Airbus A380 Review and News Options

[Deb Mitchell]

I thought some of you might find this review interesting. Has anyone actually seen it up close?
Deb

Airbus flight shows off troubled A380
By LAURENCE FROST, AP Business WriterWed Feb 7, 3:30 PM ET
So this is what all the trouble was about.

Airbus' A380 ? the world's largest passenger plane ? has had a two-year production delay. But a trip on the first flight open to the media demonstrated why all but one customer, a cargo carrier, think the superjumbo is worth the wait.

The interior is roomy, and economy seats leave ample elbow room in the 540-seat demonstration cabin fitted by Airbus.

Airlines Qantas, Emirates and Singapore Airlines plan to go further, fitting the plane with fewer than 500 seats to give each passenger more space. Other airlines are expected to follow their lead, Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy said.

"It's a game-changing airplane," the European aircraft maker's top salesman said, shortly before boarding the flight with about 200 reporters at Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse, southern France. "The only minor problem is that we couldn't build it on time."

[post="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070207/ap_on_re_eu/france_aboard_the_a380_1"]Read the review[/post]

[Steven Holzinger]

From what I heard on NYCAviation.com, the A380 is visiting Kennedy on March 19. Sadly, I won't be able to catch it.

[P-51]

The 380 has visited Canada twice so far. Once up to Iqaluit, Nunavut, for cold weather testing (and believe me, its cold way up there), and most recently into Vancouver. Haven't seen it though...doubt it will ever be in this London.

Paul

[Deb Mitchell]

The 380 has visited Canada twice so far. Once up to Iqaluit, Nunavut, for cold weather testing (and believe me, its cold way up there), and most recently into Vancouver. Haven't seen it though...doubt it will ever be in this London.

Paul

Airbus 380 lands at JFK today at 1230 EST. ASB member Karl Koeppen is there with a crew so we've asked him to post some photos and videos.

Read the Full Story

[commcart]

Thanks for posting the link to that story, Deb!

I can hardly wait to see Karl's pictures and videos!


Anthony

[Steven Holzinger]

I was going to make a last-minute trip to Kennedy but I realized I had a paper due at 2:15, and it wouldn't have worked out. Bummer, and I would've been set up perfectly to catch him land since I know all the good spots...

[KarlTCG]

The plans for the A380 photo flight on Tuesday over NYC with Clay Lacy and Paul Bowen will have to stay on the shelf for now. Sorry to disapoint - we were all looking forward to that.

I did catch the landing this morning at LAX. There were thousands of people lining Lincoln Blvd on the north side of 24R awaiting the big jet. Our offices are adjacent to LAX so I hiked over to the In N Out Burger which is literally under the approach lights to the runway. It really felt like the air show crowd - lots of families, kids, airline pilots, guys with scanners - the usuals were all there en masse. The police closed off the northbound lanes of Lincoln Blvd so people could spill into the street - it was great.

A United 747-400 was the last airplane to land before the A380 emerged out of the 2,000' overcast (to loud cheers from the crowd) so it gave people a great comparison in size difference between the two jets. Quite simply - the A380 is massive. But on that same note, it's substantially quieter than the -400 when it passed over in the approach configuration.

Attached is a photo from the arrival this morning at LAX.

Karl

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[commcart]

Wow! Very cool picture, Karl!

Please post more!


Anthony

[KarlTCG]

Well, that was all I had of the A380. But I got a nice shot of someone practicing for the big arrival. Dual binoculars, scanner with headset, aux antenna in the pocket, cold weather gear, sunglasses... the works! They've been towing it around to different parts of LAX throughout the day. I think Qantas, Lufthansa and Singapore want to show their neighbors here at LAX how the Joneses will be rolling later this year.

Karl

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[KarlTCG]

Oriented the right way this time.

Karl

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[commcart]

CBS affiliate WBBM-2 from Chicago has an article on the A380's first visit to the United States, including a slideshow and video of the landings in Los Angeles and New York here:

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/topstori..._078063424.html


Anthony

[Steven Holzinger]

The A380 (F-WWJD) will be doing a media flight out of JFK on Wednesday March 21, departing around 8:30 am and returning two hours later.

[KarlTCG]

Ok.. the last of my A380 pics.. you guys tapped me out. This is on depature this evening as viewed from our offices.

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[PWAS]

I thought some of you might find this review interesting. Has anyone actually seen it up close?
Deb

Airbus flight shows off troubled A380
By LAURENCE FROST, AP Business WriterWed Feb 7, 3:30 PM ET
So this is what all the trouble was about.

