I'm filing one more post before the Big Event tomorrow morning. And it has to be the one about Big-ness. There are few aircraft in history that have an edge in size over the A380. One is the so-called Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" built during World War II. It’s a little wider than the A380. It has the distinction not only of being huge, but also being built entirely out of plywood.
The other record holder is the Soviet Antonov An-225 designed during the Cold War to a) be bigger and more intimidating than any puny American aircraft and b) if that’s not intimidating enough, to carry spacecraft on its back. The AN-225 is both longer and wider than the A380.
Only one of each of these monsters was ever built, which makes the A380 a different proposition altogether. For one thing, neither of these aircraft had individual gaming consoles. And for another, there will be hundreds of A380s plying the skies soon.
If you want to wallow in statistical superlatives, you can visit the Airbus web site, which has all the best data; or the Singapore Airlines site, where you’ll discover that if you stack five giraffes on top of each other, they won’t quite reach the top of the A380’s massive tailfin.
I have asked Singapore Airlines if we’ll be able to see this demonstration live on the tarmac when we board the plane. Fingers crossed.
The other record holder is the Soviet Antonov An-225 designed during the Cold War to a) be bigger and more intimidating than any puny American aircraft and b) if that’s not intimidating enough, to carry spacecraft on its back. The AN-225 is both longer and wider than the A380.
Only one of each of these monsters was ever built, which makes the A380 a different proposition altogether. For one thing, neither of these aircraft had individual gaming consoles. And for another, there will be hundreds of A380s plying the skies soon.
If you want to wallow in statistical superlatives, you can visit the Airbus web site, which has all the best data; or the Singapore Airlines site, where you’ll discover that if you stack five giraffes on top of each other, they won’t quite reach the top of the A380’s massive tailfin.
I have asked Singapore Airlines if we’ll be able to see this demonstration live on the tarmac when we board the plane. Fingers crossed.
