Airbus AIRTeC Filton 360 Virtual Tour
A 15 scene bespoke 360 virtual tour of the Aerospace Integrated Research and Test Centre at Airbus Filton, with 54 data points, five video and image feeds, and the facility in numbers.
AIRTeC, the Aerospace Integrated Research and Test Centre, is Airbus’s research and test facility at Filton in Bristol. Under one roof it has a structural test hall with a 220 tonne strong wall and a strong floor for full-scale tests, eight laboratories for materials and testing, and space for engineers, partners and students to work together.
We photographed the centre and built its tour as one of our bespoke 360 virtual tours: 15 scenes across three zones, 54 data points, five video and image feeds, and an interface designed for Airbus in deep navy and electric blue, laid out like an instrument display. It lets engineers, partners, students and visitors understand a working research and test centre without a site visit, an induction or a guide. Below we walk through each feature and why it is there.
A briefing before you go in
The tour opens with the Airbus logo, the AIRTeC name and one sentence on what the centre is for. A short system check lists what is loading, 15 scenes across three zones, 54 data points and five media feeds, then three ways in: “Enter the facility” starts in the test hall, “Facility index” shows every space first, and “How to use this tour” explains the controls.
Three zones, fifteen scenes
The facility is split into the Structural test hall, the Laboratories, and Collaboration and workspace. A rail on the right of the screen shows all three as stacked markers, so visitors can see where they are in the building and jump to any space. Each scene has a card with its zone code and position, such as HALL // 02/05, its headline figures, a numbered chip for every data point, and a Next button that names the space it leads to. In the test hall, white arrows on the floor move between viewpoints.
Data points that lock on
Blue targets mark the facts behind each space, 54 in all. Choosing one turns the view to it and opens a data panel with the scene, the zone and the heading, plus a button to step to the next data point in that scene. Read points are ticked on the scene card, so it is easy to see what is left.
AIRTeC in numbers
The Figures button opens twelve numbers that sum up the centre: 10,000 square metres of floor space, 240 lorry loads of cement poured in 24 hours for the strong floor, 1,000 anchor bolts, ±25 MN of static testing on the High Capacity Test Machine and 500,000× magnification in the electron microscope suite. Each figure is a link to the place it happens.
Footage of tests and construction
Amber markers play video or open photographs where they were taken: a wing lifted onto the strong wall, a wing test in motion, a timelapse of the strong floor being poured, a set of additive layer manufacturing parts, and a Flying Challenge graduation in the collaboration space. The media library lists all five in one place and takes the visitor to where each was recorded.
Eight laboratories
Beyond the hall are the calibration, scanning electron microscope, material analysis, metallographic preparation, assembly technologies, immersion cell, non-destructive testing and mechanical testing labs. Each has its own card and headline figures, so a visitor can understand what a room is for without being shown round by an engineer.
The facility index
“Index” shows a photograph of all 15 scenes grouped by zone, with the number of data points and media in each, the current scene marked and a count of scenes visited.
Compass, settings and help
A compass in the corner shows heading, pitch and field of view as the visitor looks around. The menu has a short set of settings: hide the markers for a clear view, hide the compass and readout, reduce motion, larger text, and move your phone to look around. There is a link to copy the current view, a full screen button, links to AIRTeC on airbus.com, and a four-step operating guide.
Designed for a phone as well
On a phone the header keeps the Airbus logo, the AIRTeC name and the menu. Scene cards and data panels sit at the bottom of the screen, the data point chips scroll sideways, and the figures fold into two columns.
Self hosted, with no platform fee
Like our other bespoke tours, this one is delivered as a self-contained website that can be linked to, embedded, opened full screen or run on a screen at an event, with no annual platform subscription for the tour itself. If you would like something similar for your factory, laboratory or test facility, take a look at our factory and industrial virtual tours and bespoke virtual tours, or get in touch for a quote.
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