Airbus' A380 ? the world's largest passenger plane ? has had a two-year production delay. But a trip on the first flight open to the media demonstrated why all but one customer, a cargo carrier, think the superjumbo is worth the wait.

The interior is roomy, and economy seats leave ample elbow room in the 540-seat demonstration cabin fitted by Airbus.

Airlines Qantas, Emirates and Singapore Airlines plan to go further, fitting the plane with fewer than 500 seats to give each passenger more space. Other airlines are expected to follow their lead, Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy said.

"It's a game-changing airplane," the European aircraft maker's top salesman said, shortly before boarding the flight with about 200 reporters at Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse, southern France. "The only minor problem is that we couldn't build it on time."

[post="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070207/ap_on_re_eu/france_aboard_the_a380_1"]Read the review[/post]

Deb, I've seen it close up. Really close. So close in fact I didn't think it would clear the wing of our airplane in Paris in 2005. In 2006 got a tour of the cockpit and cabin in Singapore. Here's a pic. The test pilots do an amazing job of putting on a great show with this airplane - tight turns, very maneuverable..it's really impressive.
patty

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[Deb Mitchell]

Deb, I've seen it close up. Really close. So close in fact I didn't think it would clear the wing of our airplane in Paris in 2005. In 2006 got a tour of the cockpit and cabin in Singapore. Here's a pic. The test pilots do an amazing job of putting on a great show with this airplane - tight turns, very maneuverable..it's really impressive.
patty

Great pic Patty! You're probably one of the very few Americans who have actually been aboard and watched a demo. I wonder if they'll ever let it fly a demo here in the US?

[PWAS]

Great pic Patty! You're probably one of the very few Americans who have actually been aboard and watched a demo. I wonder if they'll ever let it fly a demo here in the US?

Hi Deb

I'm sure it will eventually. The problem of course is finding airports that can accommodate the airplane for passengers etc. Some airports, like Changi in Singapore, are building new terminals specifically for the airplane. I think the plan is for it to service the far east first, and then we'll catch up. It's really a beautiful airplane up close.

The cockpit looks like the Airbus 340.

Here is a pic from Farnborough 2006. I took this one while laying on the ramp under my airplane, with the 380 leading the Red Arrows in formation overhead. Now, that was cool!

Patty

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[TVRPhoto]

Wonderful! Patty, you're gonna put all of us photographers out of a job pretty soon. Great photo!

Hi Deb

I'm sure it will eventually. The problem of course is finding airports that can accommodate the airplane for passengers etc. Some airports, like Changi in Singapore, are building new terminals specifically for the airplane. I think the plan is for it to service the far east first, and then we'll catch up. It's really a beautiful airplane up close.

The cockpit looks like the Airbus 340.

Here is a pic from Farnborough 2006. I took this one while laying on the ramp under my airplane, with the 380 leading the Red Arrows in formation overhead. Now, that was cool!

Patty

[PWAS]

Wonderful! Patty, you're gonna put all of us photographers out of a job pretty soon. Great photo!

I don't think I'm going to put anyone out of a job, but thanks! This is what bored airshow pilots do while laying on the ramp under the wings of their airplane...Patty

[Jim C.]

The A380 is a big, beautiful airplane.

I was fortunate enough to catch some views from a spot just north of Washington Dulles International Airport/IAD in Northern Virginia when it was making its approach after a media/VIP demonstration flight on Monday, March 26.

I hope to see this airplane again!

[maxhorsepower]

Hello

Please post more!

Okay!


The positive thing about living in Europe if you like the A380 is really that he visits quite some airports in Europe recently, a short wile ago he should have visited my own home country's national airport, Brussels National Airport (BRU-EBBR), but it was cancelled!

But I had the luck to see it at Dusseldorf (Germany) and at the FIA 2006 airshow at Farnborough last year.

Here are some pictures for who likes (they are not so good because of the clouded weather but anyway...)

The first couple of pics are shot at Farnborough airshow 2006, the other pictures are taken from the spectaters terrace at Dusseldorf (Germany). The last picture is taken in the airport building at Dusseldorf and illustrates that there is a real rage under the people to see the A380. About 200 000 people went to see the A380 at Dusseldorf!!! Two whole floors of the building where filled with people and more than 100 000 people stood behind the fences around the whole airport's runways (2).


Best regards: Yannick

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