Cameron Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Hey Guys, I know that a trip in a plane doesn't typically warrant a photo trip report, but this particular trip was in one of the new Airbus A380 planes; of which there are only 13 currently flying. The flight from LA to Melbourne is pretty impressive on Qantas even on a "normal" 747, but add the A380 in the mix and it gets really special. Now before I go any further I should point out that I am a bit of a Boeing fan-boy, especially the good-ole 747. However I went in to the A380 not only open minded, but actively excited. Still though it really seems more of a Vekoma, compared to the B&M that is Boeing. I mean by the end of the flight, several bathrooms were out of order due to broken door locks, or clogged sinks. The inside of the plane (at least as far as "cattle-class" goes) seems in some ways even worse than the 747s, the biggest example being the solid plastic armrests. Still it is an incredible machine, and I'm thrilled I got the chance to fly in one (my return flight has a 747 scheduled). I manged to get actual sleep for about 5 hours, and snooze on and off for probably another 5. For the rest I ate (food, drinks, snacks (including all the red apples you can eat) are all free on Qantas), and watched some of the ample entertainment. On with the pictures! And a very mediocre view of beautiful downtown Melbourne from the Bolte Bridge. At the gate now, and I watched the (duel) Jetways move into position. It was super-cool. The plane is now taxiing to the gate. The other planes all look so tiny (this is mostly due to the fish-eye on the TailCam). And we're down! Brakes are applied, and the plane rapidly slows down. About 2 seconds before touch-down. Note all the black skid-marks on the runway! Probably about 10 seconds before touchdown - I could actually see the flaps on the wings extend. (Remember, this is displayed as live video on screen - it was amazing to watch). TailCam shows the end of the runway just in front of the nose - we're only a few hundred feet in the air at this point. Tray tables are locked, and seat-backs are up. Turning to begin the final approach to landing. Almost there - The last hour is always such a relief! The best part about the A380 is the TailCam, which you can watch live on your screen. This camera is mounted in the (8 story tall) tail, facing forward. When you press the "flush" button to flush the toilet, a pretty blue ring lights up like this (it always takes several seconds to actually flush after you pess the button). Half way done! The sink in the bathroom is cool. The faucet turns on automatically with an IR beam, but you use the red and blue buttons to adjust the temperature - which is then indicated with the coloured lights. Some of the "Premiere" movies - note that there are 18 movies available (I didn't watch any). I watched this docco about the A380 engineering, which was narrated by Richard Hammond! One channel shows a real-time map of the flight path. I took this photo about 90 minutes after we took off. There's a long way to go! (This also shows off one of my biggest programming gripes: 1 minuteS .. argh!). There is a seat-to-seat chat system available (the other seat has to be setup to receive messages from your seat). There's also a system to send SMS messages to any cell phone (for like $1 a message), or make phone calls. No actual internet access .. yet. Game categories include "3D", "Action", "Arcade", "Gaming", etc. I was actually too "busy" to play any of these! Six of the nine "encore" movies which are available. I was absolutely floored to see both seasons of Fawlty Towers in here. DON'T MENTION THE WAR! (Most of my non-sleeping time was spent watching this, and also "IT Crowd" which I had on my phone). Each seat is fitted with a touch-screen, which is the source of all entertainment and information during the flight. This gives each passenger their own video-on-demand system, which allows them to choose tv shows, movies, radio, audio books, etc. The nice thing is that it's all under passenger control, including pause and fast winding etc. On the back is a full QWERTY keyboard, and a game-pad. Flip open the top of the armrest, and there's this little (wired) remote control inside. The topside of the controller features typical seat controls that are found on a 747. This is a 15 hour flight. This means that when I sit down and look at my watch, I have to come to terms with the fact that the LITTLE hand has to go alllll the way around (and then some!). These planes are *big*. Looking out the window you just see a whole wall of plane. Note that there are actually two Jetways present, one for the upper deck and one for the lower. I rocked up to the gate several hours early. It had been 4 years since I was last in Melbourne, so I was super excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugart Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Awesome, I watched a Discovery Channel on the making of the A380 and it looks like an amazing jet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coaster_dude2002 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Those are some great photos Cameron! Glad to hear you did manage to get on the A380. That tail cam must have made takeoff and landing a whole new experience. Did you happen to get any photo of the interior? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintballer Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Reminds me of the 747's Quantas uses. Except the tail cam and the nice bathrooms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Yay, Cam's hopes and dreams came true. A ride on the 380! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Johnson Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I am glad that you made it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Awesome photos, that plane looks really nice. I can't even imagine how swanky the business and first class areas are. Loved the high tech faucet! Most of all, glad you made it!!! Have an awesome time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Wow, thanks for posting! That tail cam is uber cool. Glad you made it, and have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebl Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Is it true that there's a bowling lane on that plane? Just kidding. Nice report. I hope to visit Australia sometime. With luck, it'll be on an A380! Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiroo Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 That was an exceptionally cool report. