The Concorde's chief test pilot takes a ride on the A380

French pilot André Turcat's flight aboard an A380 test aircraft this month underscored Airbus' 40-year history of innovation. This 88-year-old European aviation pioneer - who first made history when he broke the world speed record over a 100-km. distance while flying a French Griffon experimental fighter aircraft in 1959, then manned the controls for the Concorde's maiden flight 10 years later - praised the A380's quietness, and remarked that he feels "right at home" in the Airbus 21st century flagship's cockpit.