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Posted on 02/15/2006 3:43:53 PM PST by Paleo Conservative
The 380 is going to cripple Airbus.
Nothing like handicapping American companies that have to compete against foreign companies which are subsidized by their governments.
However, there will be a day when China enters this market with their own designs, then it will be all over.
Sure there is... the passengers don't have to wear polyester.
The A380 can only operate at a handful of airports around the world because of its massive size. It is too heavy, even Airbus engineers admitted it was over target weight, and too large. The 747-8 will be able to operate at every airport the current 747-400 can. Plus, can you imagine trying to get off a plane with 550-600 other people? Talk about the long turn around times airlines will be faced with!
1. You need strengthened and widened runways and taxiways to handle a plane far wider than the 747 and also weighing around 1 million pounds!
2. You need a terminal gate with increased handling capacity for the plane.
3. You might even need to increase wake turbulence separation for the the A380.
Small wonder why airlines are finding the 777-200LR, 777-300LR, 787-8 and 787-9 vastly more attractive, since they don't need expensive revamping of most current international airports.
Boeing has more cash than France :)~
The Plane can't have an overly-wide body because they have to use airports that are designed for todays jets. Thats why Airbus will have a problem with the A380 it's wider than the 747 derivitive. Thats what I have heard.
If you want on or off my aerospace ping list, please contact me by Freep mail.
As designed and flown it doesn't have the structural strength or power to deliver as promised; once they factored in the extras (showers, clubs, stores, etc) it would be overweight, underpowered and structurally weak. That is why they immediately had to delay the intended rollout date...and the modifications are going to cut into cost/performance estimates.
It's a design dinosaur, taking 40 year old design and construction to an extreme.
It's inflexible for changing routes. Yes, an airline could condense two-three flights into one, however, it can't work backwards. If that route is suddenly less productive you can't leave one third of the plane at home. Also consider the fact that you now offer one flight time a day, not two or three like your competitors.
Lastly, look at the L1011. It was one of the best airliners ever built. Soon after it started operating one went down in the Florida everglades when a 5 cent light bulb burned out...and pilot error. Because of the high loss of life and media coverage orders for this new plane dried up over night, airlines already flying them sold them off and the company building them eventually went under. WHEN a 380 goes in it's going to be horrible.
You owe me a keyboard!
Lockheed? They're still around but of course, no longer in the commercial airline biz.
Never get in an argument with somebody who buys ink by the railroad car...
Never try to outspend somebody who can print his own money...
The L1011 was an excellent aircraft that's gone on to become a great air cargo carrier.
John Leahy is quick to make, and he is unconvinced that his rival will manage to break out from the freight market. “Our competitor sold a few 747-8 freighters. This’ll be the first time in the history of aviation that anyone has made a successful programme out of just freighters,” he says.
Airbus's arguments are like listening to islamics bitch about victimhood. Its always the same line of whining baseless crap.
The new passenger version of the 747-8 was only annouced a few months ago.
The A380 is Airbus's
A) éléphant blanc
B) Edsel
C) All of the above
D) Same difference
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