NEWS: A380 Makes its Maiden Voyage
OK it was a flight...not a voyage...but one has to admit its almost as big as a cruise ship. Congratulations to Airbus as the A380 successfully completed a 4 hour test flight, its first in an expected 2500 hr flight test regimen expected to stretch into the latter half of 2006. Favorite quotes regarding the momentus occasion are:
Chief test pilot Jacques Rosay, "You handle (this aircraft) as you handle a bicycle. It's very, very easy to fly," ...I'll bet that sounds way better in French.
Boeing Chief Executive James Bell, in his comments congratulating Airbus on the first flight "We always thought it would fly because that's what airplanes do,"...uuuummmm...yeah.
Several articles also mentioned the $285 million price tag for this aircraft and renewed speculation that it may take far more than the 250 orders for Airbus to break even. So far they have 154 orders and "commitments".
It also remains to be seen if the actual performance of the aircraft will support the cost model that they used to get those 154 order and commitments.
Chief test pilot Jacques Rosay, "You handle (this aircraft) as you handle a bicycle. It's very, very easy to fly," ...I'll bet that sounds way better in French.
Boeing Chief Executive James Bell, in his comments congratulating Airbus on the first flight "We always thought it would fly because that's what airplanes do,"...uuuummmm...yeah.
Several articles also mentioned the $285 million price tag for this aircraft and renewed speculation that it may take far more than the 250 orders for Airbus to break even. So far they have 154 orders and "commitments".
It also remains to be seen if the actual performance of the aircraft will support the cost model that they used to get those 154 order and commitments.
posted by The ACK at
22:01
