A380 Itinerary

[Merlins Magic]

Qantas announced today a schedule for the visit to Australia of the Airbus A380 between 12 and 16 November. The visit will coincide with Qantas' 85th anniversary celebrations.

The Executive General Manager of Qantas, Mr John Borghetti, said the aircraft would arrive in Brisbane on the morning of Saturday 12 November.

"We are continuing to work closely with Airbus on making this historic event a reality," Mr Borghetti said.

While times are subject to change, the current schedule (local times) for the A380's Australian visit is:

Saturday 12 November
* 8:00am Arrive Brisbane

Sunday 13 November
* 6:00am Depart Brisbane
* *8:30am Flyover Sydney Harbour for Qantas aerial photography (weather permitting)
* 9:10am (approx) Arrive Sydney

Monday 14 November
* 11:15am Depart Sydney
* 12:30pm (approx) Arrive Melbourne

Tuesday 15 November
* 9:00am Depart Melbourne
* 10:00am (approx) Arrive Brisbane

Wednesday 16 November
* 2:00pm Depart Brisbane

Mr Borghetti said that the A380 had generated enormous levels of interest in Europe and Qantas expected this to continue for the aircraft's visit to each city.

"While both Qantas and Airbus are pleased that there is so much interest in the A380, opportunities for members of the public to view the aircraft will unfortunately be limited to arrival and departure times.

"We are asking Qantas, Australian Airlines, QantasLink and Jetstar customers to allow extra time for travel to their departure airport, in case of congestion," Mr Borghetti said.

He said that people who were not travelling were advised to avoid the airport vicinity to minimise congestion during the A380's visit to each port.

"In Sydney, the aircraft will fly over the harbour on Sunday 15 November*, with local vantage points providing excellent opportunities to view the aircraft inflight," Mr Borghetti said.

Qantas was the first airline to sign a contract for the A380 and will take delivery of the first of its 12 aircraft in April 2007.

* Note the aircraft will pass over Sydney Harbour from north to south and east of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at 2100 feet and be accompanied by a small jet that will be undertaking aerial filming. This will take place as many as three times. The flyover will provide excellent opportunities for members of the public to view the aircraft.

[Uncommon Sense]

Please get rid of that post. Some of us would just like to get home/to/from the airport.

[Taildragger67]

Borghetti's bit about the 2100' Harbour fly-over:

Sunday is the 13th, not the 15th.

[hei yu]

10 November 2005
A380 LEAVES FOR ASIA-PACIFIC TOUR

The A380, decorated with a Singapore Airlines logo, left Toulouse today at 14:20 (GMT + 1) for a nine-day Asia-Pacific tour, marking the first time the aircraft will be seen outside Europe. The aircraft will visit Singapore, Australia and Malaysia.

The A380 took off from Toulouse airport today on the first leg of its nine-day tour of Asia and Australia. It is flying directly to Singapore where on 11 November the media and VIPs, including Singapore’s Minister of Transport, Yeo Cheow Tong, will visit the aircraft.

From Singapore, it will fly to Brisbane, Australia where Qantas’ logo will be applied before the aircraft flies over the Gold Coast and Sydney Harbour and land at Sydney for more VIP and media visits.

The nine-day trip gives customers Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Malaysian Airlines a chance to see the aircraft ahead of first deliveries while also allowing airports to test equipment and demonstrate their readiness for the A380’s entry into commercial service.

Various airport compatibility tests will be carried out at Australia’s Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne airports along with Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur Airport. Tests were planned for Singapore but these have been postponed due to scheduling conflicts. The test aircraft will also take part in a number of promotional activities in each country.

The eight crewmembers comprises Jacques Rosay, chief test pilot; Peter Chandler, experimental test pilot; Claude Lelaie, senior vice president flight division; test pilot Frank Chapman; Fernando Alonso, chief flight test engineer and vice president flight test division; test flight engineer Gérard Desbois; flight test engineer Jean-Francois Bousquie; and flight test engineer Sylvie Loisel-Labaste – the only female crew member.

Rgds/HY

[Uncommon Sense]

If you are flying in the same time try and beat it. Airport wants 10 minute closure of Runway after landing for debris inspection.

Part of that will be absorbed anyway by the 10NM Wake Turb spacing.

