The unveiling of the A380 Airbus by memebers of the EU this week made me think of several things. One was the Titanic, one was the Hindenburg and one was the Spruce Goose.
We remember what happened to the Hindenburg and the Titanic, right?
http://www.sprucegoose.org/aircraft_art ... ibits.html
The day of the luxury liner is back. Not since the Hindenburg has such luxury been offered in the skies. Richard Branson of Britian's Virgin Atlantic Airline has promised gyms, beauty parlours, bars -- and even casinos and double beds on the six A380's that he has ordered. Branson joked, "you'll have at least two ways to get lucky on our flights,"
This is a huge machine. It has a wingspan of 80 metres (262 feet), overall length of 73 metres (239 feet), height of 24 metres (79 feet) and maximum take-off weight of 560 tons. The EU has spent some 14 billion dollars developing it. I hope it flies. They don't know yet. It has never flown. Not until next year will it be flight tested. Which brings us to the Spruce Goose.
During WWII, Henry Kaiser partnered with Howard Hughes to build what has become known as the Spruce Goose. Hughes and Kaiser were industrialists and engineers on the cutting edge in their day. The plane was huge and it was built of plywood. That was really an idea ahead of its time. They now use composites and laminates in space craft. But unfortunately the big bird liked the water better than the air and after making one test flight in the ungainly craft which achieved an altitude just slightly higher than the Wright Bros' first flight, Hughes deemed the ship unsafe and parked it. Yet Airbus has sold 139 copies of the A380 before it has even been flight tested.
Sure, it looks like a hotel with wings, but will it fly? Well, if it doesn't we'll get great body count because the thing holds 850 people.
