Slashdot Mirror
Airbus A380 Completes Maiden Test Flight
crazy blade writes "The much anticipated maiden test flight of the Airbus A380 jumbo jet is underway. The aircraft left Blagnac International Airport in Toulouse, France at 10.29 hours local time (08.29 UTC) from runway 32L. Here are some photos if you're interested."
For several great pictures of this wonderful aircraft check out http://www.airliners.net/! Just do a search for the A380..
I really have to question the wisdom in making such a large airliner. Sure, you can cut into the overhead by fitting more carcasses per plane, but you're concentrating the risks of mishap. The first time one of these monsters go down, it will be a tragedy larger than we're willing to admit.
At least I haven't heard anyone say that there are no flotation devices onboard because the 380 is too big to crash.
DISCLAIMER: This post was not checked for speling and grammar- if you complain- you're a whiner
My neighbor is an F-18 pilot, and I asked him about that Indian exercise. He told me that the U.S. as a routine allows other countries to win these engagements because they only participate in those things to learn how the enemy is progressing in their tactics and abilities. He also told me that the U.S. gains nothing by showing their enemies what they can really do until they really need to kick ass.
This guy tells me that there is nothing, nor will there be anything that comes near the F-22 for at least 10-15 years, and that the F-15 is so powerful, that what it cant kill, it can outrun and get away from anyway. The SU-30 has such a large radar signature that an F-15 can pick it up from over 60 miles away.
Against an F-22, that thing would be blown up before it ever saw the F-22 on radar. I want some of what you are smoking.
May I ask you why you are still willing to fly Boeing when two Boeing 737's have dropped from the sky due to unexplained, sudden extreme rudder deflections? In addition to this, there have been other cases of extreme and sudden rudder deflections that have later on not been explained, but luckily did not cause a crash. Then there are the cases of breakups of 747's in flight for various reasons. There's been major structural problems with 737's. In one case, the entire top part of the plane hull broke off!
The point here is very simple: all planes have problems - Boeing is no different from Airbus. And like statistics show, they have very similar safety records. Boeing 747, in fact, is statistically less safe than the Airbus 300/310's you're talking about. Airbus 320, a 20 year old design, is on par with Boeing 737 in safety. And Airbus 330/340 is in a league of their own - only comperable to the Boeing 777. You can't examine safety by looking through a microscope on just a few cases. You have to step back and take into account the countless millions of flights that an aircraft type has flown.
To refuse to fly Airbus and to spread propaganda like this, is irrational and unfair.