Airbus A380 certified - European and U.S.
 

The Airbus A380 received certification from European and U.S. aviation authorities Tuesday, clearing its last official hurdle before the first 555-seater superjumbo is scheduled to be delivered to Singapore Airlines Ltd. next October.
:ok: :ok: :ok:

How odd for an aeroplane that apparently, according to some, has a faulty wing, undercarriage that will rip up most taxiways and questionable crosswind handling has received prompt certification from both Euro and US aviation authorities.
Shame that the decision to offer unlimited variation in Inflight Entertainment has led to such a long delay in delivery times. About time someone invented elastic cabling! :) Good luck, fly well, all A380s.
Aviate1138
P.S. I would put them into service and give everyone books to read.

Here I post a videolink:
http://www.airbus.com/store/photolib...ash240X180.swf

happy landings!

Rolling Thunder and Groundbum
 

Agree! The A330/340 brought us 2-4-2 seating which was a blessing. OK the pitch varied but that gave you the opportunity to choose your airline carefully.

The A380 offers 2-4-2 on the upper deck and that is (obviously) where most savvy economy passengers will be pushing to sit. Down below, however, the 3-5-3 arrangement is retrograde and places us back into the 60's when the 747 first arrived.

We need a major re-think on how economy passengers can benefit from this bigger aeroplane.

Remember, its economy that is the bread and butter of all airlines - not the privileged few who go Biz or First at their employers expence!

so have any airports actually installed airbridges which can reach the second deck of the A380 yet?
I'd love to see the A380 rip a massive hole in the runway surface when the pilot accidently puts her down a little harder than usual! oops! :}

i just hope to god that one never crashes, 800 souls..... that would be a dark day for aviation!

What's wrong with 3-5-3 out of interest?

Great news for Airbus. The whole organization must have a profound sense of relief and accomplishnment.

While the Type Certificate is a major milestone on the road to delivery, it's not the last official hurdle. The A380 still needs to obtain a Production Certificate. In addition, each Customer Airline interior must be certified.


Given the production difficulties the A380 has experienced and the Airbus position that most of them have been related to customer specific interiors, there appears to be alot of work with the Certifying Agencies ahead.

Like 747 or any other huge plane, 380 is light for its area.
What about 2 A380-s crashing? The two worst air crashes so far involve 747-s - JAL 747SR crash and Tenerife collision of 2 747-s.

Anyway, as for 3-5-3 seating, no airline has said they would have it. Which does not mean they will not.

A380 lower deck is wider than 747, but 11 abreast in A380 would be less spacious than 10 abreast in B747. However, 11 abreast in A380 is about exactly as spacious as 10 abreast in B777 - and while the airlines having 10 abreast in 777 are a minority, they include several prominent A380 customers.

A330 is no guarantee of 2-4-2, though. Several airlines have 9 abreast in A330. Which is even more cramped than 10 abreast in B777. A380 upper deck is wider than A330 - so 9 abreast on A380 upper deck is doable!

Excellent Super Jumbo News
 

Great speech! Short and decidedly sweet. :D
Later that day Ms. Blakey was given the keys to the city of Toulouse and will receive the Order of Arts and Letters in a separate ceremony. :}

Ms. Blakey was appointed head of the FAA by the Bush administration in 2002. Many may recall Blakey's role in the AA587 investigation as the newly installed chairman of the NTSB in 2001. Her prior aviation experience was as a principal in a transportation lobbyist group in Washington specializing in international relations.


The concurrent EASA/FAA certification process must have saved EADS quite a few euros. It's a good idea - should we expect more of the same for future aircraft certs?

Over the past ten years or so, it has been a common practice for Airbus and Boeing aircraft to recieve a concurrent FAA/EASA (or JAA before the advent of EASA) Type Certificate. The A380 is merely the latest in the line.

And Airbus has just announced that SQ have signed for the additional 9 A380s plus more (6, I think it said?) options.

And now the Aussies have confirmed their order for 8 - so Airbus have 17 orders from 2 customers for the A380 in 2 days. Not bad. :ok:

Except that the SIA order was announced at Farnborough show so hardly news.

Also, how can giving away aircraft in lieu of compensation be called a success?

Who said they were given away? Know that for a fact? Or did you just make that bit up? And actually signing a deal is a bit different to announcing the intention to sign a deal, don't you agree?

Are you another doomsayer? Determoned that the A380 will fail? Why? Because it's not a Boeing? :ugh:

Is the end of the world nigh? :E

I would say that 17 more A380s on Airbus' books is a good thing. So I reiterate :ok: :ok: and once more :ok:

Reported on the news this morning that Emirates are now seeking compensation over delays. With Fed-Ex and others moaning heavily, could the wheel that is Airbus be about to come off??

The world's BIGGEST private jet!
 

Guess it had to be the Middle East then?--

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/busine..._airbus30.html

Going to be a bit more limited in where you can fly and leave it over night then:}

Well, what else can you do when all your wives want to go to Harrods on the same day.

Why have I an image of an A380 looking on as a giant laser beam shoots from the sky toward Fort Knox, accompanied by maniacal laughter coming from within?

When some f-in tree hugger has a go at me for my 4x4 I will point them to this link.
Makes a mokery of the green recycling tubs in our town.
Its just Middle-Eastern one upmanship, just tell them that Gaddafi has his own country, that will miff them off.