[Tony P]

Originally Posted by Philip Argy

Here's a fairly dramatic YouTube of an A380 minimum take off speed test with a tail strike for good measure - it doesn't initially look like over rotation from the camera angle but it obviously is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dhCn...eature=related

Not really relevant to this issue at hand. Nice video just the same. They intentionally put the tail of the aircraft on the ground. You can find it for every late passenger aircraft during their testing phase (747,777). They have special tail bumpers installed and it is to find the "minimum unstick speed.".

In relation to the A380, I seem to recall that they burnt through the bumper and the aircraft skin on one of the first tests. I'm sure someone can confirm that.