audio

One problem with that is on a go around, the gear is down but the lever is still in the up position.

Would need another button or lever to select gear up.

steveq

What are you expecting ? A little TV camera that watches the gear ? ;-)

Its pretty standard. redlights show the gear isn't down, green show it is, and you need three of them. The fact that two people BOTH missed it is interesting.
Another report added "Contributing factors for the pilots' failure to lower the landing gear were the copilot's task over-saturation; the copilot's urgency to complete a long mission; both pilots' inattention to instrument readings and the Descent/Before Landing Checklist; and the copilot's false belief that the pilot had lowered the landing gear."

jkeller

At the 7:00 mark, a VERY quick wheels up.

jkeller

Air France's A380 goodbye video. Hard to believe that plane lasted only 11 years in their fleet.

Pulaski

Well obviously there was some demand for it (but more than 80% was in Asia, and 50% was just one airline, which should have been a red flag for the economic risks), but I think the economic argument to design and build it was questionable and clearly Airbus expected to sell considerably more of them than it ultimately did. I think the truth is that Airbus wanted the prestige of having built such a large aircraft, and allowed that thought to blind them to the exonomic risk.

It seems somewhat ironic that a plane designed to beat the 747 was only manufactured for about 11 years and went out of production before the 747, which was manufactured for over 50 years, and outnumbers the A380 by more than 6:1.

I am not sad to see it go - the 747 design was iconic, whereas there is little distinctive about the A380 other than to say "it's big, really big".

Steerpike

I agree; I was always truly quite excited to get on a '747', even though I only ever got to sit 'upstairs' once (disappointing, as I recall - but nice and quiet). I've only been on an A380 about 3 times, and really didn't like it. I paid extra for 'window' seats, only to find the view totally obscured by the massive wing! And the seats were always uncomfortable to me (though that is probably the individual carrier's choice?).

Kinda reminds me of Concord(e); economic value eclipsed by desires for prestige.

civilservant

Difference is Concorde actually was prestigious

Steerpike

That I will agree with! Always a treat to see in action, and some source of pride. The A380 - big fat lump of lard!

scrubbedexpat091

I remember the debates back in the day on forums, over the A380, some of them got very heated as well, some were 100% airlines would want bigger planes into the future.

Looking back at those old times, some of those forum debates were interesting, there was one guy who insisted San Diego would get a new airport, the marines would move from Miramar and everyone else was a fool to think the airport would stay where it is. Well here were are in 2020 and the airport has never moved, the Marines have not moved, and voters didn't support moving the airport, he kind of vanished not to be heard from again.

I'd be surprised at this point if San Diego ever gets a new airport in my lifetime. It will take the military shutting down a base to do it, or the airport will need to be out in the desert 90-100 miles from downtown or up in Riverside County, really nowhere within San Diego near the city where an airport could realistically be built.

Biggest regret was not taking a one way trip on the Concord, our pass agreement with BA allowed space available ticket on Concorde for 2,500US$ which of course was a lot of money considering we made under $8/hr but it would have been awesome to have done it.

Pulaski

Like many planes, I think Concorde was as enjoyable to see as it would have been to fly in it (note: I haven't flown in many aircraft - 777, 737, A340, 787 twice (to date), a 747 once, a few Embraers, maybe another unmemorable regional jet or two, and perhaps a 767, with the 777 being the only plane I have actually enjoyed flying in), and while flying in Concorde would have been memorable, it would not have been comfortable for you, as the cross-section of the plane is no greater than a touring coach, and you would not have been able to stand up inside - I have been in the protype at the FAA Museum, in Yeovilton.

I lived under the flight path at Heathrow for a few months, to the east, so usually the side for arriving aircraft, and Concorde was the only plane that made a racket on it's way into Heathrow. l also lived a few miles further south and east from Heathrow, both before and after living directly under the flight path, and when the wind was from the east Concorde would loop over SW London .... and shake everyone's windows. One year in June it flew over Wimbledon during the tennis tournament, and Concorde was audible on the TV coverage, and of course people looked up to see it. A moment later I went outside and saw it fly past my house - I lived only about two miles from the Wimbledon Tennis Club. .... But there was also horse racing on TV from Kempton Park, west of my home and just south of Heathrow, and Concorde could be heard passing overhead, on its way to .... Wentworth, a few miles further west where a televised golf tournament was being played, and Concorde put in an appearance there too.

scrubbedexpat091

Yes that I do know, it was more of a do it to experience and say you did it trip...not comfort,

But never managed a trip to Europe at all, I spent too much time flying around the US, Mexico.

Giantaxe

I'm old enough to have flown in both a Vickers Viscount and a DC3. The latter was an interesting flight - from Reykjavik, over the Vatnajokull glacier, landing on a then gravel runway in Hofn!

civilservant

I was too young to get to experience it (I was 19 when it was retired) especially as my family were very 'working class'

Jerseygirl

Hubby flew on Concord several times. Still got all the memorabilia that were given to the passengers somewhere.

scrubbedexpat091

I never did fly on it, but had I not been working for an airline with a good pass agreement with BA, there wasn't never any chance of getting on it at normal fares, even the 2,500 one way was pricey but I guess it was cheaper then the typical fare...

It would have taken 318 work hours to earn 2,500 at my then wage, probably why I never seriously did it...

I don't remember much about where I was when I heard about other aircraft accidents, but I know exactly where I was when I first heard of the Air France accident, was at the Super 8 Motel in Gila Bend, Arizona, turned on the TV and it was all over the news, the pass agreement was suspended after that crash and never reinstated.

I think I was 24 when it retired.