A380 takes off for maiden flight

[termo]

European aircraft maker Airbus's A380, the world's largest passenger plane, has taken off on its long-awaited maiden flight.

Thousands of aeroplane enthusiasts have turned up in southern France to witness the twin-deck "super-jumbo" taking to the air for the first time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4488361.stm

:toast:

[ET Awful]

1. If you want to see some very nice pictures of it from a photographer

that was there, http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=13264116 has a few really nice shots.

That is one BIG jet :).

[amandabeech]

2. With 550 passengers, this thing gets 95 passenger miles per gallon.

With the max of 800 passengers, that'd be about 136, if my math is correct. Someone check, 'cause it's early and my brain isn't functioning.

I have seen statements indicating that fully-loaded long distance passenger trains use approximately the same passenger-miles-per-gallon, but that's comparing diesel to jet fuel. And some say that exhausting CO2 high in the atmosphere is worse than exhausting it close to the ground.

It may be useful, though, for long-distance, highly traveled routes, like New York-L.A. or New York-London. Well, so long as we still have some oil.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3687629.stm

[hunter]

7. Diesel is equivalent to jet fuel.

The military often uses fuel mixtures that work in both sorts of engines.

Eventually oil will be too expensive to use for common transportation.

I expect a hundred years from now that railroads and ocean liners will be the most common form of long distance transportation. The economy will slow down since there won't be any economical means of hurrying ourselves along.

[Kellanved]

3. and: Airbus A380 lands after making aviation history

BLAGNAC, France (AP) — The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, completed its maiden flight Wednesday, a milestone for aviation and for the European aircraft-maker's battle with American rival Boeing Co. (Related video: Today's flight)
...
http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztravel/2005-04-27-airbus-flight_x.htm



Neat flash about the A380
http://www.spiegel.de/flash/0,5532,11475,00.html

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. But but but the French are cheese-eating surrender monkeys!

They CAN'T succeed at anything! Rush told me so!

Oh, and Renault isn't winning in F1 either.

[Kellanved]

5. FWIW: Airbus is an European conglomerate

Not a French one.

[BonjourUSA]

6. AirBus Industrie organisation

http://www.airbus.com/about/organisation.asp