William Etty William Etty painting

William Etty William Etty painting
Steve Hanks Silver Strand painting
Airbus showed off its giant A380, a double-decked behemoth that could revolutionize long-haul flying. The A380 superjumbo is the world's largest passenger plane. The superjumbo A380, capable of flying up to 800 passengers, has a 262-foot wingspan, a tail as tall as a seven-story building and which cost $13 billion to develop.French President Jacques Chirac and other European leaders struck a triumphal note at the ceremony, hailing the A380 as a sign of Europe's capacity to generate world-beating industries. "It's a symbol of economic strength, technological innovation, the dedication of the work force that built it and above all of a confidence that we can compete and win in the global market," British Prime Minister Tony Blair said. The Airbus A380 was developed in response to the growing problems of airport congestion and air traffic control systems struggling to cope with the number of aircraft in operation.