishing|location=Norwalk, Connecticut|isbn=1-880588-73-0|pages=43, 45, 51–52}}</ref>{{rp|51–52}} This maiden flight, which was performed a month ahead of schedule, lasted for one hour and 25 minutes; the captain was Max Fischl and the first officer was Bernard Ziegler, son of Henri Ziegler.<ref name="first order flight" /> In 1972, unit cost was US$17.5M.<ref name=Flight10Aug1972>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1972/1972%20-%202020.html |title= Airliner price index |magazine= Flight International |date= 10 August 1972 |page= 183}}</ref> On 5 February 1973, the second prototype performed its maiden flight.<ref name=Simons />{{rp|39}} The flight test programme, which involved a total of four aircraft, was relatively problem-free, accumulating 1,580 flight hours throughout.<ref name=NorWag />{{rp|22}} In September 1973, as part of promotional efforts for the A300, the new aircraft was taken on a six-week tour around [[North America]] and [[South America]], to demonstrate it to airline executives, pilots, and would-be customers.<ref name="first order flight" /> Amongst the consequences of this expedition, it had allegedly brought the A300 to the attention of [[Frank Borman]], the CEO of [[Eastern Airlines]], one of the "big four" U.S. airlines.<ref name="Champagne and Drought" />