Jan 9th, 2012 at 9:00PM: The Daily Mail reports this evening that cracks found in the wing sections of several Airbus A380 jumbo jets have led to deep concern among a group of Australian aircraft engineers. Calling for the grounding of all A380 aircraft, the group highlighted recent faults uncovered in the wing structures of several Singapore Airlines and Qantas jets in their complaint.
Acknowledging the cracks, the ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Airbus posts
Engineers call for grounding of A380 after cracks found in wings
Jan 9th, 2012 at 9:00PM: The Daily Mail reports this evening that cracks found in the wing sections of several Airbus A380 jumbo jets have led to deep concern among a group of Australian aircraft engineers. Calling for the grounding of all A380 aircraft, the group highlighted recent faults uncovered in the wing structures of several Singapore Airlines and Qantas jets in their complaint.
Acknowledging the cracks, the ...United Airlines to order A380 jumbo jet?
Dec 3rd, 2011 at 9:00AM:
Things are going pretty well for United this year. Full approval for their merger with Continental Airlines went through, they became the first domestic carrier to adopt bio fuel and one of their biggest competitors has gone bankrupt. Their media and public relations departments should get the rest of the year off. In fact, they should buy us dinner.
In addition to all of that good news, ...Cockpit Chronicles: There's more behind the Air France 447 crash than pilot error
Aug 12th, 2011 at 8:00AM: Recently a couple of pilots found themselves in a situation that was foreign and perplexing to them; a scenario the designers of the airplane hadn't fully expected. They fought their way for 3 minutes and 30 seconds while trying to understand what was happening after a failure of one of the pitot static systems on their Airbus A330. At times the flying pilot's inputs exacerbated the problem when ...Cockpit Chronicles: Eight ways to slow a jet
Jul 31st, 2011 at 9:00AM: One of my first posts on Cockpit Chronicles was an explanation on how to park a 757. At the risk of catering only to people who have recently acquired their own Boeing jets, I'd like to continue with another lesson.
The eight ways to slow a jet
When you're driving your 5-speed manual transmission car and you exit an offramp, besides just taking your foot off the gas pedal, there are a couple ...American Airlines makes largest purchase in airline history
Jul 22nd, 2011 at 10:30AM: There was deep speculation in the airline nerdery about whether American Airlines was going to be making a purchase at the Paris Air Show, and though the event came and went without a spark of activity, a palpable sense of excitement has been humming ever since. After all, with one of the oldest fleets on the planet, there was no doubt that American needs to freshen up -- it was just a matter of ...
Search for Air France 447 to resume
Nov 28th, 2010 at 8:00AM: French air accident investigators announced yesterday that search teams will return to a remote region of the Atlantic to resume the search for Air France Flight 447 in early 2011. Officials from the airline and the investigative agency recently met with families of the passengers on board that flight, who urged them to continue the search for the missing plane. Those families have lingering ...Airbus reveals super future fancyplane concept
Jul 23rd, 2010 at 1:00PM: Part of the fun in each year's leading air shows comes in the showboating. Whether it's the newest, best window technology from PPG, the sexiest landing gear from Goodrich or the quietest, most efficient jet engine from Pratt and Whitney, people love seeing new products and the way that our future might look.
And just like auto shows around the planet, where concept cars with futuristic designs ...The world's longest and shortest flights
Jul 12th, 2010 at 1:30PM: Because you're just apoplectic to find out how you can maximize your time on an airplane, right? We covered this a while back, but things keep changing: planes keep getting bigger, stronger, and faster, routes change based on demand and somehow, we keep increasing our tolerance for being locked up and pressurized like pringles in a can. Fortunately, the world's many airline nerds have already done ...Dubai based Emirates places $11.5 billion Airbus A380 order
Jun 8th, 2010 at 12:00PM:
Dubai based Emirates just placed a whopping $11.5 billion order for 32 Airbus A380's. This is in addition to the ten they currently own and the 48 they still have on order - which instantly makes them the largest customer of the super jumbo. Once all their orders are delivered, Emirates will operate a fleet of 90 A380's - worth about $30 billion.
This news comes hot off the heels of the ...Airbus A380 production finally getting up to speed - 30th plane delivered
Jun 6th, 2010 at 12:30PM:
The Airbus A380 launch got off to a very rocky start - delayed deliveries and a sagging economy made this mega-jumbo look pretty bleak for some time. Thankfully, Airbus seems to have found the right rhythm, because they are now on target to deliver 20 of them in 2010.
