I belong to a special class of nerds that are actually fascinated by the different models of planes that ply our skies. If you do not share this “nerdishenss“, then you may want to skip this post!
It is the fiftieth anniversary of Airbus Industrie, established as a government initiative between France, West Germany and the UK that originated in 1967. The name “Airbus” was used as it was acceptable to the French linguistically!
This video captures a stunning tribute to all ten of the Airbus models
Which model is your favourite? I will be upfront, I have always preferred Boeings to Airbuses but I have grown to love some Airbus models- and detest others. My ranking of the Airbus models in order are:
- Airbus 380 – a four engined two storey monster which can carry up to 600 people. The A380 take off is like no other airline I have travelled in. This plane is meant to fly. I’ve flown this aircraft 160,000 kilometres (100,000 miles) around the globe. I am sorry to see the plane will no longer be built because it is a beautiful craft to travel in. This is probably my favourite plane ever.
The time I piloted a 380. (I wish)
- Airbus 318-only 80 of this plane were ever built. I enjoyed flying them especially when they climbed steeply into or out of airports. This plane was developed to handle short runways with steep approaches. Unforgettable delight to fly but too expensive to operate.
- Airbus 310- derived from the A300, this plane brought some significant innovations including one of the roomies and most comfortable cabins with spacious overhead storage, compared to other commercial jets.
- Airbus 340-a wide-body twin-aisle passenger airliner which has the distinction of being the first truly long-range aircraft to be produced by Airbus
- Airbus 350-While I was looking forward to the 350, I have been more disappointed with it than I expected. Turns out, I prefer the 787!
Aboard a Cathay 350
- Airbus 300-First flew in October 1972, it was the world’s first twin-engined widebody airliner. The beginning of the Airbus innovation journey. I came late to the party first flying the 300 when the now defunct Compass brought it to Australia.
- Airbus 321
- Airbus 330-While I have flown this model 89 times (map below), I have never felt fully relaxed and comfortable aboard them. I am trying the new Airbus A330neo with TAP Portugal in December, so I will be interested to see what it is like.
- Airbus 319- a very small model, this aircraft has a single overwing emergency exit and is much shorter than the A320 and the A321.
- Airbus 320-One of my most disliked models. Akin to the 737 which I also detest!
Happy anniversary Airbus!
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I really enjoyed the A310. I flew several on Pan Am. Of course, more leg room was the norm back then and planes were less crowded, so nostalgia may be playing tricks on me to make the experience more enjoyable.