Discussion
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
The point of the thread is - that usually, for the most part, aircraft that are designed right and fly right, also 'look right' if you know what I mean?
but if a passenger aircraft was truly designed 'right' it would have a severely pinched waist over the wings and look horrific.i care about as much about pax aircraft design as i do about bus design. as long as it is comfortable who really cares?
AdeTuono said:
Siscar said:
380s are planes to avoid in my experience, ugly but also just too big with too many people. They are smooth to fly in but few other redeeming features.
What a strange comment.I'm sure people differ in what they look for and enjoy, for me being one of 500 in a plane that size isn't an experience I enjoy and I know I'm not alone in that.
onyx39 said:
I think it will improve in looks when / if the stretched version materialises.
That aircraft looks much better because the proportions are right. Don't hold your breath for Airbus to build it, however. If EK really want the A380-900, they would probably have to underwrite a big chunk of the development costs themselves.
Siscar said:
AdeTuono said:
Siscar said:
380s are planes to avoid in my experience, ugly but also just too big with too many people. They are smooth to fly in but few other redeeming features.
What a strange comment.I'm sure people differ in what they look for and enjoy, for me being one of 500 in a plane that size isn't an experience I enjoy and I know I'm not alone in that.
What was your awful experience? Do you normally travel by private jet with only stewardesses for company and not have to share your space with the great unwashed?
AdeTuono said:
I would have thought the criteria for a long-haul airliner would be that it is both comfortable and quiet, which it apparently is. If the glimpse you catch of it as you board is such an off-putting experience, I suggest that you are a little odd.
What was your awful experience? Do you normally travel by private jet with only stewardesses for company and not have to share your space with the great unwashed?
Well the primary issue is not so much being on it, it's the start and the end. I've flown them maybe ten times involving Heathrow, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney and Auckland in various combinations. Some airports can cope with 500 people better than others but the reality is at all of those places getting on and off is queueing with a lot of people for a long time. My worst was economy Auckland to Sydney on Emirates last year, it took 2 hours to check in, the queues were horrendous, getting on board also took forever then in Sydney there were the queues for immigration then waiting 45 minutes for our bags to appear. That's from when bags started coming out on the conveyor to our bags appearing. We were two hours from landing when we actually got out of the airport. And Sydney is a pretty good airport normally, I must have landed there well over a hundred times and not seen anything like it. What was your awful experience? Do you normally travel by private jet with only stewardesses for company and not have to share your space with the great unwashed?
Flying business on it is a different kind of similar problem, you are one of about 90 premium passengers so all the priority things you get are shared with a lot of other people, for example checkin, lounge availability becomes crowded and slow and being one of the first on the flight to immigration and first to get your bags is great when you get off long haul, but if only works if you are one of 20 or 30, when you are one of about 90 it's not so special or so quick any more.
On board? Yes, it's OK, but not to my mind any better than any other newish aircraft fitted out fairly recently. Maybe smoother than an A340 or a 777 but not in a way that makes much real difference.
So personally I don't understand why from a passenger experience perspective, as opposed to an admire the tech one, people would rate them particularly well. Auckland and Sydney were the worst but it's not been great in Heathrow, Dubai or Singapore either.
Siscar said:
Flying business on it is a different kind of similar problem, you are one of about 90 premium passengers so all the priority things you get are shared with a lot of other people, for example checkin, lounge availability becomes crowded and slow and being one of the first on the flight to immigration and first to get your bags is great when you get off long haul, but if only works if you are one of 20 or 30, when you are one of about 90 it's not so special or so quick any more.
On board? Yes, it's OK, but not to my mind any better than any other newish aircraft fitted out fairly recently. Maybe smoother than an A340 or a 777 but not in a way that makes much real difference.
So personally I don't understand why from a passenger experience perspective, as opposed to an admire the tech one, people would rate them particularly well. Auckland and Sydney were the worst but it's not been great in Heathrow, Dubai or Singapore either.
Cyder said:
I'm intrigued by this so called soul people mention, as an engineer it means nothing to me when I hear it in relation to cars or aircraft. Can someone elaborate on what exactly they mean by soul?
I cannot comment on "soul" but I do think the A380 looks f
king ugly. A 747 still looks graceful after over 40 years. The A380 looks like a blown up condom!Siscar said:
380s are planes to avoid in my experience, ugly but also just too big with too many people. They are smooth to fly in but few other redeeming features.
If you are in economy class, then it is annoyingly big, esp when you get on, get off or queue up with another 300 people at immigration. If you are in biz class, that is so big that it feels about as special and exclusive as being dad to one of Ulrika Johansson's kids.
Malaysian Airlines does have an 8-row section of biz class in the front of the top deck (first class is front of main deck). This 8-row section is separate from the massive main biz class section behind. I airlifted my mother once in that forward 8-row biz section; she seemed to like it.
longshot said:
I've always thought the A380 looks like a giant 737.
Perhaps if the fitted enormous windscreens in the cockpit, it wouldn't get as much critisism for it's looks.
