General
World's largest passenger aircraft's one and only landing at sky harbor happened yesterday (not my video). Diverted on its way from Frankfurt to Los Angeles.
Lufthansa A380 diverted to Phoenix for refueling after a thunderstorm caused a ground stop at its destination, LAX. This was only the third time an A380 landed in Phoenix, with previous instances being Qantas diversions in 2017 and 2019
While understood the heading you chose was questionable, if not entirely untrue…had interest in the footage you shared. Enjoyed viewing, ty.
“I did what I knew. And when I knew better…I did better.”
MA
Agreed. The scale is lost against the backdrop of an entire city.
Reminds me of the old 747s British Airways used to run between Heathrow and Sky Harbor. Crazy to think these big birds are making 2-3 round trips a day back and forth across the ocean. Blew me away the day I found out the big 747 flying over my house every night around 830pm was the same one I saw coming in for a landing on my way home from work three hours prior--and that this was actually it's third visit to Phoenix every day.
and that this was actually it's third visit to Phoenix every day.
The British Airways service between PHX and LHR only ran once daily (it was ~10hrs one-way), though American Airlines did eventually add a second daily flight on a 777.
I used to live in south Scottsdale, and loved seeing that 747 fly into town like clockwork. Bummer they're no longer utilized here, but thankful I got to fly that route on one prior to their retirement.
I think both the ones it is closest too on the other runway/taxiway are American Eagle flights that tend to be smaller planes. There’s a couple larger jets at the gate that don’t look quite as tiny in comparison, but there’s more distance between them and the biggun, so it’s hard to tell
The ground stop was because of the weather... also I ser you spot from t4 garage. I usually park for work where everyone looks on the AA side floor 8 or 9
I heard a louder-than-normal plane fly over my house and I opened the FlightRadar app real quick and was shocked to see it was this. I ran outside and was able to catch a good look at it after it had already passed. Very cool to see!
Having sold camcorders back in the 00’s image stabilization was definitely a thing. That said the more you zoomed the harder in general it is to keep focus. Regardless of the stabilization the random panning and people on the way very much give it Blair witch project vibes.
Its engines are larger in diameter than the fuselage of most planes used for domestic travel. The power output from a single engine is probably more than all engines on something like an A320
So if you say the body is only 80 feet wide, that's 1.5 million square feet. That's less than one pound per square foot, so I'm sure my math is pretty far off, but still, that's generally light for an object, for the size.
It's not so much a heavy metal tube as it is an empty can.
Don't push in on that metal skin on the jetway when boarding either. It freaks out the other passengers when you tell them it's thinner than a soda can.
There is no center runway. There is a north and 2 south runways. The south are R and L. Mesa Gateway does have a Center runway.
Edit: Technically all runways at sky harbor are suitable. Just depends on the performance data. 7000 ft is the minimum required landing distance. BUT airlines don’t operate that close to the bottom of the envelope.
Officially and practically there is no center runway. Its means something drastically different. If I was doing a brief for landing and a pilot said there is a center runway, I won't be able to load the approach or brief the approach at all. that is because it doesn't exist. So practically it's wrong to call it that. It's also wrong to say the A380 has a specific landing distance. It does not, landing and takeoff data is calculated by performance information. Things like wind, temperature, weight are all variables in calculating landing and takeoff distances. The pilots of the A380 did performance calculations to make sure landing at sky harbor was suitable.
I'm well aware of the aeronautical distinction. If this was an aviation sub, I'd agree with you. But If I'm describing the airport to a layman just looking at a map, the term "Center" will be the most accurate description for someone wanting a quick answer.
No, because you’re feeding someone wrong information. If I’m driving an EV I don’t say it has an engine. That would flat out be wrong. I say it has electric motors. There is simplifying something and then there is being overly broad to feed wrong information. You can simply say, there is one north runway and two south runways. That gets the same information across without mislabeling them. I wouldn’t want someone to walk away and say to a pilot, there is a center runway.
It’s insufferable. Like even Motor and Engine are basically interchangeable these days. Even MIT thinks so. We don’t go to the “Department of Engine Vehicles”.
Also, I am a licensed pilot and if someone said “center runway” to me I’d know what they were talking about.
I am too and no, not one person would call it center because that's how landing on wrong runways happens. You should know being a pilot about the types of errors this can lead to such as incursions. I have been a pilot for more than 20 years and not one pilot I have ever met called a designated Right or Left runway as Center.
The In-n-Out nearest to LAX is across the street from a small park which is directly under the runway approach and adjacent to the fences for one of the runways. I've watched an A380 take off or land (don't remember exactly) and it is incredible!
I had the pleasure of getting a flat tire on century blvd so we spent some time in that cute park while the tire shop across the street worked on my car. And yup that’s the A380.
I live in Los Angeles now, and I'm maybe 7-ish miles from LAX, and man alive, when these beasties wind up, to start taxi/takeoff, you friggin hear it. You KNOW it's a A380. My work is even closer to LAX, and during the day the 405 freeway noise muffles them a lot. But at night? Whooooo-boy, it's cool as hell.
It's sad to think how many people on that AA plane missed a rare sighting alongside them because their shades were closed as they stared at their devices.
I work just at the west end of the runway and heard something shake the building yesterday afternoon. Ran out to see the tail end of that thing as it slowly flew into the sunset.
I love A380s. Having been in the upper deck of one before, it hardly even feels like you're flying when you're seated in one. Absolutely surreal experience.
That's a big girl - everything about physics holds true when this thing flies - haven't been on one, but the largest I have flown is 747/350-900 and 777-300
I hope there was at least 1 person onboard that Phoenix was their final destination and just got off the plane. Luggage will find its way to Phoenix eventually.
When British Airways came in from Heathrow, using the 747. They had to descend at exactly the right distance out coming in, or they wouldn't be able to land due to the amount of runway usage. If they didn't hit that mark, they would have to circle round and re-attempt the landing.
I seen this big ol chonker when it was leaving the city as I was driving home later in the afternoon. It definitely stuck out in the sky because it was so massive and also noticed the Lufthansa logo on the vertical stabilizer.
380
u/ElatedProgram 1d ago
Lufthansa A380 diverted to Phoenix for refueling after a thunderstorm caused a ground stop at its destination, LAX. This was only the third time an A380 landed in Phoenix, with previous instances being Qantas diversions in 2017 and 2019