British Airways to buy 12 A380s

[Desert Diner]

The A380 is not what you'd call a strunner to look at

To me anyway, the only I would call a "stunner" at the moment is the 340-600

[Iolar]

4 engined, ugly double decker with a centrally located cockpit, built in France, ordered by Air France, sounds familiar......
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1230009/L/

[akerosid]

Looking to the next round ...

Have to say the A340-500 is my personal favourite; the -600 is a fine looking airplane no doubt, but I just feel the -500 is better proportioned.

Anyway, there's an interesting article on the Flight website today, about the next round of BA's widebody choice, expected in early 2009.

The airline is basically going to be looking at the A350-1000 (and -900) from the Airbus stable and, from the Boeing stable, "evolutions of the 777-300ER to a more radical design, and the 787-10". It excluded the 350 from the recently completed selection as it didn't believe it was sufficiently well defined and is also waiting to see how Boeing will respond.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles...s-to-come.html

So, that pretty much confirms that there will be no 747-8 for BA and it would appear that the 777-300ER's chances are pretty slim unless it can evolve the current design (wonder what BA has in mind here?)

[Rainboe]

Look, if we're having a beauty contest, nothing, but nothing can ever beat a Super VC10 (in BOAC colours) with the big gold speedbird on the blue tail, blue cheatline down the fuselage, and black nose. That was sheer perfection- the beautiful 'Queen of the Skies' (Ah! What an airline! Whatever became of them?) . The practical 'Queen of the Skies' is the 747-400 in BA Chatham colours, not as beautiful, but not bad. If one was going out on the pull, one would want the first, but end up with the second. Turn the lights out, they're one and the same.

[PAXboy]

Rainboe - you tell it like it is. The truth is that the VC-10 was the super-est a/c. No other full sized passenger airliner (ie, that allows for the slim white bird!) could ever be as beautiful. "Hightail it to the East" anyone?

[arem]

Quack Quack!!!

otherwise known as the iron duck

[boeing boeing.. gone]

I have to admit my favourite is the A340-600 in virgin colours, I love the grey against the red, very modern. I also like the b777-300 in Emirates colours

very strange conversation to be reading on a tuesday afternoon, which airplane we would sleep with!!!

Personally I'm glad BA opted for a380 and also RR engines.

Has the bearded one made an engine choice for his b787 yet??? I kind of expect a GE engine as they are currently working with boeing and GE on the biofuel trails. Although I do hope RR gets the nod

[Flygulfair]

I love the Gulf air planes, half of the fusealage is Gold, with a blue finishing and the rest white. so modern and cool

Just imagine that on the A380!

[Taildragger67]

Rainboe,



Super VC10 = sex with wings.

Pity about the fuel starvation during certain manoevres though

But the best looking thing ever to leave the ground.

You mention "going out on the pull"... well if you had the wherewithall to have a SVC10 in the back yard, they'd be coming to you, rather than you having to go out and pull, but you'd be pulling the sort who would also be drooling over you for your DB5 or E-Type. Which is the type you'd want.

Clearly designed by the same guys who drew the Thunderbirds.

[Basil]

Yes, that BOAC livery was the sort of restrained design one sees on old, up-market shops.
Even as one of the FEW I wish we'd adopted it as the BA colours but too much horse trading for that.
We should have swopped your livery for the better, IMHO, system of both ears on and use I/C - perhaps my hearing would be better now

[Rainboe]

Colleagues! You are gentlemen of exemplary taste. I salute you Sirs, and apologise if at any time I have offended you (for tonight only).

I offer as evidence Exhibit A: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1244563/L/

Was anything built to fly made as beautiful? Except maybe a Peregrine Falcon. True the 707 might have carried a few more people, and flown a bit further, and used a bit less fuel.....but it was boring! Beauty comes at a price

[5150]

Any chance can move this thread to the Spotters forum as it has clearly degenerated into a bit of an anorak-fest. . . . ??

