Qantas's first A380 has a happy landing
QANTAS'S first Airbus A380 superjumbo has touched down at Sydney Airport to rapturous applause from the airline's employees.
superjumbo大型喷气式飞机 rapturous欢天喜地 applause欢呼
Hundreds of onlookers had also gathered along the airport perimeter towatch the jet make its historic landing at Kingsford Smith Airport.
perimeter 周边
Onboard the delivery flight, Captain Peter Probert, whose father broughtthe first Boeing 747 into Australia in 1971, told passengers that theflight had been a career highlight.
"It's one of the greatest experiences I've ever had in my life flying the Qantas A380 down to Sydney," he said.
Beforetouchdown the aircraft performed a series of circuits over some ofSydney's landmarks, flying towards the Sydney Harbour Bridge andpassing over the Opera House.
circuits 路线
The superjet left the Europeanplane-maker's home town of Toulouse after a glittering ceremony in theFrench city on Friday night and landed in Sydney about 9am (AEST).
glittering 闪烁的
The aircraft was greeted by a large group of the carrier's employees and their families.
Qantaschief executive Geoff Dixon had attended the handover ceremony inToulouse where he said the Australian carrier planned to boost itsorder for the superjet.
handover 移交
"We have started discussions with Airbus about increasing our order of A380s beyond 20," Mr Dixon said.
Qantasexpects to take delivery of three A380 by the end of this year, anothereight by the end of 2009 and all 20 it has on order by the end of 2013.
But after receiving its first A380 two years and two monthslater than expected, the Australian carrier cannot be too confidentabout receiving its future jets on time.
Mr Dixon said theairline was forced to "aggressively" adapt its flight schedules becauseof the Airbus delays, which came about because of a series of technicalissues with the aircraft.
aggressively 侵蚀性地 adapt使适应
If it were not for the delays,Qantas would already have eight to 12 of the fuel-efficient A380 jetsby now, he said. But any frustrations over delays were not evidenttoday.
evident明显的
Aboard the 450-seat plane, a sense of history lingered,with frequent comparisons with 1971 when Qantas introduced the jumbojet, the B747.
lingered 迟缓
"It's a huge milestone for Qantas," said flightattendant Todd Whitney, who was very excited to be chosen to be part ofthe Qantas A380 crew for the maiden voyage.
maiden voyage. 初航
Not since the introduction of the 747, 30 or so years ago, has there been such a historic event for Qantas.
Inthe cockpit, first officer Trent Kramer said the A380 was becoming aniconic aircraft already and that it was an incredible aircraft for itssize.
"It's very sensitive and very manoeuvrable," Mr Kramer said.
Compared to flying other jets, Mr Kramer said the main difference was that the A380 was much more sophisticated.
sophisticated完善
"I came off the A330, but the technology is far more advanced on this aircraft."
MrKramer said he trained to fly the A380 at the Airbus headquarters lastyear and then flew the aircraft in April and May and had been heavilyinvolved in training on the superjumbo simulator since then.
"It's a real thrill. It's a great aeroplane and a real step forward for aviation.
aviation航空
"It's got more space for people so it's a lot more comfortable and ergonomically it's cleaner and greener and quieter."
Thesuperjet will make its debut commercial flight from Melbourne to LosAngeles on October 20, with its first flight out of Sydney, also to LA,on October 24.
debut 初次登台
Flights on the Sydney to London route will begin in February.
Australia'sfirst female pilot to fly passengers, Ms Nancy-Bird Walton, 92, willattend the official naming ceremony for the aircraft in Sydney onSeptember 30.
原文地址
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24379510-5006301,00.html |