# Airbus A380 Super Jumbo arrives at Dulles Airport & it's a monster plane! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 5, 2014, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441 "2014-10-05T05:55:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Robrein](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robrein/32/6728_2.png) [@Robrein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robrein)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/21 "2014-10-08T16:53:07Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > I heard a story about the A380 - they do a mockups of planes for evacuation evaluation at a university in London. Students and locals get paid to sit in the “plane”, and then run evacuation drill, 3 times (with a small bonus for the fastest out the plane). > > The A380 was so high and the chutes so steep from the upper deck that for the first time ever some of the subjects refused to do the second and third runs. The upper deck exit chutes had to be redesigned. I don’t know about anything in London, but during the evacuation certification test in Germany they had [one broken leg and 32 minor injuries](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4858484.stm). And they passed. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/22 "2014-10-08T17:10:31Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > According to Flightradar24, at the time of posting, there are 73 A380s in the air, 468 B777s, 181 B747s, 226 B767s, 420 A330s and 90 A340s. Am I missing any other widebodies? B787 is a widebody, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/23 "2014-10-08T17:18:32Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > B787 is a widebody, I think. I knew I was missing an obvious one: 75 at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/24 "2014-10-08T17:55:09Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > They are amazing machines. I think the B747 is a much prettier beast though. The A380 looks like a dugong. Agreed on both counts. For the A380, the phrase “morbidly obese” comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/25 "2014-10-08T18:02:43Z")
Are the celebrating or washing the plane with those water cannons after it landed? ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/26 "2014-10-08T18:32:57Z")
> [@Iamnotivan](#): > > I have flown the 380 on Singapore, Emirates and Thai. Emirates is the most interesting because it has a great camera at the forward top of its tail, and you can watch every minute of the flight in your seat. Singapore is the best for everything, as usual. > Airbus is having trouble selling the 380s, and has slashed the price by almost half. There are too few airports and routes requiring such a huge plane. I read that in the decision to go big or med., Boeing opted for the 777 which has become the workhorse of the business. Interestingly, one of the airline (and leasing companies) concerns is that there is probably not going to be a market for used 380s, which is a significant problem for all concerned. The Thai Airways A380s also have the camera on top of the fin, I think it’s a standard feature. I flew on one from Japan to Thailand and the darn check-in cue was a couple hundred meters long. The plane is very nice though. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/27 "2014-10-08T19:03:28Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Are the celebrating or washing the plane with those water cannons after it landed? Celebrating - it’s a [water salute](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_salute), I think. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/28 "2014-10-08T19:20:27Z")
We’re moving to LA and one of my first goals is to see a 380. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/29 "2014-10-08T22:56:45Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > The Thai Airways A380s also have the camera on top of the fin, I think it’s a standard feature. > I flew on one from Japan to Thailand and the darn check-in cue was a couple hundred meters long. The plane is very nice though. Yes, a standard feature to help the pilots see the wingtips. Whether the video feed is made available to the passengers depends on the airline though. ---
**Author:** ![Echo\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Echo\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Echo_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/30 "2014-10-09T15:02:25Z")
Can I talk about the top deck? I’ve flown in First Class on Lufthansa’s A380 service from Frankfurt to Johannesburg, Frankfurt to New Delhi, and in Business Class from Frankfurt to Singapore. The F-Class cabin is incredible: just 8 seats, which is surprising considering the size of the plane. They’ve taken out out the overhead bins - each seat is assigned a vertical wardrobe - so it feels very roomy. There’s two bathrooms - both bigger than my loo at home. Take-off is an odd feeling. As the plane accelerates, you feel so high-up and remote from the wheels on the runway. IIRC, you can barely feel the landing gear retract, even at the front of the plane. A380 airport gates have two levels, so F-Class and Y-Class board directly onto the top deck without passing anyone in Economy. I’ve also taken Thai A380 in F-Class to/from Bangkok. It’s not quite as fancy as Lufthansa, but still quite special. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/31 "2014-10-09T23:09:52Z")
> [@Echo\_Charlie](#): > > … A380 airport gates have two levels, so F-Class and Y-Class board directly onto the top deck without passing anyone in Economy. … In the industry Y-class generally refers to Economy. IOW the cheap seats. I can’t say for sure whether Lufthansa labels business or some other intermediate class as “Y”, but it’d be going against a lot of industry standards to do so. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/32 "2014-10-10T14:18:21Z")
I saw one banked over at around 45 degrees just a few hundred feet above my house. It was displaying at this year’s Farnborough Airshow, I live about a mile from the runway. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/33 "2014-10-10T14:39:59Z")
