Building the A380

Gavinsblog writes "The Independent has a report on the construction of the Airbus A380. Amazingly, a ship is being custom-built to ferry parts for assembly, a custom fleet of trucks are also to be used - with roads widened to suit. Oh and the assembly building is the size of two soccer pitches, and the height of an olympic swimming pool."

Comments

See a picture of the complex here

[DirkDaring]

http://www.airbus.com/airbus4u/photo_album.asp

Re:Am I the only that thought this sounde wierd?

[FTL]

> I also find it bizarre that they would construct special rest stops along the French highway so that the convoy could rest overnight on their 3-day journey.

The stops aren't designed to give the convoys R&R. They are designed to allow the convoys a place to get out of the way during the day time so that normal traffic isn't blocked. How would you like to be stuck behind a wide-load convoy of plane parts crawling down the middle of the highway at 15kph?

That's why they only travel at night, and why they get off the highway at dawn. A bit like vampires.

Re:Popular Front for the Liberation of Europe

[rimmon]

>Um. Airbus is a French company. The only American carrier to order them thus far is FedEx.

No, it's not a french company.

Do you really believe that bullshit with FedEx being the only US (I asume you mean that by american?) carrier with Airbus planes in service?
Most likely you mean the only US carrier besides United Airlines, US Airways, Jetblue, Northwest, American Airlines, United Parcel Service, Frontier, GECAS, ILFC, America West and most other US based carriers...

go figure...

Re:Economy

[andyveitch]

There is something about the aircraft/airline business that just makes governments and investors throw money at them. The investor, Warren Buffet famously said that if he'd been around in Wilbur Wright's time he would have shot him before his first flight as a service to capitalism.

I agree with the general comments on world trade and subsidies but:

• Most of the money paid by European governments isn't subsidy, they are loans
• The total amount is $4b over a few years
• The US Senate has approve $10b in one year for loan guarantees for airlines
• The production has not scattered around entirely for political reasons, unless China is now part of the European Union?
• Military spending distorts the aircraft market more than anything else.

Enough economics. Can we go back to talking about computers & toys now?

Re:Don't know your history, do you?

[kyrre]

Interesting. I did not know that the US had a jet fighter developed during WW II. So thank you for enlightening me. However the germans did have a jet fighter during WW II that saw combat, while US of A did not. According to this web site.

The P-80 was considered the best Allied fighter at the end of World War II. It arrived too late to see combat, even though 45 aircraft were delivered prior to the end of the war.

As for American casualties in europe I have anotherweb site for you . Soviet Suffered 13.6 million military casualties. Thats about 2.5 times the number of jews killed, and more than 30 times the number of americans troops lost(300,000). The germans lost 3 million. Where do you think Germany lost the bulk of its troops? Thank you Soviet Union, for getting rid of the nazi menace. Had the germans not attacked Stalin, all of europe would probably be speaking german today. Anyone tell you different, and they are victims of (UK and US) allied propaganda.

As for the US, its true that your presense probably have saved us from a communist takeover. So thank you US of A for that. Wether that is a good thing or not is debatable