New Civilization News: A 380 Day    
 A 380 Day16 comments
18 Jan 2005 @ 15:00, by Flemming Funch

Today the Airbus A380 was officially revealed here at a big bash. Chirac and Tony Blair and everybody were there. No, I wasn't invited, but my daughter was one of the (250) hostesses telling people where to go. Airbus has passed Boing a while back in terms of being the biggest aircraft manufacturer. 57% of the market. And the new A380 is a huge thing that dwarfs a 747 and can carry up to 800 passengers, in two floors, and looking more like a hotel inside than a typical airplane. Airbus headquarters are here in Toulouse and this is where they assemble the planes, even if major parts are made in other places. The activity around Airbus is largely responsible for making Toulouse the most growing economy and population in France. And everybody here pays close attention. You could pretty much stop anybody on the street and they would proudly rattle off the specs of the A380. Lots has been done to pave the way for it. Custom-built barges and widened roads to transport the parts. Huge building for the assembly. And today the busses don't run in town, because the streets are blocked off so that Tony Blair and Gerhard Shroeder can drive to lunch undisturbed.

The plane isn't going to fly for another couple of months. I suppose it will, even though I don't intuitively grasp how. It will have to fly over my house when it takes off, so I guess I'll believe it then. But you won't see it in your local airport before next year. Richard Branson says he'll equip his Virgin versions with gyms, beauty parlours, bars, casinos and double beds. I suppose not in the economy class, but it still sounds like fun.

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16 comments

18 Jan 2005 @ 16:43 by hgoodgame : Fly over your house on take-off?
LOL, Ming, you better strap everything down now!
We used to live close to and right under the landing/take-off pattern at the Santa Barbara airport which was bad enough. Nothing really big ever took off from there except Hughes' Spruce Goose once in a while.  



18 Jan 2005 @ 16:55 by jstarrs : Marie-Thèrese...
...was helping out there?
I hope she got paid...
How'd she get the job?  



18 Jan 2005 @ 17:57 by ming : Job
Marie-Therese was there most of the day and will be there tomorrow too. It was from a temp agency, *something*-One, I forgot. She was equipped with a fancy Airbus uniform and everything. And they pay, but not much. 7 euro something per hour, and she had to show up for some unpaid training first. And we had to drive her. But then she can put that on her CV, at least.  


18 Jan 2005 @ 18:02 by ming : Take-offs
Actually we're just a little bit off from the take-off and landing path, which makes the noise nothing much. We've lived by an airport before and hardly notice it. But usually it isn't huge planes here. The biggest thing is the transport plane that brings parts to Airbus, the "Beluga", but it doesn't make much noise either.  


18 Jan 2005 @ 21:50 by Lionel @82.227.198.101 : Airbus
Hi, Ming,

I must say I'm glad Airbus and the Canceropole project will lead our town to the top, in terms of image, especially in Europe.

Which is great for us!  



21 Jan 2005 @ 16:46 by Lionel @82.227.198.101 : No!
I must be dreaming... How did ths guy manage to post the previous post? Viagra, viagra: you know what, Viagraman, if you let the IP visible - unless it as false -, you'd better take other pills than Viagra! Go and buy those for the brain.  


21 Jan 2005 @ 20:13 by jstarrs : Hey Lionel...
...you know you're talking to a machine?
Don't you?
;0)  



21 Jan 2005 @ 20:18 by Natalie @82.35.44.97 : airbus
How much fuel does an airmonster like that consume and how much greenhousegas stuff does it release into the atmosphere? What happened to concerns over the environment? Personally, the bigger they make 'em the more I want to find alternative modes of travel. Like horse-drawn carriage.  


22 Jan 2005 @ 13:51 by nemue : I can't wait..
When you live downunder travel to Europe and America is such a bore. Just to be able to go the gym, have a facial - bliss.

Hear what you say Natalie but I for one do not agree with horses pulling us around in carriages.  



22 Jan 2005 @ 15:43 by Lionel @82.227.198.101 : Machine
Hello, Jstarrs :-)
I guess a machine couldn't discriminate the visual ' authentification ' code, could it?  



22 Jan 2005 @ 15:48 by jstarrs : Good question....!!LOL!!
;0)  


22 Jan 2005 @ 21:40 by jmarc : comment spam
.. [link]  


23 Jan 2005 @ 01:21 by Natalie @82.35.44.97 : horse-drawn carriages
nemue, I was thinking about the wonderful colourful horse & carriage rides I've just taken around Luxor, Egypt where I've just been for a week (see pictures on blog). The horses are well treated and I don't think they mind the job. But then I don't have this information from the horse's mouth! :-)  


25 Jan 2005 @ 06:01 by atessier @64.230.81.194 : horse-drawn
Natalie: The bigger the plane, the more room to accomodate flyers and less flights so actually its probably helping the environment  


28 Jan 2005 @ 16:40 by Natalie @82.35.44.97 : Bigger airplanes
Yes, maybe, atessier. But I still hate sitting cheek-to-cheek, elbow to elbow, scrunched up and packed like sardines in a jumbo jet flight and can't afford the upper classes. I guess the answer is to stay home. :-)  


4 Mar 2007 @ 13:57 by Alfredo Adelino @196.201.151.3 : Flight A380
Good day
Please can you tell me howmuch cost single ticket? when this type of flight will be landing in African country? . Or just made to fly reach people?
Thanks to repply my question.
B/Regards Alfredo Adelino  



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