Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2007 (19. évfolyam, 1-50. szám)
2007-03-30 / 14. szám
AMERICAN íjungarian Journal Airbus A380 Makes Its US Debut The “flagship of the 21st century it is huge, but is it viable? Announced in 2000, Airbus’ A380 was designed to satisfy airline demand for more passenger capacity on long-haul routes. It can carry as many as 853 coach passengers (or, more typically, 555 in a three-class configuration) vs. the 747’s top three-class load of 416, and does so with greater fuel efficiency and significantly lower noise levels both inside and outside the aircraft. But the super-sized jet has been hobbled by lengthy production delays, management shakeups at Airbus and a growing chorus of curmudgeons claiming the over-budget big bird may be another Concorde, the flashy game-changer that was a commercial flop. The world’s largest passenger plane made its West Coast debut on March 19, after landing at Los Angeles International Airport. The Airbus A380, making an inaugural test flight from the builder’s headquarters in Toulouse, France, arrived at about 9:30 a.m. after making a slow descent through murky skies. Meanwhile* in New York, another A380 landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Shadowed by reporters and photographers, passengers rated the seat-back entertainment systems, cabin lighting (it changes colors to mimic day and night) and air quality (which offers more humidity than standard cabins). On the upper deck, where they climb on a staircase wide enough for two or three passengers standing side by side, they check out a curved bar, and marvel over a tail-mounted camera beaming real-time views of the fuselage and curved wings so massive that 70 cars could park atop each one. Takeoff is smooth and surprisingly swift; the A380 requires less runway space than a Boeing 747. But there are still minor problems to be worked out, such as the lines for the toilettes (there are 15 lavatories in all). The A380 is “somewhere between hubristic and outright folly,” says aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia of The Teal Group, adding it could be relegated to “a footnote in aviation history.” “I still need someone to tell me if this plane is going to make a positive difference in my life,” says NBC Today travel editor Peter Greenberg, ensconced in a business-class seat on an upper deck as wide as the cabin of Airbus’ twin-aisle A340. Like other skeptics, he questions whether strained airports can handle so many fliers descending at once on gate areas, immigration counters and baggage carousels. Of course, he says, “the jury is still out.” March 15th Celebrated in San Francisco Pictured Left to Right: Dr. Gabor Kaleta, Consul of Hungary in Los Angeles, Dr. Eva Voisin, Honorary Consul General of Hungary in San Francisco, Dr. Anita Jasinka, wife of Gabor Kaleta, Ildikó Zentai, President of the Hungarian Catholic Mission and Reverend Maurus Nemeth, OSB. About 300 members of the San Francisco Bay Area Hungarian community celebrated March 15th at the Woodside Priory last Sunday. Organized by the Hungarian Catholic Mission, the program included a procession by Frank Bakonyi, leading his First California Hussar Regiment, and re-enactment, in period costumes, of the events of 1848 at the Pilvax Café, the Länderer Printer and the National Museum . Original speeches by Petőfi, Kossuth and Jókai were followed by historic dances and songs of the period. The keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Gabor Kaleta, the newly arrived Consul of Hungary in Los Angeles. Eva E. Voisin If you are still smoking: PLEASE STOP! The Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft, landing at Los Angeles International Airport (Los Angeles Times) Early discussions about the A380 included such fanciful possibilities as beauty parlors, waterfalls, gyms and shopping arcades. When the plane made its official debut in Airbus’ home base of Toulouse, France, two years ago, Virgin Atlantic chairman Richard Branson boasted that his A380 passengers would have “two ways to get lucky” — in an on-board casino or an airborne double bed. (Virgin has since delayed its orders to 2013.) But aside from a few gee-whiz features such as roomy lavatories with windows and twin couches on the upper deck, the interior of this demonstration A380 looks like a regular plane, albeit one on steroids. Airbus has orders for 156 super jumbos from 14 carriers (none of them U.S.-based), and each airline will make its own cabin modifications. While the details remain closely guarded secrets, history suggests practicality will trump fantasy: Early promotions for the 747, which came out in 1970, included a movie theater and a Tiger Lounge, complete with skin-covered couches. A few airlines used the 747’s iconic hump for piano bars, but they quickly gave way to the airline industry imperative: bottoms in seats. With international air passenger traffic expected to double over the next 15 years from last year’s total of about 2.2 billion, the A380 will be popular, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, because it carries a lot of people to far-away places. Rival Boeing champions the idea of smaller planes flying point to point on international routes and is pumping the high-tech virtues of its midsized 787 Dreamliner, due in 2008. Boeing’s stretched passenger version of the 747 is due in 2010. From an environmental perspective, the A380’s delayed debut comes at an opportune time. With the Bishop of London declaring last summer that flying on holiday was a “symptom of sin” because of carbon emissions, the new airliner might be called the ultimate form of carpooling. It is 20% more fuel-efficient than its largest rival, getting about 80 passenger miles a gallon, or about as much gas per passenger, per mile, as a Ford Taurus with three people on board. Its four Rolls- Royce engines emit about half the noise of the 747. For all the promises, uncertainties and unanswered questions about the $319 million A380, it remains a huge gamble for the company behind it. Airbus marketing chief John Leahy goes out on a limb as long as the A380’s wingspan. He declares in an on-board documentary: “Either this is going to be that flagship of the 21st century, or it’s going to be a disaster.” Book Highlight: Prof. Peter Hargitai, “Daughter of the Revolution” For 12 days, countless Hungarian teenagers fought in the bloody Hungarian Revolution against Communist tyranny and overwhelming Soviet armor. They set up tank barricades, tossed Molotov cocktails, and with their confiscated Russian submachine guns made a stand on the streets of Budapest, hoping to hold out until help arrived from the West. But there was no help. Nobody came to their aid. This is the story of one such brave freedom fighter - a 14 year-old girl. “We have only one way of being true to Hungary, and that is never to betray, among ourselves and everywhere, what the Hungarian heroes died for.” Albert Camus “On the fiftieth anniversary of the Hungarian uprising, Peter Hargitai’s newest novel, Daughter of the Revolution, captures the spirit of that time as it follows the Cheetah, a 14 year-old schoolgirl turned revolutionary who takes on the tanks and machine guns of the Soviet Red Army.” - Richard A. Schwartz, author of Cold War Reference Guide, Cold War Culture, and a political novel, The Conflicted Liberal. The book is now also available in the Hungarian language from Puski Kiadó (trans. by Laura Lukacs). More information: www.americanhungarianfederation.org / amsz.org / hungaryl956.com ' DUNA Travel 8530 Holloway Dr. If 102 IV. Hollywood, CA 90069 Spa, Hotel foglalások, Kocsi bérlés Kedvezményes repülőjegy árak LAX-BUD-LAX $545.-tói +TX. Információért hívják ZSUZSÁT TEL: (310) 652-5294 FAX: (310) 652-5287 1-888-532-0168 Március 30,2007
