British Airways i360 pod reaches its maximum height for the first time The British Airways i360 observation pod reached its maximum height of 138m yesterday [June 14 2016] for the first time, as testing and commissioning continue towards the attraction’s opening this summer. Technicians could be seen on the crow’s nests, temporarily installed on the top of the pod, carrying out checks on the cladding and the busbar trunking behind it, which enables electrical current to be distributed up the tower and into the pod. Further tests were being carried out inside the pod, at the top of the tower, on the counterweight inside the tower, in the control room and in the machine room. Pod test movements began earlier in June and this week progressed to 30m, before the pod reached its full height on the 162m tower. David Marks of Marks Barfield Architects, which conceived and designed British Airways i360 and the London Eye, said: “Today the team reached a major milestone with the pod reaching its maximum height for the first time. Testing and commissioning will continue for a few more weeks.” British Airways i360 will be the world’s tallest moving observation tower when it opens on Brighton beach this summer, offering 360-degree views of Brighton and Hove, the Sussex coast and the English Channel.

British Airways i360, the world’s tallest moving observation tower, opened on Thursday 4th August; and tickets are now on sale for the new attraction on Brighton seafront.

When it opens, visitors will be able to glide up to 450 feet in a fully enclosed futuristic glass viewing pod to admire the unfolding views across Brighton and the south coast.

‘Flights’ are 20 minutes during the day and 30 minutes after 6.00pm, when the pod transforms into the Nyetimber Sky Bar serving the finest drinks from the region. Tickets cost from £13.50 for adults and from £6.75 for children, with under 4s free.

Conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects, creators of the London Eye, the record-breaking attraction opens almost exactly two years to the day when the project team put the first spade in the ground to begin construction. Architects David Marks and Julia Barfield said: "After two years of intense groundbreaking architectural and engineering work on Brighton beach, we are delighted to announce the forthcoming completion of British Airways i360 with tickets now on sale to the public for flights from Thursday 4th August.

“The team behind British Airways i360 has gone beyond the call of duty and created a new landmark they should all be proud of.” With echoes of the opening of Brighton’s majestic West Pier 150 years ago this year, extraordinary vision and world-class engineering led to the creation of the elegant, modern design that looks to the future while respecting the heritage of the site. David Marks and Julia Barfield said, "Built at the landward end of Brighton's historic West Pier, British Airways i360 is a modern day vertical pier which invites visitors to 'walk on air' and gain a new perspective on the city, just as the West Pier invited Victorian society to 'walk on water'.

"The glass viewing pod, ten times the size of a London Eye capsule and capable of carrying up to 200 passengers, will slowly rise up a slender steel tower to a height of 450 feet to provide passengers with stunning views of Brighton and Hove and a beautiful panorama of the south coast and English Channel.”

Lynne Embleton, British Airways director of strategy and MD Gatwick, said: “British Airways i360 is now ready for take-off and we are looking forward to welcoming visitors on board. Brighton is home to thousands of our customers and colleagues and we fly to more than 65 destinations across the globe from Gatwick so we are delighted to be involved in this exciting attraction that we know UK and international visitors will love.”