Airplanes

2007 is an exciting year for airplane enthusiasts (of which I am one).

On Monday (3/19), Airbus sent two A380s to the US for the first time ever (one to NY, one to LA) as part of its snowballing flight testing and PR program for that plane. The A380 is due to enter service late this year, and time will tell if it ends up being a successful airplane. But there's no doubt the A380 is cool, and 2007 is really it's "big year".

Also on Monday (3/19), Boeing held a press conference to discuss progress on its 787 program. Bottom line: the 787 is on schedule and looking good. Contrast that to the A380- which is at least a year and a half behind schedule and is by no means yet a "success" as far as profitability is concerned- and you've got an interesting day in the Boeing vs. Airbus war.

As an airplane enthusiast, I'm "into" both the A380 and the 787. But I also have to admit that I'm a Boeing "fan" and love to see Airbus struggle. Perhaps this is the one product category where I'm actually jingoistic. While I'd never recommend an American car over a foreign car (although, to be fair, I know jack-shit about cars), I do line up to salute the flag behind Boeing.

The A380 is a cool plane because it's really big. It's (much?) bigger than the 747. The 787 is a cool plane because it's really technologically advanced in regard to efficiency, and will hopefully bring the industry forward in terms of profitability, safety, passenger comfort, and environmental friendliness. The argument in favor of the 787 as a more exciting airplane is more subtle, but I think it's more meaningful.

The first 787 will be "unveiled" in July, and it will fly for the first time in August. After that, it's test flights all the way through to delivery to the airlines in 2008. But, again, for the Boeing 787 program- as with the Airbus A380 program- 2007 is the "big" year, and DAMN am I excited.