Very questionable indeed what that Mr. Wolfgang Schubert writes....
Where did he get his 'facts' from...and was the actual vertical flight profile of that flight ever considered???
First of all, landing conditions at the time the A380 made that 'working visit' to Frankfurt were anything but 'ideal', and anyone who saw the landing on TV will agree that it was 'firm and safe' but by no means 'picturebook-style'!
In a TV-Interview, the pilot (Absmeier) stated that the approach was 'on instruments'.... HEY, I didn't know that the A380 was already certified for IFR-Ops! ;-)
But never mind, everything regarding the A380 and Airbus is highly political and any flaws are covered by a blanket of silence.... or legal proceedings, following the principle of 'If you are not FOR us, you are AGAINST us!'
Frankfurt Airport, too, is a highly political issue - night curfew, new runway, departure and arrival routes, new maintenance hangar, freight centre...and many more. So, it is no wonder that extremes (interests) collide here very intensely and all the sources quoted in that newspaper article are very biased.
Like always, the truth is somewhere in between!
From what I heard (and saw) of the approaching A380, it was not louder than most other 'Heavies' approaching FRA, and certainly a lot more quiet than some of the US Military freighters which used to operate into FRA until recently. But then, the fog may have swallowed some of the noise....
Can't say much about the take-off on Sunday, except, that it was 'picturebook-like flat' and the pilot seemed to be in no real hurry to reach altitude. Why should he, anyway, as he was going to do some sort of low 'fly-over' of Frankfurt City in VFR (which he soon abandoned due to poor visibilty/low cloud!)?!?!?
IMHO, for all practical purposes, that newspaper article is for the wastebin, just stirring for the sake of stirring (and be invited to more press conferences as an (self-appointed) 'aviation specialist editor'.
Anyone else with more facts????
Cheers!
;-)