The Airbus A340 is one of the oldest widebody airlines still in service. Several variants of the A340 quad-jet fly with popular airlines, mainly with the European legacy carriers. The longest variant of the family, the A340-600, was the second-most delivered of the A340 variants and the longest airliner until the Boeing 747-8 was launched. While the type is on the decline due to its four engines, we look at the notable design characteristics of what is known as a flying pencil, most notably its length.