It's an impressive plane, no debating that.
One thing you need to remember, E-Man, is that once they make it to the U.S., someone's going to start trying to make it faster.
Mike.
So What Do You Think Of The New Airbus A380?
by Englishman 45 Replies latest jw friends
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Englishman
The English have done some milestones in Aviation... like the Comet airliner...first viable jet. Grounded 'cause the wings fell off all the time.
Then the RAF-Royal Navy version of the U S F-4... I dont know how you guys did it but you made one of the best fighters of all time heavier, slower and way less range than the US spec....
Psst...the Comets blew up in great style, nothing so tardy as the wings falling off. BTW, YOUR guys sure do love OUR Harrier..
Englishman.
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Abaddon
Oh for fucks sake, can we try and not get nationalistic over aircraft for Christ's sake?
Funny how some Americans love having the biggest of everything, but when they don't have the biggest thing anymore the biggest thing becomes 'bloated' instead of 'best'.
As for the Comet, if crashed because of metal fatigue caused by too-large windows and variable presuriation of the cabin.
Maritime versions of the Phathom WERE heavier and still are, no matter whether they have on the side... Maritime versions of ANY aircraft are heavier. The FG Mark 1 (Royal Navy version of F-4) was actually lighter than the F-4J (US Navy varient) on which it was based, with greater thrust (Rolls-Royce engines) and better acceleration. The F-4J had a 0.2 Mach higher max speed, but how much of a plane's operational life is spent at Mach 2.1?
The Dreamliner and the A380 will work alongside each other. They do not compete. Their cruise speeds are identical, their ranges are virtually identical, it's just the A380 is twice as big and because of this cheaper per passenger mile. The 'competition' has nothing to do with the aircraft, but more to do with how the air transport industry evolves over the next ten years, as each suits a different model better.
Also, remember the 747 was expected to sell 400; there are 1,381 of them.
The debate about whether it is best to have control system where the pilot CANNOT crash the plane by mistake (but where the software system can obviously be at error), and a control system where a pilot CAN crash the plane by mistake (but where any input, even over operational parameters, is allowed by the flight system) is an interesting one. There's no real difference in safety records; there are instances where a Boeing has recovered by 4G control inputs an Airbus would refuse, and equally ones where a Boeing has crashed due to pilot errors an Airbus may have prevented.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/boe202.shtml
Unfortunately we'll have to wait until the next generation to go faster; at one point it looked like Boeing might make it's next generation low-supersonic cruisers, thus eliminating competiton with Airbus, but the Dreamliner is what they've ended up with.
Of course, it'll probably be a long time before there's a passenger plane as fast as Concorde... and when it does happen, it's more likely to be a LEO Hyperplane; Los-Angeles to Sydney in 1 hour anyone? Los Angeles to ANYWHERE 1 hour anyone?
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hillbilly
Mike, lad, you will be my horse if you never run another race.
I am glad you take my jesting for what it is and always has been....
Abaddon---take a breath....your head is coming to a point.
~Hill
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Bendrr
BTW, YOUR guys sure do love OUR Harrier..
Gee Mike, who wouldn't love a plane that curtseys?
Mike.
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EvilForce
As someone who flies more than 100,000 miles a year let me just interject my 2 cents worth. These opinions are from a traveler's point of view, not a pilots.
In narrow body aircraft the Airbus 320's are much better than the Boeing 737's. They are 7" wider which allows for 1" additional width in coach class seating w/ an extra inch in the aisle. They also seem to be quieter than the 737's. Airbus is strong winner here.
The Boeing 777 is quite an awesome aircraft but so is the Airbus 330. I fly the 747's and 330's to Japan regularly. I think they are a toss up. Both are great aircraft.
The Airbus 380 will be a GREAT aviation aircraft for crowded Asian destinations such as LAX to Hong Kong, Sydney, Kuala Lampur...etc. Boarding will be just as quick as a 747 since they will board from either 2 or 3 doors depending on airport upgrades. Especially where Northwest has two flights departing to Tokyo within a hour of each other, flying 1 aircraft will cost less and use less fuel.
However, I think Boeing has done a good job by coming up with a replacement for the 767 (piece of shite) with the new 787. The mid-sized cities in the US to Europe will benefit by not having to connect...WHOO HOO!!!
I was bummed to see that the Boeing Sonic Cruiser never got any attention. An airplane that would fly 125 to 150 mph faster than current aircraft has my vote. I would even pay an extra $ 100 to $ 200 round trip on an Asian destination. (I'd pay $ 1000 r/t instead of $ 800 on an average Tokyo ticket) But maybe that extra $ 100 or $ 200 wasn't enough to make up for the additional fuel it would use.
I do hate seeing them phase out the DC10's though. They were super comfortable in first class.