Article:
A380 First Commercial Flight Experience
Re: Comparison with VLJ Day Jet first flights experience
Written by: Oscar S. Garcia, Chairman InterFlight Consulting
Written for: MIU Events
Videos and Photos: Courtesy of Chris Sloan, Owner of Airchive.comAirbus
A380
Singapore Airlines Inaugural Flight
October 25th, 2007
….Flying in the World’s largest Very Heavy Jet (VHJ)….
October of 2007 held two historical aviation events. On
October 3rd, DayJet, Inc in Florida inaugurated the world’s
first on demand “per seat” commercial air service using
the world’s smallest commercial jet, the 4 passenger Eclipse
500. Then, on October 25th, Singapore Airlines flew the
world’s first commercial flight on the largest passenger
jet ever built, the 555 passenger Airbus A380 from Singapore
to Sydney, flight SQ 380.
DayJet’s
historical first is geared to allow individuals to fly where
and when they want, to destinations too far to drive in
their cars and too close to efficiently use conventional
airline hub and spoke systems. The A380 first flight from
Singapore to Sydney is the answer to luxury mass travel
between megalopolis in an airplane which is really two Jumbo
jets one of top of the other.
Luckily,
I was invited to attend both events, experience the aircraft,
and spend time with employees, customers and media. I was
very privileged as well to share some thoughts with the
CEO’s of both companies, Ed Iacobucci of DayJet and Chew
Choon Seng of Singapore Airlines, about their unique historical
first in “opposite ends” of the air transport industry spectrum.
For all of us involved in the Very Light jet and Air Taxi
Industries, here are some interesting facts. The A380 Very
Heavy Jet (VHJ) weighs 100 times more than the Eclipse 500
Very Light Jet (VLJ). It transports 150 times more passengers
than a DayJet plane and also costs 200 times more than its
diminutive sibling.
Here
are some highlights of my experience on the A380 first commercial
flight.
The
check-in atmosphere at the Singapore Airlines specially
decorated ticket counters was jovial, the crowd was talkative
and the media and paparazzi frenzy made the scene look like
the world’s first commercial flight ever.
Beautiful
Singapore Airline flight attendants welcomed and ushered
us to a light breakfast buffet in the boarding lounge, where
we enjoyed delicacies such as exotic fruits, dim sum, champagnes
all the while accompanied by a classical string quartet
playing from an A380 themed stage. The Singapore Airlines
CEO was happy to inform everyone that almost US$2.0Million
had been raised and that all proceeds would be donated to
three charities in Singapore and Sydney, he enthusiastically
let us know that he would be on the flight as well. The
charities’ chairmen were delighted with the donations and
made touching speeches. Chevron Fuel’s CEO spoke in the
name of all sponsors (including eBay and Google amongst
many others) and donated the fuel for SQ380 inaugural return
flight.
As I was on the upper deck, boarding the plane meant I climbed
“up” the jet way, which was a first for me. Entering the
plane, I inhaled a breath of that “new airplane” smell and
it really felt no different from entering a wide body Airbus
A340, except that underneath, there was another wide body
jet the size of a Boeing 747-400. I went down the spiraling
staircase on the rear to take a look downstairs and there
it was, a huge deck, wider than a 747 and almost the size
of a ferry boat.
The
plane rolled out on time at 8:00AM and the engines were
so quiet, it felt like we were being towed. A few minutes
later we were whispering down the runway with almost no
acceleration and after almost a minute, looking out from
the window it felt impossibly slow, the airplane lifted
off and climbed. The wings are twice as wide as the 747’s
and they indeed look like massive up-curved horizontal sails.
Cruising, TV and print media reporters had a blast talking
to excited passengers and found out why they were there,
where they came from and how many thousands of dollars each
paid for their seats on the most “complex” eBay auction
in history. Everyone had paid a lot of money to be on board
and there was a collective commitment to party, have fun
and make this flight truly memorable.
