El Lute:
I was not aware of the hefty contribution made by US suppliers to the A380 project. I also really don't care because really, where else are they going to get the engines and avionics from?
My point remains:
Let the individual operators pony up for the upgrades. It is the general concensus over here that the A380 is really too large for most of the markets that american carriers serve. It really benefits only a few if the government decides to provide the upgrades for a select few foreign carriers. What do you think will be the politically correct decision over here?
As far as the troll comment....Bite me....
TallBloke:
I feel that Mr. Boyd went overboard with his attempts at humor. He should leave that to the bottom-feeders like myself. Some of it was funny though!
El Lute:
In response to your question about Boeing/Douglas vs. Airbus:
1st: There are many aspects that I do like about the Bus over the others....Better air conditioning....short pre-flight...comfortable seats....
There are more than a few aspects that I don\'t like when considering it from a safety standpoint. I\'ll address the one that impacts me on a daily basis:
V speed mini. I think that although a good concept, and one practiced manually by aviators for a long time in the form of Vapp additives, the potential for overcompensation and the resultant excessive speed over the threshold is unsafe in certain conditions.
Alot of a pilots\' perception of an aircraft is based on his/her comfort level with the airplane. One question that can be used to determine that comfort level is "Would I choose one aircraft over the other if I found myself inadvertantly in a TX or severe turbulence?" I can tell you that having experienced those conditions in all three types, that I definately choose Boeing/Douglas over the Bus. When the Airbus got to my airline, there were some structural integrity issues involving the upper surface of the fuselage delaminating/seperating. It just "feels" like a cheaply built aircraft as well.