Airbus A380 completes first test flight

[Undertoad]

It's a cooperative effort to prove the EU can really truly compete with the US. If you believe that's a good approach to heavy industry, buy a ticket.

[Kitsune]

I dunno what they were thinking -- Airbus could have just crammed some seats and peanuts into this thing and they would have accomplished two jobs with the same aircraft body.

[glatt]

Bruce's comment about waiting for your luggage is a really good point. 840 people is a lot of people. Airports are going to have to devote waiting areas from two adjacent gates to hold all the people waiting for these flights. Since you are supposed to show up fairly early for international flights, the waiting areas will be awfully crowded. Once it's time to board, they will hopefully have two or more gangplanks leading to this jet, or it will take a while for everyone to board it and find their seats. Getting off the plane will take just as long. And then waiting for your bags will take forever.

The ambassador class lounge that some of these planes will have will likely be very nice though. I can look forward to that for when I'm filthy rich.

[Elspode]

Could someone who has Photoshop skills please rustle up a copy of a cattle truck with wings so I can better illustrate how I feel about this behemoth?

[Undertoad]

Found the list. Actually the Dutch aren't in it:

# Wings - Broughton, Wales
# Fuselage parts - Hamburg, Germany
# Tailfin - Stade, Germany
# Rudder - Puerto Real, Spain
# Nose - Saint Nazaire, France
# Fuselage and cockpit sub-assemblies - Méaulte, France
# Horizontal tailplane - Getafe, Spain
# Final assembly - Toulouse, France
# Cabin installation and painting - Hamburg, Germany

Looks like the French aren't responsible for any of the important surfaces that produce lift or maintain direction.

[LCanal]

They already did. It's already in service.

http://www.eurofighter.com/Default.asp?Flash=True

[wolf]

The French, however, seem to have been reponsible for the assembly, and there for the putting together of bits that maintain pressurization. Which is appropriate, given that they suck.

[xoxoxoBruce]

And the cockpit sub-assemblies which would include controls.
I don't think quality is a problem as previous products have proven adequate.
I only question the practicality and logistics.

LCanal's link is a gyp. I went there and hit the "shop" button and all they had was keychains, mugs, and paraphernalia.....no fighters.

I'm glad to see the Europeans are stepping up to the plate to keep the arms race going. The Chinese have really let us down in that department. I guess they don't really have a handle on capitalism yet.

[Tonchi]

Originally Posted by glatt

Bruce's comment about waiting for your luggage is a really good point. 840 people is a lot of people. Airports are going to have to devote waiting areas from two adjacent gates to hold all the people waiting for these flights. Since you are supposed to show up fairly early for international flights, the waiting areas will be awfully crowded. Once it's time to board, they will hopefully have two or more gangplanks leading to this jet, or it will take a while for everyone to board it and find their seats. Getting off the plane will take just as long. And then waiting for your bags will take forever.

I'm thinking that they will probably start boarding the night before. You can see your movie before you even leave the airport, have a midnight snack, sleep 8 hours in your seat, and take off the next day after everybody finally gets through security and boards. Then I wonder how many restrooms they have on this thing so that everybody can shave and/or put on their makeup before they land the next afternoon

[tw]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Found the list. Actually the Dutch aren't in it:

# Wings - Broughton, Wales
# Fuselage parts - Hamburg, Germany
# Tailfin - Stade, Germany
# Rudder - Puerto Real, Spain
# Nose - Saint Nazaire, France
# Fuselage and cockpit sub-assemblies - Méaulte, France
# Horizontal tailplane - Getafe, Spain
# Final assembly - Toulouse, France
# Cabin installation and painting - Hamburg, Germany

A classic example of a Daily News summary verse a Philly Inquirer article on the same subject. The list is of primary contractors. But at least 30% of that plane contains American made parts. Why is the US not in that list? Above is a classic Daily News / Fox News perspective rather than the reality of details: where the actual parts come from. Politicians love this stuff. Its called lying by telling half truths.

Next thing you know, someone will claim terrorist will nuke US soil in the next ten years.

[tw]

Rather ironic that the 747 was launched just before the world hit a world wide oil shortage. Now we have the A380. Just when all oil producers are producing full out and may not meet future demands.

[russotto]

Given that the A380 is intended to be more fuel-efficient (per passenger mile) than the planes it replaces, it isn't ironic at all.

It's not really _that_ much more spacious than the 747. The 800-passenger configuration assumes single-class economy service, something not offered on the 747. The 747 carries 416 in three-class configuration, the A380 555, so it's about 20% bigger, not almost twice as big. The 747 also comes in 2-class, and carries 524 in that configuration. Shouldn't be any problem with airport facilities; I imagine that like the 747, it will take two jetways and a double-sized waiting area.

[xoxoxoBruce]

But they're unkept promises. Both weight and fuel efficiency missed their targets by close to 10% from what the European press has said.

[jaguar]

Both weight and fuel efficiency missed their targets by close to 10% from what the European press has said.

It's in pre-flight mode, it's like beta-testing software, every flight they do at the moment they're constantly tweaking the software. Until that is done it's silly to say whether it's on target or not. At the moment from what I understand they're still working out the limitations of the plane and handling and getting the software to handle that right, I doubt fuel efficiency is even on the radar yet.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Jag, baby, would I lie to you...my oldest and dearest friend......if it didn't involve money or sex?
It's not only on the radar, it's up close and personal. When they plan the aircraft they talk to potential customers everywhere....focus groups if you will. They ask what is wanted and what is needed to erase the potential from the customers names.
Efficiency was #1 to both Questions. The whole project and sales campaign was planned around this touchstone.
They figured out what goals they had to meet to achieve the efficiency they had promised. All other design decisions were made to achieve that touchstone because if they can't do it they are back to square one on the sales campaign and had better have some other things to offer as replacement and convince the customers they are willing to make the trade off.