The
seven and a half hour flight was a cocktail party from nose
to tail, everybody was standing and the fine weather and
smooth flight made this, by far, the most relaxed and social
commercial flight I have ever seen. Flight
attendants gave tours of the enormous business class seats,
the widest in the world, and demonstrated how the beds unfold
and turn into the largest flat beds in any business class
in history. The first class suites, 12 of them, are true
enclosed bedrooms, 8 individuals and 4 double beds for traveling
couples. The seat belt buckles have sensors so flight attendants
can confirm that passengers are buckled without having to
come in the suite and disturb the guests. Both business
and first class seats carry a 25% premium over the same
seats in other Singapore airlines aircraft.
The
entertainment systems are out of this world, even in economy,
with internet access, Microsoft office built in software,
emails, USB ports, MP3 ports and a never ending selection
of movies, music, travel guides, TV and every conceivable
audio visual entertainment access.
Throughout
the flight, amused and at times bewildered flight attendants
served unlimited glasses of fine wines, champagnes and food
delicacies courtesy of two renowned chefs from Singapore
and Sydney (both onboard as well). A twenty two year old
students birthday was celebrated with cake and “dry ice”
smoke in lieu of candles; the oldest passenger, a 91 year
old man, enjoyed his first class suite whilst the youngest,
a 10-month old baby, slept as the A380 cruised the skies
over the South Pacific perfect blue skies.
Singapore
Airlines’ Captain Robert Ting and CEO Chew Choon Seng roamed
the cabins giving interviews, sharing personal views about
the airline and the airplane to the delight of all passengers
who at times surrounded them and would not let them go without
questions, handshakes and well wishes.
We
all wanted the flight to last twice as long but before we
knew it, the plane started its long smooth descent into
Sydney’s airport. Following a smooth and impossibly quiet
approach, the runway became visible and a swarm of vehicles,
cameras, photographers and helicopters lined up the taxiways
to welcome the new ‘Queen of the Skies’. Within seconds
of a textbook smooth touchdown (people clapped and cheered),
the footage was aired all over the world possibly making
it the most watched commercial airliner landing in history.
I
stayed until the last passengers deplaned and was awarded
with a courtesy tour of the cockpit, which was very wide
indeed but unusually short for a plane this size, fitting
two pilots in the front and two observers in back. Two pilot
bedrooms for long flights were lodged in the ceiling directly
above and behind the cockpit door. As the three Captains
finished their post flight paperwork and ordered fuel for
the return flight to Sydney, I noticed a fourth Captain
watching every move, form filled and switch turned in the
cockpit carefully. I found out later that he was Airbus’s
most senior Chief Test Pilot and that he was in command
of the first test Airbus 380 to ever fly. It was an honor
to shake his hand and he gracefully signed an A380 book
for my friend and travel companion on this trip, Chris Sloan,
aviation TV producer and owner of one of the world’s largest
airline private collections (www.airchive.com
)
I
deplaned the aircraft behind the pilots and followed them
all the way to the arrival hall where a mob of press, flashes,
cameras and frantic media reporters took them by storm as
if they were the first men to return from the moon or better……….Mars.
All
in all, I think this was the most interesting commercial
flight experience since, 37 years before, the first commercial
Boeing 747 took to the skies from New York to London in
Pan American Airline’s colors (one of the passengers on
that flight was onboard SQ380 as well).
The
party continued at a wrap-up gathering held in the Hilton
Hotel’s penthouse bar where we collectivity shared our experiences
and viewpoints, exchanged cards and decided to stay bonded
forever through this once in a lifetime experience.
We
all now share the wonderful experience of being the first
to fly in what probably will be the world’s largest commercial
airliner, as in the future size will most likely be traded
for speed and altitude, I suppose!
My
return flights to Miami were on what seemed much “smaller”
Boeing 777 and 747 -400 aircraft. Of course, this is all
relatively speaking because as I was sipping champagne in
the A380, for a second, I thought about DayJet’s Eclipses
flying back and forth from their Florida Day Ports giving
their 3 passengers total freedom to choose when and where
to go and most importantly, allowing them to be home for
dinner and on time for a good night kiss to their kids.
-End-
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