LAT: A Plane as Big as the Globe (800-passenger Airbus unveiled)

A Plane as Big as the Globe
The A380, the largest airliner ever built, will be unveiled by Airbus on Tuesday. It's the sum of a worldwide ballet of parts manufacturers.

By Peter Pae, Times Staff Writer


TOULOUSE, France — To build the world's biggest passenger plane, Airbus first constructed the world's largest wing and fuselage factories. It set up a paint shop big enough to house a football stadium, bought the world's biggest automated riveting machine and commissioned a 505-foot-long transport ship.

On Tuesday at Airbus headquarters here, the public will get its first look at what many consider an engineering marvel: the A380, the heaviest and costliest commercial passenger aircraft ever built. In a lavish ceremony, a 10-story-high curtain will part to reveal the first completed "super-jumbo" plane before some 5,000 guests, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac.

The A380 will carry as many as 800 passengers — more than double the capacity of a Boeing 747 — on two decks. The craft will weigh more than 1.2 million pounds fully loaded. It stretches about 260 feet wingtip to wingtip, and the tail stands seven stories high. The A380's passenger cabin is so elevated that 18 doors are equipped with emergency slides made with special friction material to slow down escaping passengers. Final work on the aircraft is done in a hangar 1,610 feet long, and workers must take elevators to reach their spots in the assembly line along a five-story-high scaffolding.

"Everything about this plane is mind-boggling," said Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst for research firm Teal Group....


http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-airbus17jan17,0,3320483.story?coll=la-home-business

If one A380 can do the work of 1.5 or 2 747's then thats less emissions and less noise for local residents.

The A380 may potentially have a greater number of empty seats per flight than 1.5 or 2 partially filled 747's.

...it's quite the technological marvel.

As usual, the usual ugliness, hatred and jealousy is going on over at Free Republic. They hope it gets "blown out'a the sky, full of Euro muslims...", not realizing of course that their UK allies are heavily involved in it's development, Qantas and Virgin Atlantic are two of the first airlines to order it, etc.

Unbelievable hate-mongering freaks.

Many (i read 50% somewhere) of the components are made in America. Even if its less than 50% thousands of American jobs are tied up in this project.

Indeed, if it allows airlines to reduce costs it may actually help US airlines stay in business, safeguarding tens of thousands of US jobs.

have a huge workforce in the US of A, through their ownership (or is it partnership) of SNECMA which produces the engines for, among others, the Boeing 737 series.

I saw the plans for this over 5 years ago. It is a very cool plane, they also will have a lot of safety features on it since it holds so many lives. If you didn't know, the bigger the plane, the more safety features because of liability. I think something I was in charge of designing is on this plane. (at least at the time it was going there) I think it is great.

As soon as their usefulness is over, we bitchslap 'em and dump 'em on the curb.

comes down if there is a problem? Scary.

on passenger deaths from a single-airplane crash.

If there are more aircraft in the sky doesn't then mean there is a higher chance of accidents ?

I merely pointed out that the most passengers will result in the most deaths if the plane is (near) full in a crash that is fatal to all (or nearly all) passengers and crew.

How many people die in car accidents every month in the US?
Because there will be 800 dead at once it'll be a great disaster!?

Most passenger capacity equals most passenger deaths in a crash if the plane is (nearly) full.

It is always horrible when a plane crashes, but if you think about it commercial air travel is very safe. Think of the thousands of flights 747's alone have made. There really have not been that many accidents. Probably one of the safest modes of transit there is.

But only 2 were built and only for freight.
Biggest wing span: Howard Hughes H-4 "Spruce Goose".

a couple of years back when Americares leased it for a mercy flight and brought it to Bradley to load up.

Boy, was it impressive.

Redstone

Kerosene from $300/bbl saudi oil? Biodiesel pressed by earnest Volkswagon owners in their backyards? Highly processed tar sands seized from Canada after they attacked the Walmart in Duluth? In any case, jetting around the world on a whim will become a thing of the past. Fuel costs will put an end to distant vacations.

I live about seven miles from Frankfurt Airport where they'll be building the maintenance hangar for this beast. Every 380 that needs maintenance will be flying right over us. We've had local citizens groups protesting but I keep telling my wife it's no use. Too much money involved. We are going to get steamrolled.

We'll probably move because I don't want the kids to be exposed to that kind of racket. I'll probably lose 30-40% of my home's (former) value.

Oh well, price of progress.

To say the least....

Airbus reckon that a A380 is 30% quieter than a 747 on takeoff. Perhaps when you hear it, it won't be as bad as you fear ?

.. since some of the airlines will be doing their own maintenance. Granted, Lufthansa Technik does a lot of work on other airlines, but I doubt that they'll be doing the work on all of the A380's. Also, it's most likely going to replace some of the 747 services you see today, actually meaning less noise produced.

That would be nice, but that's not the case. They're chopping down protected forest the size of 100 footbal fields. They're planning yet another terminal to cope with demand for the a-380.

The maintenance hall means the fleet will be stationed at Frankfurt. More flights, more "engine tests", more pollution, lower takeoffs, more vortex problems, you name it, the a-380 is causing huge problems for us.

My house is already appraising 30% lower. Everyone in the area is opposing it, but in the end, it's all about money and we are going to lose.

They should maintain those planes away from affluent suburban areas. Perhaps in Poland or some other poor new EU member state.

They might as well do the maintenance where the plane is going to be anyway. I can imagine that Singapore Airlines & QANTAS might rotate in an A380 to Frankfurt every now and then in order to have maintenace done. Also, Lufthansas A380's are going to be in Frankfurt anyway, so what would the point be in flying them to somewhere in the middle of Poland to have maintenance done & then fly them back. Most likely empty each way,

I live in a small farming village. The airport authority has spared no effort to avoid disturbing the affluent suburbs North of Frankfurt.

Of course I really wouldn't expect every DUer to know the demographics of the greater Frankfurt area. But if you don't have a clue what you're talking about, you may want to consider reserving comment. Especially wise-ass comments.

I used to live near an airport and the noise really does destroy your psyche. I was fortunate that it was a rental. I don't know what to say. I feel a little guilty because I do fly Skyteam and if I got a good price on a ticket on this aircraft I would very likely fly on it.

On Edit -- If I made the rules, people would be mitigated at fair market value for their homes but alas Amazona does not decide these things. :-(

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

Both airborn and contact-vectored pathogens will have a field day. :shrug:

When I fly they board me first because I'm in a wheelchair. And I am the last passenger to get off when we land.

This could be an all day affair!

.. it's up to the airlines to put in the seats & determine how many pax are going to fly at the same time. I heard that Virgin Atlantic is going to put in 500-550 seats, which is the same as some Japanese domestic 747's have - and they can achieve a turn around time of ~1 hour or less!

n/t

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I no longer have to bend over in an airplane! Woohoo!

We'll be lucky to be subcontractors on it.