Posted
4/27/2005 05:26:00 PM
by Douglas
Looks like this
monstrosity finally got off the ground.
BLAGNAC, France - Cheered by tens of thousands of onlookers, the world's largest jetliner touched down Wednesday with puffs of smoke from its 22 outsize wheels, ending the historic maiden flight for a plane that Airbus hopes will carry it to market dominance.
The A380's four-hour sortie past the snowcapped Pyrenees removed any doubt that the behemoth capable of carrying as many as 840 passengers is airworthy. But it did little to convince skeptics, led by U.S. rival Boeing Co., that the plane will prove profitable.
But they still got to fill it up, and I can't imagine anyone that would be excited about getting in the damn thing. Anyone that's not a terrorist, that is.