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#61487 by Pete
27 Apr 2005, 14:40
The fly past was planned - apparently standard procedure on a maiden flight.

The cockpit is in between both levels - on a mezzanine floor if you like. ;)

Pete
#61491 by preiffer
27 Apr 2005, 14:57
I just had a premonition of a large Easyjet A380 order When all of those orange suits came out of the main door...!
#61492 by fozzyo
27 Apr 2005, 15:02
On the Airbus site in the Photos section at the flight test centre there is the 380 with a 340-600 just behind it. It really does dwarf it!

Having seen it in flight it is a an amazing plane. Looking forward to my first flight.

Foz :o)
#61498 by preiffer
27 Apr 2005, 16:02
The "Official Statment" about today is now published on airbus.com

The direct link to it is here(sorry about the screen formatting)

The mini-site is here, and also contains the statement.

"After landing, the crew confirmed that the new aircraft and engines had handled as anticipated.

Claude Lelaie commented: 'We had a very successful first flight and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it'..."


Apparently, it's broken another record today -
"For its first flight, the A380 took off at a weight of 421 tonnes / 928.300 lbs, the highest ever of any civil airliner to date."
#61499 by kkempton
27 Apr 2005, 16:32
Cant wait to travel on one!!!
What a great landing!!!
#61504 by Joburgflyer
27 Apr 2005, 17:45
It's bad enough trying to get off a 747 at Heathrow, pass immigration and fight at baggage reclaim, can you imagine what it's going to be like with over 500 people off just one plane!!! I hope we never get it down to Jo'burg as JNB has just been rebuilt and cannot cope with more than two 747's, god knows what it would do with one of those!!!

Upgrade the A340 and gives us smaller more personal service. Interesting to note that some other airlines agree with this policy!! Is this really the right move?
#61508 by Pete
27 Apr 2005, 18:09
quote:Originally posted by Joburgflyer

Upgrade the A340 and gives us smaller more personal service. Interesting to note that some other airlines agree with this policy!! Is this really the right move?


Slot restrictions, especially at Heathrow, don't make it as simple as that. If passenger numbers increase at predicted amounts, congestion in the terminals will need to be dealt with regardless of the size of the aircraft (current proposals at many major airports include adding extra runways in order to get more planes in and out). That said, I don't think JNB is high on the priority list for the A380 since VS have much denser-traffic routes to deal with first.

Pete
#61524 by pegitt
27 Apr 2005, 20:02
Missed the take off by a couple of min's[:(] but cought it on bbc news, and have to say the way she took off and landed looked like it had been done a thousand time's [y]well done Airbus.

Pete have to agree with you on the pic[y]

Cheers

Phil
#61541 by Wolves27
28 Apr 2005, 00:46
Bizzarely from a distance taking off it doesn't look that big - then you see a diagram of it next to a double decker bus - ITS HUGE!!!!!

Dean
#61544 by Jonathan
28 Apr 2005, 06:16
have people read the your views section of the bbc website re the 380?

I like this comment:
quote:
I can't comprehend something so vast staying in the air so long. I really do have a bad feeling about this. I'm counting the time until the first disaster is announced.
Karen, Berkshire


Didnt people share all of the above concerns in the 60's with the 747

I can see why people are sceptical that airlines will stick to the 555 seat config when 800+ is possible but as with all things time will tell.
#61557 by pegitt
28 Apr 2005, 10:23
quote:Originally posted by Jonathan
have people read the your views section of the bbc website re the 380?

I like this comment:


I can't comprehend something so vast staying in the air so long. I really do have a bad feeling about this. I'm counting the time until the first disaster is announced.
Karen, Berkshire


People like that get to me its not rocket science how an aircraft works.

You just have to look at the Antonov 225she is bigger than the A380 and still flying 16 years later

quote:

Didnt people share all of the above concerns in the 60's with the 747



Just goes to show how wrong they were then.

Cheers

Phil
#61579 by G-VOPS
28 Apr 2005, 14:01
I've never really liked the look of the A380, especially looking at it nose on but I have to say that watching it fly it looked extremley graceful and not at all out of place in the skies.

Regardless of what I think it looks like it is an extraudinary feat of engineering so congratulations to the designers, engineers and all involved in getting in the air.
#61582 by preiffer
28 Apr 2005, 14:19
quote:Originally posted by G-VOPS
I've never really liked the look of the A380, especially looking at it nose on but I have to say that watching it fly it looked extremley graceful and not at all out of place in the skies.


Agreed - in the air, it looks fantastic (the sheer size of the wings is amazing!).
But nose-on, with the position of the cockpit windows, it almost looks like it has a severely receeding hairline... WAY too much forehead!
#61584 by Bazz
28 Apr 2005, 14:22
Like looking in a mirror [:I]
#61684 by Bazz
29 Apr 2005, 11:47
Well okay, six eyes and no nostrils is a bit extreme but the hairstyle is like mine :D
#61933 by preiffer
01 May 2005, 21:18
Airliners.net have actually put up a pretty good page with all the info here. Also links to their discussions, and "dedicated" A380 photo area.
#62535 by seany
08 May 2005, 01:09
here are some good videos of the beast[url][/url]http://flightlevel350.com/search.php?start=0&where=title&keyword=A380
#62537 by seany
08 May 2005, 01:23
I wonder if they will change airforce 1 to an A380, it would basically be the same as being in the whitehouse[8D].
#62539 by VS-EWR
08 May 2005, 02:13
quote:Originally posted by sean modi
I wonder if they will change airforce 1 to an A380, it would basically be the same as being in the whitehouse[8D].


Although it would be cool, I doubt it would be good publicity for the United States gov't to use a French Airbus instead of a Boeing. It would be more likely for them to get a 747adv or something. What I want to see is some Eu Pres to get the 380, cause i'm sick of my president acting like he's king of the world in his huge plane.
#62541 by preiffer
08 May 2005, 06:03
I'd forget Air Force One... There's already enough complaining going on from the UA guys on FT about any possible chance that they might use an A380 once finally out of Ch.11. Apparently goes against national pride... (and there was me thinking UA wasn't government owned [?];))
#62548 by becky
08 May 2005, 11:31
its funny listening to the veiws of the big bird!!! my husband builds the wings in Broughton and for years i was always saying it will never work, you will be out of a job if it flops, but now i have seen it fly i thinks its amazing what a graceful flight it was, its nice to look at it and think my husband helped build that both in england and toulousse.
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