Recent content by DHHeronCLE

First, Airbus was originally organized by French nationals, under French law, using a legal structure with no US equivalent. To say that Airbus is not a French creation is to fail to give credit where credit is due. Second, the 747 was not funded by the US government in any way. Boeing did...

The A380 will have very obvious uses for certain carriers on certain routes. Wheather its utility will extend beyond a few Asain and European routes remains to be seen. How many 747s actually saw domestic US pax service? Airbus is ahead at the moment, and the A320 has done quite well. In all...

Good point. I have noticed that number of cycles often equals or exceeds number of hours on short haul planes. Still, I find the idea of something actually wearing out 10 or so career pilots in its useful life quite impressive.

I have seen both 747 and DC-10 a/c offered for sale with more than 100,000 flight hours, which I find awesome. What are the highest time types you have seen?

Airbus is and has always been a French enterprise. The fact that they have gotten the Germans to contibute major funding is irrelevant, given the expertise DASA showed wrt Fokker. Airbus survives only as a result of government subsidy. The original product, the A300, was virtually unsaleable...

I have long thought that both Boeing and Airbus have been missing a major part of the game in ignoring Embraer and Canadair. Boeing has had decades of success in the commercial business and I don't think Airbus is slated to eat Boeing's lunch just yet. In any event, all it takes is one bad...

The 757 was a response to the upcoming A320. The a/c sold in reasonable numbers and no doubt made money for Boeing. As an aside, I find it amusing that Boeing has to try to earn commercial returns on its products, while the French (Airbus is really a French enterprise) are able to draw upon...

First flight was an AA B-707 in 1964, CLE to LAX. Have since flown in any number of A/C. One really neat flight was from Kelly's Island to Port Clinton on an Island Airlines Ford Tri-motor, in 1972 or so. I wonder whatever happened to that old bird? Favorite? Well, they are all great, from...

The Sonic Cruiser was never more than a trial balloon, intended to take some of the buzz away from the A380. Had Boeing seriously proposed a mach 2 a/c, like Concorde, with nearly 40 additional years of knowledge included, the aviation world would have been awed, and the a/c would be under...

I always though I would get to take a Concorde trip, but I failed to act quickly enough. The a/c is a remarkable technical acomplishment, all the more so in that it was built using early 'sixties technology. No other a/c has ever flown at Concorde speed over Concorde ranges carrying Concorde...

[FONT=Times][SIZE=1] The point is, airline travel is pretty fungible. I have flown any number of carriers and any number of types over the past forty years. The product offered is that you plant your a$$ in the seat (assigned or not), and the airlplane takes you to where you want to go, while...