10 minutes ago, Chock said:

it's difficult to predict whether the online buying and resultant increased cargo ops trend would be a long terms thing which would make a freighter A380 conversion a viable choice.

I can't recall if the initial A380C was cancelled because they couldn't make them on the schedule FedEx wanted them, or it was tech issues with all the structural mods...but I think even if it was an easy convert...all the other obstacles you mention would do her in....in the long run.

There was this article...perhaps the big girl's last Hurrah.  Sad that the world crisis that all but ended her career (and may actually have), is now the one thing its relegated to helping fight.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/a380-hi-fly-auxilary-freighter/index.html

Regardless of what you think of her...there is nothing quite as breathtaking (for an avid aviation spotter), than to be on Manhattan beach at KLAX when one of these behemoths rumbled in the air just over your head, clawing for altitude as she's probably at/near MTOW, and watching her fly into the sunset.  Or at the same airport....standing in the little green patch (I think they call it a park) by In-n-out Burger off the 24's, watching one float in...seemingly hovering 3 miles out as her massive silhouette dwarfs the puny ERJ on the parallel approach to 25...then when she flies almost over you...close enough to see the slight oil stains streaked from ports in her belly, with a resounding wooooooosh and those RRs purring at idle, gives you chills to think what you just witnessed. 🙂    I'm very sad that short stint in aviation history is gone, but glad I got to at least see it with my own eyes. 

36 minutes ago, dolbinau said:

Well there already is an A350 for X-plane so if Inibuilds do end up releasing the A380 on X-plane they probably wouldn't want to compete with that. However, recognise for MSFS 2020 the A350 probably has a higher market of users than the A380 sadly. That said, it's crazy that the A380 has not had a good add-on release on any simulation platform. So I suspect if anyone can manage such a feat the dividends will pay off. 

 

I too have always found a bit strange that no proper complex depiction of the A380 exists in any sims. 

22 minutes ago, leprechaunlive said:

I too have always found a bit strange that no proper complex depiction of the A380 exists in any sims. 

The reason is the mind-boggling complexity of the airplane. Just think about how long the FSL A32S took, and the 350/380 is several orders of magnitude more complex.

Edited December 9, 20205 yr by Ilari Kousa

6 hours ago, dolbinau said:

...and perhaps the most comfortable aircraft to fly on ever...

Even stuffed at the back in cattle class for goodness knows how many hours? I've never been on one so I'm curious as to why it should be the most comfortable. Is it because of it's sheer bulk that it doesn't get thrown around to the same degree as a bizjet?

5 hours ago, RaptyrOne said:

I'm surprised that developers are focusing on this and not the A350.

I never thought I'd come to the big fat bifter's defence , but it is the biggest, fattest bifter of a civilian passenger airliner ever to grace?? the skies  Therein lies the reason. It is one of a kind, famous throughout the civilised world and thus worthy of developing into a product for flight sims IMO. The 350 looks quite similar (quite similar) to other widebody twins out there regardless of spiffy looking screens al over the glass cockpit..

22 minutes ago, HighBypass said:

I never thought I'd come to the big fat bifter's defence , but it is the biggest, fattest bifter of a civilian passenger airliner ever to grace?? the skies  Therein lies the reason. It is one of a kind, famous throughout the civilised world and thus worthy of developing into a product for flight sims IMO. The 350 looks quite similar (quite similar) to other widebody twins out there regardless of spiffy looking screens al over the glass cockpit..

Completely agree. I'm not really a huge fan of the A380 and nor am I hugely inclined to fly long haul flights in sims either, but despite this, some things are a must have for simmers, and I think the A380 would be one such thing for me, simply because it is the aeroplane with all the superlatives (in top trumps terms if not exactly in the looks department).

This is why I had to have the PMDG and the iFly B747s even though I don't fly them that much except for the D variant since it is short range optimised. In fact I've never even fired up the B747 in MSFS, not even looked at it, but I know it is there when I want to, and it'd be the same with an A380; at some point I'd want to have a go at driving the biggest tubeliner ever.

My ex missus describes it as 'that big fat biffer' (must be a northern thing) whenever it flies over her shop in Cheadle on the way into EGCC. Normally she's only ever interested if it is a Spitfire or Hurricane or Lancaster going over but the fact that she notices the A380 as different from all other airliners when it goes over says something about its unique place in aviation history. This means it would be a surefire seller on the MSFS marketplace, love it or hate it, you can't ignore it.

Edited December 9, 20205 yr by Chock

Note that I believe the terms bifter and biffer are interchangeable and that other superlatives are available 

24 minutes ago, HighBypass said:

Even stuffed at the back in cattle class for goodness knows how many hours? I've never been on one so I'm curious as to why it should be the most comfortable. Is it because of it's sheer bulk that it doesn't get thrown around to the same degree as a bizjet?

Yes. I've flown A380 Economy on some of the longest routes in the world multiple times (e.g. London to Sydney via SIN) and it's always a dream - quieter with a lot more headroom and a feeling of space than any other comparable aircraft and I've flown them all on similar routes (i.e. 777, 787, A350, 747). It truly is in my opinion the best place to fly long haul in economy. The A350 might be second. 

Edited December 9, 20205 yr by dolbinau

Thank you dolbinau for the clarification! 🍻