It is with a somber heart that I announce the last survivor of a pivotal point in aviation’s history has died. The sole living survivor of the Hindenburg disaster is dead. One of the youngest passengers at the time, Werner Doehner, has died in the loving company of friends and family at age 90. Despite giving a few interviews, Werner was deeply haunted by what happened to him back in 1937, having the events of that fiery night literally seared into his memory and having not only lost his father and older sister in the raging inferno and suffered severe burns to his face and both arms and legs. Despite the interviews, he took some aspects of the experience to the grave.

On a more happier note, for all 747 fans and a380 haters on here, it is with great emotion that I announce that Airbus will be pulling the plug on the a380 in 2021. Since the increasing advent of plastic and reinforced carbon fiber composites in many areas of today’s next gen airliners, twin-jets and increased reliability of jet engines slackening ETOPS rules, airlines have been phasing out the legendary 747 and starting to do the same with the A380. Some have even gone forward to say the building of the A380 was a mistake and the massive losses is, has been and always will be a constant reminder of that mistake. So even though the 747 is also on the way out, the 747 will be getting the last laugh.

Happy holidays everyone!

"increased reliability of jet engines"

eh, maybe not too soon....

there are a lot of parked (long haul) twins about at the moment ......... one wonders where the cost curve fits for many of those affected airlines (who flew B744's)

 

I thought Airbus already made the decision to stop production last year or so? 

I think one of the contributing factors was that many airports around the world could not handle an aircraft of that size, or would not spend the money to accommodate them.  I think the developers of the A380 failed to take that into account, plus other factors such as future advancement and innovation in both aircraft and engine designs.  I split my time flying both Boeing and Airbus in FSX, and I often take a A380 for a spin:  I like the ease in which it responds for such a seemingly lumbering aircraft. 

7 hours ago, UAL744 said:

for all 747 fans and a380 haters on here, it is with great emotion that I announce that Airbus will be pulling the plug on the a380 in 2021

Maybe a bit off topic, but I keep wondering how a real aviation enthusiast could be a plane hater. 🤔

8 hours ago, UAL744 said:

On a more happier note, for all 747 fans and a380 haters on here, it is with great emotion that I announce that Airbus will be pulling the plug on the a380 in 2021.

While I understand your joy, given my son has been working for a A380 subcontractor, I can't share it.

Kind regards, Michael

Yeah, I don't understand either how pulling the plug on an aircraft would make someone happier, especially an aviation fan? 😕 Bah...

I agree.Its like a cowboy having to shoot a horse.

If I remember correctly its the way commercial aviation has evolved away from the emphasis on the big hub model to an increased importance of regional airports that really killed the A380. In other words there is a decline in moving large numbers of passengers  in long haul routes that require A380's and 747's and an increase in moving smaller numbers of passenger directly from their nearby regional to their final destination.

3 minutes ago, Avidean said:

If I remember correctly its the way commercial aviation has evolved away from the emphasis on the big hub model to an increased importance of regional airports that really killed the A380. In other words there is a decline in moving large numbers of passengers  in long haul routes that require A380's and 747's and an increase in moving smaller numbers of passenger directly from their nearby regional to their final destination.

That's exactly what my son told me. 

Kind regards, Michael

1 hour ago, pmb said:

That's exactly what my son told me. 

Kind regards, Michael

He knows what he's talking about 😉 It is sad to see it go. I am sure the company he works for will be supplying for other aircraft soon. The people who can do that kind of stuff don't grow on tree's.

1 hour ago, Avidean said:

He knows what he's talking about 😉 It is sad to see it go. I am sure the company he works for will be supplying for other aircraft soon. The people who can do that kind of stuff don't grow on tree's.

He is an engineer and was already transferred to an A320-related project for now. The A320 (and its relatives) have a real boom right now (not yet related to the 737MAX issues, as orders have been placed years ahead). Nonetheless the company struggles.

Kind regards, Michael

13 hours ago, UAL744 said:

So even though the 747 is also on the way out, the 747 will be getting the last laugh.

I never liked the Airbus vs Boeing rivalry, reality is neither company can make aircraft fast enough to meet market demand, therefore they are not in competition when they both have a large market share to fill. Also both companies employ Americans and assemble aircraft in the USA and have maintenance programs in the USA  while Boeing doesn't assemble aircraft in Europe for the European Market, but you won't see Europeans on here complaining about that but Americans have a major benefit in this situation

As for the A380, if you can get your head out of comparisons this aircraft will have a 16 year production run and will probably have 30 years in service, that is a success. When the 747 started Airbus didn't exist, therefore no comparison. But for a company that started in the 1970's and to reach the market share it has today and now assemble aircraft in both the USA and Europe I would consider Airbus a success story.

Anyhow, Happy Holidays to you too and yes learn to admire aircraft from all corners of the world as they all have a benefit for everyone.

You may not like the A380, but to take pleasure in its demise is a concept that I find difficult to understand.

I personally don't like to see any truly unique aircraft flying into history but it happens to all of them eventually. 

It was sad to see the DC9, 727, Concorde, and now the A380 and in the near future possibly the iconic 747 family go to the boneyards. But that is commercial evolution.