A380 visit down under - timeframe?

[QF WP]

DFS (1 Airport Drive) only opens at 10am (closes at 6pm), so an 8am arrival won't be a problem for Saturday, more of a problem for the Tues 10.30am departure and Wed 2pm departure.

Entry to Airport Drive - simple, don't go via the Arterial Road and through the roundabout. Better to approach from the north - so go up Sandgate Road, right into Toombul Road, along it to the Gateway and then turn right (heading south), taking the Brisbane Airport exit. This means that you don't have to go to the roundabout, as you have your own lane taking you onto Airport Drive without having to merge.

I live at Chermside, whenever there is traffic, I take this route. It saves 10 or 15 minutes.

Sounds like catching the train is the best option.

 

[Sequel]

Official info:

http://www.brisbaneairport.com.au/content/standard.asp?name=A380

I dont know how many of you are plane spotter as well as FF, but the following discussion should answer questions for anyone planning to go out and watch:

http://www.jetspotter.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2845&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60

 

[Damien]

This doesn't make my day any easier tomorrow. I have to be at the international terminal at 8:10 to collect Mrs Damien from her flight in from LAX.

I might have to leave an hour earlier than normal...

 

[NM]

I don't think I am going to bother attending. I fought the crowds and heat in June to see it at Le Borget in Paris and that was a great viewing opportunity. Not only did I see takeoff and landing, but also about 15 mins of flying display including sharp turns, climbs, figure 8 patterns etc. The on the Sunday I saw much of the flying display again from the train as we went back into Paris for some sightseeing.

So this time I think I will leave it to the local crowd queuers and just watch it on the TV news reports.

For those going in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, enjoy the day out and get some good photos.

 

[infoworks]

Just saw it land in SIN. Big!

 

[Groundfeeder]

I'm still waiting for my Qantas party invitation at BNE hangar. They will send a car, won't they.......?

 

[NM]

I'm still waiting for my Qantas party invitation at BNE hangar. They will send a car, won't they.......?

My invitation came with a CabCharge voucher included. Would have liked a limo, but I suppose a taxi will suffice.

 

[QF WP]

My wife and I were out at BNE airport on Sat AM to see the A380 come in (an hour late, 9.03am touch-down but it seems that was the same for SYD as well yesterday). Took my video camera and got the approach and touchdown on tape.

The supposed "chaotic traffic" was nowhere to be seen, we arrived at 7.45am after deciding that the train was going to be too complicated as we had to head over to Fairfield by 10am. Probably a couple of hundred people on the Level 5 Carpark "viewing platform" with us - we were lucky to be next to somebody with a scanner listening to ATC BNE approach, whereas there were maybe 500+ over near the touch-down point (in the elements). Would have been hot there...

To the naked eye, even from approach out of the clouds probably a couple of kms out, it was bigger than normal planes - more squat than a 747 and certainly quieter even withit's 4 engines. After landing it taxied down to the end of the runway, connected to a tug which took it straight over to Hanger 3 and settled in there with just it's A380 tail showing...

Also, had a FT friend whose F-i-L 2B was on the tarmac. He's sent through some great up close and personal shots of the plane, undercarriage, wheels, etc. from Hanger 3. Great shots.

 

[serfty]

I wonder if it was coincedence that VH-VXB (AKA Yananyi Dreaming) was in the background (plying its way between BNE & MEL) as the A380 landed.

 

[serfty]

MEL Web Cam

There's a webcam available currently showing the new Gate 9 double aerobridge on the MELAIR site:

"A380 - Victoria is Ready"

The A380 is due at this gate around 12:30PM.

 

[NM]

Re: MEL Web Cam

There's a webcam available currently showing the new Gate 9 double aerobridge on the MELAIR site:

"A380 - Victoria is Ready"

The A380 is due at this gate around 12:30PM.

And we now see via the web cam that the beast has arrived!

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

That angle highlights the pronounced angle on the wings

 

[serfty]

Re: MEL Web Cam

... And we now see via the web cam that the beast has arrived!

Yeah, but from 12:15 to 13:05 there was no refresh.

 

[varyingtravel]

I saw it land in Sydney yesterday.. got some great video along with another hundred or so people on the mounds of dirt next to the runway (behind the barrier fence unfortunately).. There was a bus next to the runway with quite a few people in fluoro jackets stadning outside watching it land. Talk about a birds eye view!
Unfortunately by the time I got to QP it had already been towed past. Certainly would have been a good view from there....

 

[MD]

Unfortunately by the time I got to QP it had already been towed past. Certainly would have been a good view from there....

I was in SYD QP when it departed this morning. Great view from the east lounge. It was noticeably quiet compared with the 747 that followed it.

 

[infoworks]

I posted some SIN pics at www.flickr.com/forums/a380/

I know it's not Oz.

 

[serfty]

Well I had a reasonable view of it from the QP yesterday evening.

Not as good as it could have been as Qantas had blocked off the "FT" corner for a special function. (Assume QF & Airbus Bigwigs using that area as it has the best view of where the A380 was gated).

It's larger dimesions when compared alongside a 747 are not so apparent, at least from 100 metres. It merely appears a to be very much FATTER aeroplane. I was able to directly compare this as QF9 was pushed back around past it on its way to SIN.

I noted this morning on the webcam that it had left the gate so I checked the stored content files and could see it was catered around 7:30pm then pushed back at 8:10pm.

Not a bad move perhaps as Melboune had some severe thunderstorms last night; MEL scored 24mm of rain.

 

[serfty]

The webcam is now defunct, however, the Melbourne Airport Web Site (MELAIR) has some 'video' pictures available of yesterday's visit.

Direct Link here: "A380 - Victoria is Ready" (Select "Download Videos")

There's "Landing and Taxiing", "On Board..", "Take Off" and some interviews.

Note the reverse thrust was NOT used with the outboard engines on landing.

I reckon it was that press conference that blocked off the FT area in the MEL QP; note the curtain in the last frames... that's the hallway through to to the South loos, showers and the business centre.

 

[markis10]

The A380 is doing a flying display at Changi at Lunchtime today and tomorrow, hopping to get some pix. Its also on static display at the west cargo apron outside these times but apparently the traffic will be a killer.

Needless to say she is in SIA guise, whats the world record for the number of paint jobs an aircraft has had, BTW the paint on a typical QF 767 weighs around 90kg!

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Are you in Singapore now? A group of FTers including yours truly went to the Asian Aerospace today to see the big beastie amongst other displays.

If you're going tomorrow - I suggest the best viewing is outside the exhibition centre (in the medium-high numbered carparks) rather than within. Today the A380 took off and landed on the far runway and some of the aerial display was hidden by the cargo building if you were within the exhibition centre.

Note crowds significantly bigger after the aerial display than before - took 20 minutes to fight our way out and another 20 minutes in the taxi/bus queue.