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I'd also be curious to see some photos of the interior if you have any. I'm not really jumping on the idea of flying on this thing yet, as 'doom and gloom' as it sounds, I really believe that most of these planes need a giant fatal crash or problem to improve them and find flaws that no computer model can predict. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I'm not really jumping on the idea of flying on this thing yet, as 'doom and gloom' as it sounds, I really believe that most of these planes need a giant fatal crash or problem to improve them and find flaws that no computer model can predict. I was sort of thinking the same thing. It's sad, but true how that usually works. Also, how cool would it have been to see a tail cam on the Hudson crash landing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Cool photos. More planes need to have those seat-back TVs installed with on demand programming. Though I think I'd end up watching the Tail Cam the entire flight if that was available. Have fun on your trip! Try not to be eaten by all the sharks that are apparently currently surrounding Australia (this was on the news yesterday, squeezed into a few seconds between all-important OctoMom updates). dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameron Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 ^^^^ Sadly I didn't get any photos of the cabin. The thing is that the cabin looks pretty similar to a 747, so I didn't think it was worth the photo (plus with all the people around, I felt a little odd snapping really general pictures). Although now I realize that most people wouldn't have been in a 747 anyway, so the cabin picture would have been pretty cool. Sorry! It was cool to be in one, but the 747 is still my favorite! The fact that the 747 is still around and still so relevant and important after almost 40 years, shows how far ahead of the times Boeing was (and what an incredible accomplishment the design and engineering was). Cameron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downunder Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Nice report, one of my friends works for Qantas and as an engineer for the A380. There was a story that if LAX wasn't less busy because of the economic downturn that would have trouble handling A380's. What were the seats like compared to the 747, I hear they recline by pushing up more than back? Have a good time in Melbourne, if that's possible (I'm from Sydney, and we call Melbourne bleak city and Melbournites mexicans). I've never been to Melbourne for pleasure, only business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRapidsNerd Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Kudos for this one. Neat to see all the on-demand movies, games (pinball!), and chat. Agreed with everyone that the Tail Cam steals the show. So if the toilet breaks, do you think they get the red ring of death? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kumba830 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Dang! That is one awesome plane! The only planes I have been on have one bathroom and 32 rows with 3 across on each side... yeah that's pretty normal but that thing is huge! Have a good time in Australia Cameron! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameron Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 I'm from Sydney, and we call Melbourne bleak city and Melbournites mexicans Really? That's a bit mental. Anyway the seats do recline by also pushing the seat-pad forward a little. The Qantas staff are amazing on this flight, certainly light-years better than stupid United. All through the flight they were offering us snacks like cookies and apples, and more water than even I could drink .. They even had hot chocolate (with marshmellows!) during the main meals. All for free! The seats didn't feel any more or less comfortable than the 747s .. although the interior as a whole seemed to have a lot more hard plastic (like the interior of a cheap car). I don't know if this is how all A380s are setup, or whether Qantas simply outfitted the plane like this. Cameron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHulk Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I've always wanted to see an A380 for myself, yet alone fly on one. Like most though, I'd be watching the tail cam the entire time. And to think, when you fly a 747 on Flight Sim, all the other planes seem tiny...now imagine an A380 in real life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 There was a story that if LAX wasn't less busy because of the economic downturn that would have trouble handling A380's. LAX Story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueerRudie Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 As an airliner enthusiast, and as a person who's been on the 380 (Emirates, to Dubai, btw-) I have to say great report. It's good to see the differences in the ICE system from QF to EK- and there are some very nice differences- Did you notice the 'wobble' the plane does during cruise (the strange 'whale like' motion of the cabin left to right)? I did- as I've seen on other Airbus 'large' aircraft. Good job- and nice shots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy4Coasters! Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Hey bro it was nice meeting you at WCB. It was great and hope to meet up again soon whenever you come back to CA. By the way I guess with a name like "Cameron" is a dead giveaway that you can fly across the Pacific in style Well bro take care of yourself and I will try to learn that charming accent of yours ... Peace! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emily>piers Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 That is awesome! I would end up creating a lot of awkward situations with seat chat. I was thinking the same! You could be a proper text pest! Have a fab holiday Cameron. Emz x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandaman Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 That tail cam is freakin' sweet. Hope you have a good time visiting your childhood home while I visit your current one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Very cool, Cam!! Pleased to see this, it's good to see some of these rolling out as so many airlines have cancelled or reduced their orders due to "the current economic climate"... (So sick of hearing myself say that phrase...) Two things that I think are particularly cool are the Tailcam (though being a nervous flyer I'm not sure how much I'd be able to watch apart from when you're casually cruising above the clouds) and the Seat To Seat chat, which would have been amazing when three of us were flying to Orlando last year all sitting separately!! Thanks for posting these! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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