Posted on 05/18/2006 8:39:54 AM PDT by ConservativeStatement
LONDON May 18, 2006 (AP)— The world's biggest passenger airliner landed at Europe's busiest airport Thursday to test whether London's Heathrow is ready for the Airbus A380.
The superjumbo jet will land at a specially designed pier at the airport in west London when it arrives in Britain for the first time.
En route from the Berlin Air Show where Airbus was showcasing the double-decker this week the plane flew over the Airbus plant in north Wales, where the carrier's huge wings are made.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Big Ugly Flying Fuselage
Obvious typo in the top of the article: "Sirbus."
"SuperJumbo"
Sounds like another word for "big white elepahant."
so how many mammoths did it carry?
Looks like they're still, what 100 or so short on sales to reach their goal/break-even point?
And it's still only flown a couple of times
the euros have always been a bit clumsy at design. excepting the Italians and the Brits of course. Guess that basically leaves the French and the Germans whose designs are a bit...queer, let's say.
Landing looked a little on the shaky side to me. But it is new and i must say I do not know what the wind conditions were at landing time.
I am left wondering if Al Qaeda is foaming at the mouth over its new target?
Yeah, I have every respect for Airbus for building the biggest passenger plane. But the fuselage does not even come close to the beauty of the 747 design that's roughly 35 years its senior.
I'd like to try and see it land on an aircraft carrier.
I am left wondering if Al Qaeda is foaming at the mouth over its new target?
Yeah, it did look quite shaky and almost unstable at low speeds. As you say, could have been a good wind.
As to AQ, if they can't hit a 747, then I doubt this is gonna help much. 747's aren't exactly "fleet of foot" on takeoffs and landings.
I know that I'm not getting onto one until it's been in the air issue-free for at least several years. Those wings looked a little too "floppy" for my liking.
Spruce goose.
Being an Aircraft Mech in my past life, I can assure you the bigger or faster they are, the more maintenance required.
Floppy wings are better than "Stiff"
This graphic might post a little bit large, but it's a decent shot of the nose of the aircraft:
~ Blue Jays ~
It's the biggest jet ever and I'd love to see it. Lots of amateur observers will say it looks slow, lumbering, or even "shaky" and "unstable". The fact is that your perception of how fast an airplane looks has to do with how many fuselage lengths it covers in a given period. A small jet going exactly the same speed as a superjumbo will always appear to be going much faster.
The freight version will gross at more than 1.3 million pounds-- a wonder of engineering.
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