[Rainboe]

I quite agree! This thread has gone from BA ordering A380s, to stern wagging Pprune fingers at the BA management because anybody with a keyboard thinks they know where BA management has gone seriously wrong, to how the A380 will fail, to how it's an ugly duck, to how it's not so bad after all, to how good looking the VC10 was (it was). So pardon the absurdity, but while people seem to be curiously hung up on 'the A380 is going to fail' thing, we might as play the absurd card for all its worth! This thread long ago outlived its news potential.

[TURIN]

I am reminded of getting on a 737 at Terminal 4 early on a very cold frosty morning for the first flight of the day. The aircraft was incredibly warm (APU running all night), the Captain's seat was fully reclined, with pillow, and the headset had Capital Gold tuned in. That was 'overnight maintenance'!

No,no, no Rainboe old chap, that was obviously a very concientous engineer checking that the standard Cruise setup was in full working order.

The FO's seat was no doubt in the fully upright position.

[ChristiaanJ]

De gustibus non discutandum est.

I always found that on the VC-10 they'd shoved everything too much to the back, engines, tail, the wings, the lot.
The Caravelle which started the trend of putting the stuff at the back still looked OK (ah, that Comet nose).

Apart from our "White Lady", which is 'hors concours' anyway, I still prefer the Connie.

[parabellum]

Rainboe

" It's success is assured now, so very relieved for all the Airbus staff who worked so hard on it."

One swallow does not a summer make!

Some numbers to back up your predictions please, the only numbers I have seen, rather than heard alluded to, are that the current order book is not even close to break even, the cost over-runs amount to billions and delayed delivery has added yet further millions to the debt side of the book. Hardly time for a party is it?! Where you see a swarm of A380 heading across the sky I see a clutch of A380 tending to mass transit needs whilst a swarm of big twins and a few fours will make up the majority.

Agree about the VC10 and B744, Queens of the sky.!

[Taildragger67]

One swallow does not a summer make!

Watch it, you lot

[Rainboe]

are that the current order book is not even close to break even, the cost over-runs amount to billions and delayed delivery has added yet further millions to the debt side of the book. Hardly time for a party is it?!

Boeing.....about 1969! The 747 nearly drove the Boeing down and made Seattle a ghost town. A program launched on the basis of an order for 25 from Pan Am! Who would ever want it? What airports could ever take it? 'They'll never get all those passengers to fill it up!'. Whatever became of the 747?

The fact is high capacityand long range aeroplanes are most certainly needed for the future. The 747 does not do the job, not for the next 40 years. It's a 40 year old design now. Just like the 757 has had its day, great aeroplane though it is, dinosaurs must pass and new designs must come. keep watching the 380 order book. With about 50+ in the Gulf alone, Far East airlines competing with each other, Qantas and European airlines increasing their orders, in a few years you will wonder what your problem was now! The US won't have it- they have a hangup about flying twins everywhere.

Who expects the current order book to break even? It hasn't even flown its first revenue service yet! Orders are coming, you can bet on it. The Japs are going to love this baby, the Far East airlines are just starting, Europe has barely got under way yet. Don't keep asking for figures- you've got to explain why you think it's not going to make it and you give figures to justify that myopic stance! You are the one who will have your words thrown back at you!

[Golf Charlie Charlie]

While I agree with the general thrust of Rainboe's comments, I am not so sure if the A380 will sell well into Japan, at least the domestic market. Japan is a mature market with little growth - plus its demographic decline will probably ensure that domestic flights, especially if frequency is key, will use 777-size airliners, as well as the existing 747-400 fleets.

[Rainboe]

They were seating 550 on B747s back in the 80s. Wouldn't you agree that up to 850 on a high density A380 over the next 20 years will be needed? I think people are judging the capacity on what has been used recently or now. More and more people are flying all the time. I think some of us are not letting future trends continue from now. Do they all know something I don't? Unless a meteor is going to wipe out half the population, this thing will be too small in 20 years!