Gassed budgie,
The quote from another forum is horribly wrong on so many accounts:
- Unlike the B747 the A380 rarely has MTOW issues ex LAX
- As A380-800 driver mentioned it can achieve FL320-340 at MTOW
- The A380 frequently out-climbs the B747, a great advantage northbound out of Singapore over Afghanistan
- The A380 is only a few minutes slower on the sector compared to the B747 at normal cost indices
- The A380 is perfectly suited to longer sectors such as LAX-SYD and is performing inside the stated performance guarantee from Airbus and Rolls Royce
- There was a well publicised news article about LAX airport getting the irrits with the A380, after this article a management pilot flew to LAX to meet with Airport and ATC personnel who all stated there was no basis for the article and they were in-fact happy with the A380. Note as-well that ICAO airport design spec's allow for an aircraft with 80mx80m dimensions.
- The A380 has Body Wheel Steering on the 4 of the 6 wheels on each Body Wheel Steering Truck.
There is one point it is correct about though, it does only have reverse on the inboard engine's, The A380 has such an efficient wing that the Vref speed's are far lower than the B747 allowing for tremendous landing performance. Airbus saw a cost saving and decided not to include reverse on any of the engines to realise some substantial weight and maintenance savings, however the FAA stepped in and wanted it, hence a compromise was reached.
The A380 has down sides like any aeroplane but overall it is a great piece of kit, the pilot's love it, the passengers love it and the airline loves it.