I was once treated to an A380 fly-by. I thought it looked awesome.
Tell us more about the fly-by?Perhaps if the fitted enormous windscreens in the cockpit, it wouldn't get as much critisism for it's looks.
I was once treated to an A380 fly-by. I thought it looked awesome.
I saw the factory being built at Hawarden for the wings.
I watched the first pair paraded out enroute to France.
I helped supervise some of the taxiway widenings at Heathrow to allow it to 'fit'
I watched last year at Fairford as BA flew their first one low and slow down the runway, escorted by the red Arrows. That was very impressive in my little mind for an 'ugly' machine! It was goosebump moment as she wafted past, closely followed by it's huge wake washing over us.
normalbloke said:
longshot said:
I've always thought the A380 looks like a giant 737.
Perhaps if the fitted enormous windscreens in the cockpit, it wouldn't get as much critisism for it's looks.
I was once treated to an A380 fly-by. I thought it looked awesome.
Tell us more about the fly-by?Perhaps if the fitted enormous windscreens in the cockpit, it wouldn't get as much critisism for it's looks.
I was once treated to an A380 fly-by. I thought it looked awesome.
I saw the factory being built at Hawarden for the wings.
I watched the first pair paraded out enroute to France.
I helped supervise some of the taxiway widenings at Heathrow to allow it to 'fit'
I watched last year at Fairford as BA flew their first one low and slow down the runway, escorted by the red Arrows. That was very impressive in my little mind for an 'ugly' machine! It was goosebump moment as she wafted past, closely followed by it's huge wake washing over us.
I used to work for a company that make those big noisy spinny things and when it got it's airworthiness certificate (I think that's what it was anyway) one did a few fly-bys over the facility.
longshot said:
normalbloke said:
longshot said:
I've always thought the A380 looks like a giant 737.
Perhaps if the fitted enormous windscreens in the cockpit, it wouldn't get as much critisism for it's looks.
I was once treated to an A380 fly-by. I thought it looked awesome.
Tell us more about the fly-by?Perhaps if the fitted enormous windscreens in the cockpit, it wouldn't get as much critisism for it's looks.
I was once treated to an A380 fly-by. I thought it looked awesome.
I saw the factory being built at Hawarden for the wings.
I watched the first pair paraded out enroute to France.
I helped supervise some of the taxiway widenings at Heathrow to allow it to 'fit'
I watched last year at Fairford as BA flew their first one low and slow down the runway, escorted by the red Arrows. That was very impressive in my little mind for an 'ugly' machine! It was goosebump moment as she wafted past, closely followed by it's huge wake washing over us.
I used to work for a company that make those big noisy spinny things and when it got it's airworthiness certificate (I think that's what it was anyway) one did a few fly-bys over the facility.
AdeTuono said:
I would have thought the criteria for a long-haul airliner would be that it is both comfortable and quiet, which it apparently is. If the glimpse you catch of it as you board is such an off-putting experience, I suggest that you are a little odd.
What was your awful experience? Do you normally travel by private jet with only stewardesses for company and not have to share your space with the great unwashed?
He doesn't like it. It doesn't make him odd not wanting to be on one. What was your awful experience? Do you normally travel by private jet with only stewardesses for company and not have to share your space with the great unwashed?
You hear all sorts of reasons on here from people about different aircraft and why they like/don't like them. It might be perceptions of safety or space or based on one particular airlines configuration. It's surprising how many people say "the legroom etc on the (whatever) is really small) without understanding that that legroom is due to the airline and might be completely different on anther airline operating the same aircraft.
Bradgate said:
I agree that the A380s proportions are odd. It is significantly shorter than a 777-300, but has much larger wings, so the body seems too short in relation to the wingspan and wing area.
The reason for this is that when the A380 was designed, it was anticipated that there would be demand for even bigger 'stretch' versions, so the wings were designed to accommodate this. That demand didn't materialise, so the stretch versions were never built, and there are no current plans to build them.
none at all? I thought it and the F was something airbus would tackle once they need/have time to; as it stands they have about 200 -800's on order so ticking along nicely, I expect a lot of their focus right now is on the A350- a plane they really need to get right.The reason for this is that when the A380 was designed, it was anticipated that there would be demand for even bigger 'stretch' versions, so the wings were designed to accommodate this. That demand didn't materialise, so the stretch versions were never built, and there are no current plans to build them.
el stovey said:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/06/uk-airsho...
I doubt many people would agree that A380 orders are ticking along nicely, they're well below forecast.
Whose forecast? looking at it's nearest comparison, boeing have made on average 35 747's a year for the last 45 years and airbus aren't making much less than that. and while on the topic of the 747 I hear its practically unsellable right now, boeing are currently storing unsold new planes as well as offering tantalising px deals so there's a long game in play too, lots will be waiting for the economy to pick up before making aspirational purchases.I doubt many people would agree that A380 orders are ticking along nicely, they're well below forecast.
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