Airbus A319 on the mobile crane

Fuselage section of an A319: lifted on by mobile crane, driven by road and set down at the consignee.

When handling an aircraft fuselage, it is not the weight that counts but the surface area: the fuselage is huge relative to its mass and reacts sensitively to crosswinds and point loads.

It is lifted on and off with a mobile crane and spreader beams, so that the forces run through the designated pick-up points and not through the outer skin.

At the end, the fuselage stands on its foundation – and in front of it, the people who brought it there.