Can't wait till these are regualr visitors. :hmm:

[NAMPS]

If you are flying in the same time try and beat it. Airport wants 10 minute closure of Runway after landing for debris inspection.

How is MAESTRO going to cope with this?

[VH-Cheer Up]

DEBRIS INSPECTION??? :uhoh:

They're expecting the thing to be falling apart as it hobbles in, 50 feet over the fence, like a crippled Lancaster rumbling in at dawn on two engines after a sortie in the Ruhr?

Great way to inspire the confidence of the punters, I don't think.

Will they be handing out hard hats to all spectators and residents under the flight path?

Might be safer to just watch it on TV.

VHCU

[Dookie on Drums]

A little bird tells me that it may even fly in tonight!:8

Supposed to be towed immediately to a QF hangar in BNE and "Qantasified" for the media the next day.

No %100 guarantees that it will arrive tonight but this is after all a rumour network :E

All info from a QF Engineer involved in the process :)

[the_hawk]

Well I heard another one chirping in a similar manner ^^

[RamAirInlet]

Hi!

I have heard that VIP's will be dining with Mr Dixon aboard the A380 when it's in YBBN. Can anybody confirm this?

[RamAirTurbine]

Hopefully they will lock him in, and fly him away to Siberia.

[hei yu]

Re AI's PR release :"From Singapore, it will fly to Brisbane, Australia where Qantas’ logo will be applied before the aircraft flies over the Gold Coast and Sydney Harbour and land at Sydney for more VIP and media visits."
Does anyone have any details re Gold Coast flypast tomorrow eg times, direction etc. for interested GC spotters ?

[AIRWAY]

It's already here:

A380 Brisbane (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/958101/M/ ) :eek:


A380 BNE (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/958063/M/ )


:ok:

[CaptainToBe]

I was at YWLM yesterday about 5 miles out inbound when I saw the A380 fly over with some sort of chase plane. Whatever was chasing it was pretty agile. The A380 stood out like dogs balls.

[Ron & Edna Johns]

It was a Lear, and whilst I don't know for sure, I believe it may have been from Clay Lacy Aviation (http://www.claylacy.com/) . Have a look at their website, specifically "Astrovision", where there are some truly stunning air-to-air clips of airliners and military aircraft.

Does anyone know for sure if it was Lacy's team? Apparently they ask for, and get, the big $$$ for this sort of work....!

[king oath]

Heard Margaret from QF talking to E. Sigley on 3aw while in ML today. She claims the 380 was not allowed to circle over Melbourne because Air Traffic control though it might be too noisy.
Since when were they the arbiters of noisy?

You'd think some one in Margarets position would know whats going on. Sounded like crap to me.

Good old Mr Sigley was saying nice things about QF. Wouldn't it be a nice gesture if she was kind enough to upgrade him to that little section up the front where she travels, on his next trip to Europe.

[hei yu]

Re AI's PR release :"From Singapore, it will fly to Brisbane, Australia where Qantas’ logo will be applied before the aircraft flies over the Gold Coast and Sydney Harbour and land at Sydney for more VIP and media visits."

No sign of it AM yesterday. Wasn't a total waste..can't beat a long walk along the beach followed by a swim.

Does anyone know if a Gold Coast flypast is planned during the MELBNE flight tomorrow ?

Don't know whether to bring the togs or the camera.

[Uncommon Sense]

It was indeed Clay Lacy.

[CaptainToBe]

One thing I failed to mention before in my previous post was that I called up another aircraft in the circuit at Williamtown (I knew the guy) and told him to look up when it was flying over. About 10 seconds later we heard "It is very nice up here in the 380" in a strong french accent. Im not quite sure if the Jetstar aircraft on the ground was having us on or not, but needless to say that it started quite a commotion on the MBZ.

[puff]

Clay was indeed the man that bought us the aerial photography in top gun, and was also involved here in Australia in the filming of the Ansett commercials that featured mainly the A320 and 747. I've heard there is some amazing footage taken by one of the A320 crew with a handicam of the lear flying around them during the filming.

I remember speaking to some of the Ansett crew who were involved in that ad and they said that it was some of the best flying they had done in their careers, flying the 747 and A320 in formation with Clay flying around them. Apparently an amazing pilot as well as a hell of a nice bloke.