Video: Amazing shots of Emirates A380 flying over Dubai

Did you spot an Emirates A380 flying very low around the Dubai coastline last week? Well, the huge plane was being filmed from a helicopter for what we imagine will be some kind of promotional video or ad.

Here’s a video from the chopper’s perspective (the plane does look scarily close to the small helicopter – but remember, an A380 is 73 metres long, so while perspective-wise it looks like it’s brushing by, it could actually be further away than it seems):

“Emirates can confirm that it is conducting air to air filming of the A380 over various parts of Dubai as well as the UAE, and has safely completed a test flight this morning,” an Emirates spokesperson said of the flight that happened last Monday over the Palm Jumeirah and other parts of the Dubai coastline.

The reaction to the video online was initially one of worry for the plane, but mostly for the helicopter’s safety, but aviation experts weighed in by commenting on FlightClub to say that the key to this stunt is the fact the plane is below the chopper:

“Wake vortices sink so the chopper was not in danger. Had the Airbus gone over the chopper, its wake turbulence could have flipped the heli over,” said one commenter.

“Also notice the flap extension on the 380 – it’s configured for slow flight,” said another.

While one person commended the pilots’ skill: “You are, of course, absolutely right. No matter how you look at it, the A380 came very close to the helicopter. The pilots must have been carefully chosen to have plenty of flying experience and knew how to handle this type of maneuver.”

And, to make this whole situation even cooler, it looks like Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, was in the chopper too, because he posted this on his personal Instagram:

If, as Emirates say, this was just a test flight, there’s likely to be more in the future, so keep one eye on the skies.