On Thursday, the European aviation consortium delivered its 30th A380 to Dubai based Emirates, making it the tenth A380 in ...Lufthansa takes delivery of its first Airbus A380 super jumbo
May 21st, 2010 at 12:00PM:
Earlier this week, Lufthansa Airlines took delivery of their first Airbus A380. With room for 388 passengers in coach, 98 in business class and 8 in first class, this is one massive plane. For the passengers in coach, the experience is nothing too special - with a 3-4-3 layout, there are a huge number of "middle seats", but at least each seat has its own personal video screen.
The new plane ...Fly the Air France Airbus A380 from London to Paris for just $115!
May 13th, 2010 at 4:00PM:
Fancy a trip on the world's largest jet? Air France is about to start flying the Airbus A380 from London Heathrow to Paris Charles De Gaulle - making them the only airline to use the plane on a short haul route.
Normally, the A380 is used on long hail international routes, making it tough to experience the plane "on the cheap", but the Summer A380 London-Paris flights cost just £80 ...A380 encounters trouble - again
Dec 18th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Everyone was eager to see the Air France A380 leave New York and head for Paris this week, but a fuel-tank issue kept it on the ground at JFK. This was the second problem the world's largest plane had in getting off the ground since it started bouncing between New York and Paris just under a month ago.
The A380 is nothing short of hefty, accommodating 511 passengers, and it gets thirsty. So, when ...Air France Airbus hits severe turbulence 10 miles from doomed aircraft location
Dec 13th, 2009 at 12:30PM: Here is a scary piece of aviation mystery - On November 29th, Air France flight 445 from Paris to Rio had to make an emergency descent after hitting severe turbulence. Now, bad turbulence is something any air passenger will have to deal with at least once in their life. It isn't fun, but it usually goes away after 10-20 minutes.
In the case of this Air France flight, things get a tad more ...Onboard Air France's A380 inaugural flight from New York to Paris
Dec 8th, 2009 at 8:00AM:
The Airbus A380 has reached American shores once more. Late last month, Air France began service between New York's JFK and Paris Charles de Gaulle, one of the few select routes on the planet served by this massive, double-decker jumbo jet.
As the third fourth customer to receive the now-famous Airbus A380, Air France is betting big on assigning it to this route. The gamble is especially ...A380 flies to Antarctica for New Year's 2010
Dec 1st, 2009 at 2:00PM:
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This New Year's Eve, Qantas will be taking one of their super swank A380's to Antarctica. Seats are for sale to the masses starting (checking watch) NOW. This special flight is the first time the double-decker jumbo jet has ever flown this far south, let alone to ...Ryanair threatens to "divorce" Boeing
Nov 4th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Ryanair may start to look for its planes closer to home. Of course, saying it was thinking about a switch from Boeing to Airbus would be far too simple for CEO Michael O'Leary ... the genius behind "pay-to-pee" and many, many other stunts. O'Leary needs a bit more style, which is why his new intentions are being called "divorce."
O'Leary believes that the management shakeup at Boeing has taken the ...Air France's A380 comes to the USA
Sep 29th, 2009 at 8:30AM: The third official Airbus A380 route has officially been scheduled into the United States. Air France, the third air carrier to take delivery of the massive, double decker airplane, plans on using the behemoth to fly between Paris (CDG) and New York (JFK), a hotly contested, jetset route. The tightly packed 538-seat double decker will contain about 449 economy seats, 80 in business class and 9 in ...Photo of the day (9-10-09)
Sep 10th, 2009 at 6:00PM: Jackson Hole airport is situated at 6,400 feet with numerous 13,000 foot mountains in the area. Today's photo of the day, by JtisMe73, depicts the challenges pilots face on the arrival into the airport perfectly. And while we're getting a little aviation geeky, note the virga – the streaks of precipitation – behind the airplane in the distance. How could I not choose this picture? ...Spring Airlines considers standing-room tickets
Jun 30th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Remember a few years ago when Airbus was considering standing-room only economy class tickets? Well it looks like the aircraft manufacturer might have its first taker.
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China's Spring Airlines says it has been considering the concept since the beginning of the ...