> [@astro](#): > > It was interesting how much the wings flexed in the video when it landed. Not trying to be condescending to you at all, but have you ever flown in a jumbo jet with a window seat by the wings? When you hit turbulence the wings visibly flex a LOT, freaked me the hell out to realize I was flying in a aluminum can basically.:eek: I could even see the main body flexing up and down, the ceiling was visibly moving.(I mean like looking down the length of the plane, you could see that at some points one half was going up and down). ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/34 "2014-10-10T18:07:03Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Not trying to be condescending to you at all, but have you ever flown in a jumbo jet with a window seat by the wings? > > When you hit turbulence the wings visibly flex a LOT, freaked me the hell out to realize I was flying in a aluminum can basically.:eek: I could even see the main body flexing up and down, the ceiling was visibly moving.(I mean like looking down the length of the plane, you could see that at some points one half was going up and down). Boeing would have you believe the plane is made of aluminum, but I’m pretty sure it’s all just low-durometer silicone rubber. in fact I think the “engines” are just for show, and the plane actually propels itself through the air by flapping its wings. [Video proof.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=WFEs-DatuHs#t=37) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/35 "2014-10-10T19:51:56Z")
I had two flights on A380s about a year ago, when we went to China to complete our international adoption. The ride was smooth, I suppose, but we’ll never fly China Southern again; they configure the seats together way too tightly. My wife is 5’2", and her knees touched the seats in front of us, so you can imagine how comfy I was at 6’2". Seats were hard as rocks. There were also no individual air nozzles, so it was pretty stifling. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/36 "2014-10-10T20:26:18Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Not trying to be condescending to you at all, but have you ever flown in a jumbo jet with a window seat by the wings? > > When you hit turbulence the wings visibly flex a LOT, freaked me the hell out to realize I was flying in a aluminum can basically.:eek: I could even see the main body flexing up and down, the ceiling was visibly moving.(I mean like looking down the length of the plane, you could see that at some points one half was going up and down). Not trying to be condescending, but flex is good. Stiff things snap under load. Flexible things bend and bounce back. You’ll really enjoy the flappy plastic wings on a 787; they flex a LOT more than 747s & A380s do. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/37 "2014-10-10T21:52:47Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Not trying to be condescending, but flex is good. Stiff things snap under load. Flexible things bend and bounce back. > > You’ll really enjoy the flappy plastic wings on a 787; they flex a LOT more than 747s & A380s do. [787 flex testing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH9k9fWaFrs). ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/38 "2014-10-10T23:21:18Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > I had two flights on A380s about a year ago, when we went to China to complete our international adoption. The ride was smooth, I suppose, but we’ll never fly China Southern again; they configure the seats together way too tightly. Seats were hard as rocks. There were also no individual air nozzles, so it was pretty stifling. According to the chart, 32" pitch, which is pretty much coach standard around the world, and 17.5" width, which is at the tighter end of the market. FWIW the chart puts the corresponding clearances for cattle-class seats in a British Airways 380 as 31/17.5, a United Airlines 747 as 31/17, a UA 777 as 31/18. So you are as crammed as in most peasant-class flights everywhere, except that the kind of routes on which you fly an A380/747/777 means spending a huge part of your day like that. Many airlines have taken the individual vent fans from their widebodies, I’ve encountered that on 767 and 777 transoceanics and 767 domestics. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/39 "2019-02-14T15:15:10Z")
Updating this thread: > [@](#): > > European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has pulled the plug on its struggling A380 superjumbo, which entered service just 12 years ago. Airbus said last deliveries of the world’s largest passenger aircraft, which cost about $25bn (£19.4bn) to develop, would be made in 2021. The decision comes after Emirates, the largest A380 customer, cut its order. The A380 faced fierce competition from smaller, more efficient aircraft and has never made a profit… > > When Airbus’s A380 first took off it was hailed as a technological marvel that would meet airlines’ needs for a new large aircraft to connect the world’s crowded airport hubs - London, New York, Dubai, Tokyo. Airbus said the market for the giant planes would be 1,500. After today’s decision to end production, it will have made just over 250. > **[Airbus scraps A380 superjumbo jet as sales slump](https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47231504)** > > The aircraft manufacturer ends production of the superjumbo after key buyer Emirates cuts order. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441/40 "2019-02-14T15:26:42Z")
Here’s CNN’s coverage of the Airbus decision: [https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/14/business/a380-airbus-news-emirates/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/14/business/a380-airbus-news-emirates/index.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airbus-a380-super-jumbo-arrives-at-dulles-airport-its-a-monster-plane/700441.md?page=3)