Straightpoint’s Radiolink System Chosen to Keep Airbus A380 in the Sky

PORTSMOUTH, England and VENTURA, California, November 30, 2011 -

Global company’s little black boxes protect environment and ensure world’s largest airliner ready to fly

Straightpoint, world leaders in load monitoring technology, is delighted to announce that its cutting edge wireless load cell and force measurement system, the Straightpoint Radiolink system, is being used to help keep the world’s largest airliner, the Airbus A380, in the skies.

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Straightpoint, an international company with British and US head offices, is supplying Radiolink load measuring systems for use by the £10bn Airbus programme at Broughton, the UK’s largest factory, and the Airbus aircraft construction facility at Filton, near Bristol, UK.

One of the high accuracy force management wireless load cells systems is currently being featured on BBC iPlayer after its work on the massive Airbus A380 revolutionary-designed wings was filmed in the BBC’s ‘How To Build…’ documentary series. See more load cell information at www.straightpoint.com/loadcells

The particular episode, titled ‘How to Build a Super Jumbo Wing’, gives viewers an educational and fascinating insight into the technical and mechanical work that go into building such a complex piece of the world’s largest commercial aircraft.

During the programme Airbus project teams were shown to have made modifications to reduce the weight of the plane’s wings by 350kg, maintaining strength while making it greener and reducing expensive fuel consumption by millions of pounds over the life of the aircraft.

Safety and reliability is paramount to Airbus, and the A380 engineers and technicians use the Straightpoint Radiolink system to ensure the complex 29-tonne wings, which act as fuel tanks, remain perfectly balanced and positioned in flight.

Straightpoint’s Radiolink load monitoring system and instrumentation is used to check that weight and forces exerted by the wings are correctly distributed before the majestic A380 aircraft is able to take to the skies.

David Ayling, Managing Director of Straightpoint, said: “The BBC documentary brings to life the amazing technology in our very modest-looking load cell products. The remote sensors assist engineers to check the level attitude, weight forces and centre of gravity in the Airbus wings. It is immensely satisfying to see that the awe-inspiring Airbus A380, an aviation marvel, is able to take off, fly and land due to the engineering expertise in our little black boxes. We are very proud to play an important role keeping the UK’s aerospace industry flying.”

The ‘How to Build a Super Jumbo Wing’ episode was aired on national UK TV in mid-November. To view a video excerpt about the A380 project, you can view the Radiolink load system in action at Airbus on the Straightpoint website. Alternatively the full program is available to view on BBC iPlayer website for a limited time.

Straightpoint, a global company with bases in California (US) and Hampshire (UK), supplies tension and compression loadcells and load systems, as well as weighing and force measurement systems such as crane scales, to many industries and organisations. Via its 22 global distributors, Straightpoint collectively covers every global continent.

For further information, visit www.straightpoint.com/loadcells

For further Press information or interview requests, images, additional info etc, please contact Mushroom Marketing: Aimee Carmichael at Mushroom Marketing, aimee at mushroommarketing.co.uk, t: +44(0)774-035-4625