One of my mechanics worked for a airline in Phoenix. Smart guy. Asked about A380. He called it ScareBus; fair?

Answer 1

The problems that I'm seeing with this A380, based on magazine articles, deal with the fact that it's a runway hog.

If you hav a runway that could only, in an absolute emergency, let a B-52H perform an IFE landing, the runway is too small for the A-380.

Width and length are both issues, and there are a limited number of airports, worldwide, that can accept the A-380's weight, gear span and have any chance of getting the thing out again without razing the surrounding landscape of trees, buildings and such to allow sufficient climb gradient.

Essentially, according to the articles I've read, if there's an IFE or mecical emergency aboard the aircraft, and either occurs after the bingo point, the aircraft, pax and poor bastard having a heart attack in business class aren't going to see safe ground until the destination airport

Further, the aircraft develoment is massively over budget and being "pushed" into flight certification by the EU, which is heavily invested into Airbus. Add in the fact that Airbus has unresolved issues with flight controllability in the event of systems loss and integrety of the vertical stabilizers on existing aircraft and we could be facing the european equivalent of the DeHavilland Comet.

Also aviation breeds its own nicknames. A deceased training school, Flight Line, that I used to service was referred to as FrightLine. Flight Star became "Death Star," in our vernacular, and we substituded anything we could for tail numbers.

Anything ending in DK, for example, became "Dead Kennedys." I took to making my notes using he logo for the old thrash band.

I also referred to our old JetStars as "DeathStars," although that term was applied to the original JetStar with little french turbojets. 4 engine redundancy has insured that the reminaing JetStars are solid, flying machines that work hard and pay for it like a weekend warrior going to work o Monday morning after a pickup game.

So, summary, the A380 can't land at most international airports, if it can land, there's little guarantee that it won'thave to rendered to component parts and reassembled at an airport it can take off from. There are issues with the design of the vertical stabilizer mounts for the A320 and A340 that I'd like to see refined, resolved and eliminated before I'll feel safe on either and I really need to see the engineering changes to the 380 vertica stabilizer before I'll consider using it as a regular transport.

Answer 2

Ok well having worked Regular Airliners and C-5's for years. I think that the thing is just too honking big. You run into problems that on a normal sized Airliner are a pain but can be done.. On the Galaxy these things were MONSTER NIGHTMARES. And the 380 is even BIGGER.
For Example
1 Most Airports don't have a Hanger big enough for this whale.
2 We can't move the people through Security at a decent rate NOW. What are we gonna do when 500 people show up for ONE flight on a REGULAR basis?
3 BAGGAGE for 500 = 1000 bags or MORE since most have at least 2 checked bags.
4 Support Vehicles such as De Icers. Most of them are NOT big enough.
5 Runways and Taxiways as already mentioned.

Basically the ENTIRE Airport system WORLD WIDE was set up to handle X number of people for a plane that was X sized.
And here comes Airbus with a plane that carries XX number of people and is XX sized.
It just seems to me to be a Giant White Elephant. We will just have to wait and see what happens.

Answer 3

Nicknames for airlines and airplanes are common in the industry and among travelers.
USScareways, Air Chance,

Boeing 727- Three holer,

Constellation ( propellor, 4 engine "The best damn 3 engine airplane ever made. )Known for engine failures.)l

What does the "S" stand for on an airplane
Boeing 727S ( Sardine)

Re the A380, with 500 people on board, how long would you have to wait for your luggage???

Answer 4

"i'll wait for a boeing or douglas"

You'll be waiting a while for a Douglas, Boeing bought them and turned the DC9 into the 717. Very sad.

Funny that all the knockers of the 380 on this thread sound like US residents.

To answer the question, 'Scarebus' has been around since the A300 was created. Probably not fair, no.

Answer 5

Not sure what question your asking but I heard a joke about the scarbus today.

The airbus holds 500 people or 80 californians...lol...because the average california is overweight.

Answer 6

Yes I will never fly one. For one it is a time bomb that the euros let go
Read this engineers story, personal friend who has more scruples and ethics than any Austrian on the planet.

Answer 7

worked on a300's & a320's in san antonio a few years back. prefer not to fly on 'em. i'll wait for a boeing or douglas.

Answer 8

Yes, its too big for its own good... I dont want to fly on one, thats about the only airplane that I dont wish to fly on before I die...