These photos keep coming to my inbox in the form of a 2MB Powerpoint presentation. I would have uploaded them to Picasa, but I felt the captions are important, so to preserve them I exported it to HTML.
As far as I can determine, the photos are credited to Michael Schlicting of United Ground Handling Services. Although he didn't share them with me personally, I am glad he shared them with others in our industry. Thanks, Michael!
Found this video of a beautiful night landing of the A380 at Washington Dulles International earlier this week.
YouTube suggested this video as related to the ones we have been uploading. I have to say that the graphics are quite amazing, very realistic indeed!
Director of Customer Relations and Marketing Marcus Casey provided us with this clip of the A380 safety video, captured during its demo flight over Manhattan on March 21.
Wednesday was a much longer day than Monday. I was invited to an interior tour at Hangar 19 at 13:00 and nearly got lost on the way. Inside the hangar, a loungy tent with sofas, refreshments, and a coat check provided a comfortable spot to mingle among media and Airbus/Lufthansa execs. Many of my colleagues provided support at the affair, checking people in and giving out tour boarding passes.
Tours groups were about seven people in size, and Airbus VP Communications Clay McConnell escorted each group to the aircraft outside. Along the way he gave an informative chat, which included already known facts like the craft's height, wingspan, and engine thrust. However, he also pointed out that the plane is number 007 and that the tailsign ends in "JB" for James Bond. Additionally it can travel at 85% of the speed of sound - very impressive given its rave reviews for operating quietly, inside and out.
Clay explained that this aircraft is designed to test cabin systems, which means that its appointments were not standardized throughout; rather many different cabin options were on display. For instance, in some sections the seating configuration was 3-4-3 like the 747, and in others it was 2-4-2 like the A340. Different sections of the Economy Class cabin boasted varying color schemes and upholstery, and overhead bin sizes varied as well. The Business Class section was on the upper deck, while Lufthansa has already discussed configuring the upper deck for First Class instead.
I enjoyed Clay's introduction so much that after the interior tour, I asked him if he would mind if I recorded it for the blog. He graciously agreed (thanks, Clay :) I will update this post on Monday with the video.
Update: here is the intro video, as promised.
Imagine a cruise ship that flies. A huge wing span. A spacious interior that lets you stand up straight. Wide aisles. Modern everything! But what is truly amazing about the A380 Airbus flight I experienced this morning was the smooth, unbelievably quiet ride. It glided into the air without a ripple or hiccup. There was so much room, people gathered in groups in the aisles of all three classes. The day was perfect to fly because it was so clear and sunny. Some guests were conducting video interviews, others stared at the giant wings, and some tested every possible angle of their seat. One of the funniest moments was seeing a videographer lying flat on his back in a first class seat. The minute we boarded, cameras came out of suit pockets and handbags. Everyone had a look of surprise and delight on their faces, because this was real excitement. A little piece of history in the making. But what I'll never forget was the taxi back to hangar as we passed baggage handlers, security, port authority workers, police. For a minute, they stopped what they were doing to look at this new bird. They waved. They took pictures. And I realized no one is immune to the thrill of seeing something incredible for the first time!
This video clip distills the contents of the two-hour documentary I mentioned earlier into a seven-minute assembly.
