Introducing The $300 Million Private Jet-an A380
 

While taken from a "blog", this story is still rather interesting:
Introducing The $300 Million Private Jet

Posted Feb 22nd 2007 1:45PM by Jonathon Morgan
Filed under: Business
An unnamed individual is slated to spend $150 million on an Airbus A380 -- the world's largest plane -- for personal use. Then he'll spend up to another $150 million upgrading the jet to create the ultimate "Flying Palace."
http://www.gadling.com/2007/02/22/in...n-private-jet/
P.S.:While re-reading story, found the link within it to WSJ site with more details:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article..._20070318.html

makes my gulfstream IV look like crap.

I know how you feel-my BBJ/737 seems like a toy now...but at least I can land it on my field.:D ;)
http://www.boeing.com/commercial/bbj/index.html

It's still made in Europe....

Yes, but the majority of the communications and flight controls were designed in the US.

And any kind of search will show you just how much trouble the program is in and how late and behind schedule it is.

I'm quite aware of the issues with the A380, my husband was on that project. According to him, all their work was done on time. The current issues are with the manufacturers.

Um, the problems are with wiring and also that the plane is tremendously overweight. A Web search will also identify a number of other claims by "inside" anonymous sources who talk about everything from the wings snapping off to a mid-air explosion akin to what happened with TWA-800 years ago.

I'd take a Boeing jet anyday over that flying tank. The 787 Dreamliner is going to be sweeeeeeeet and I am going to avoid flying on the A380 at all costs. Think the airport is crowded now, and that you have to wait too long to retrieve your luggage (or it gets lost)? Wait until you have to be in an airport with a 380 coming in/departing!

(disclosure: I have a family member that is a 30-year Boeing employee, and my bf is an engineer there)

Superjumbo Jet Coming to America
 

Superjumbo Jet Coming to America

By MATT MOORE
AP
FRANKFURT, Germany (March 18) - It may trail the historic impact of Charles Lindbergh's 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic, but the Spirit of St. Louis also did not have a wingspan wider than a football field or space for more than 500 passengers.

For plane builder Airbus and German airline Lufthansa AG, the A380's first flight to North America on Monday is a chance to show off the superjumbo to potential U.S. buyers and to the airports they hope will be flight bases for the double-decker jet.
http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_...18175309990001

How many Airports are going to be able to handle this big and heavy sucker with out tearing up the runways, taxi strips and tarmac?:confused:

The French want to strike as they cannot build it properly and again atre gettting their butts kicked by Boeing.

The Airlines are living on borrowed time with old equipment in flight now.:eek:

Granted, the biggest thing I ever flew on was an L-1011, but according to piolets it was one of the bst planes ever made. But the DC - 10 by McDonald won out. Didnt trust a plane when the engine was sticking out of the tail! Especially when the one went down in Chicago!:o

Bigger isnt always better!

:( Big planes scare me

Wow, I agree with...Tom Earp.

Something else that should be pointed out is that this plane is so big that, like Tom said, many airports will not have runways and facilities capable of handling the A380. So, if for some reason a flight has to be diverted from its intended arrival airport for emergency or other reasons, it could be total chaos.

And a report I saw seems to go against what the French pilots are reporting.
That the plane does not drive/fly like a sports car.
The larger the plane, the harder and slower it is to react to controls.

Onboard the Airbus A380
 

Fodor's Travel Wire > News
Onboard the Airbus A380

When the first commercial flight of a 747 took off from Washington D.C.'s Dulles Airport on January 22, 1970, critics carped that the plane was already obsolete. What did they know? The 747 went on to dominate the skies for the next three decades.
http://www.fodors.com/wire/archives/002432.cfm

I've flown in the 'TriTanic' (the L1011 TriStar), the 'Death Cruiser' (the DC-10) and the 'Whale' (the Boeing 747). The Tristar, while a better aircraft than the DC-10, was hobbled by only one engine selection (Rolls Royce RB.211) that nearly killed the program.

AA 191 (the DC-10 that bought it in Chicago that May day in 1979) was a victim of poor maintenance practices and a poor redundant design. When the engine tore off the left wing, it took out the hydraulic system for the wing leading edge slats. While the 'Diesel 10' had better sales, it could never shake off the stigma of AA 191.