A380 Featured On “Rise Of The Machines”

A380 Featured On “Rise Of The Machines”

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As some of you may recall, last December I flew Air France A380 first class from Los Angeles to Paris, which was a product that really impressed me (though I was most impressed by their amazing first class lounge in Paris).

Air-France-A380-First-Class-03
Air France A380 first class cabin

One of the more interesting aspects of the flight was that a film crew seemed to be filming around the tarmac during boarding and taxi.

In my review of Tom Bradley International Terminal I posted the following:

In addition to being refueled and catered, there was a camera crew down on the tarmac filming. Anyone know what they were filming for?

Tom-Bradley-International-Terminal-19
Tom Bradley International Terminal Air France A380

And then as we were taxiing to our departure runway, 24L, there was an airport operations car with a film crew inside. I wrote the following at the time:

Interestingly the film crew that was filming by the engine during boarding was now in an “Airport Operations” car, and drove next to us as we taxied to the runway.

Air-France-A380-First-Class-28
Emirates A380 and airport operations car

Anyway, I think I finally have an answer as to why they were filming. The History Channel has a documentary called “Rise of the Machines,” and the most recent episode revolved around the Airbus A380. They used an Air France A380 flying between Los Angeles and Paris for the show.

Now, I don’t think I was on the actual flight that they’re “following” in the show, though my guess is that they didn’t film all the footage in one day, between showing them loading bags, following the pilots, etc. But it seems they may have done some of the tarmac shooting on the day I was flying.

I guess I should have waved at the car from my seat!

I know, I know… cool story, bro…

(Tip of the hat to @PresRDC)

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  1. Ivan Y Diamond

    Glad I'm not the only one who thought this was rather sensationalized. It's not really clear what's different/special on A380 compared to other planes.

    Making a fuss about making up a 30-minute delay seems weird too.

    Also, any idea why it'd be Air France itself testing the engines and not Airbus/contractor?

  2. trust778 Guest

    GREAT documentary! Enjoyed watching it. Hopefully I can fly the A380 soon.

  3. TravelinWilly Diamond

    And now that I've watched it, it was difficult to do.

    The fact that they kept "exploding" the plane, and then plane parts, to get a better view of things wasn't necessary, and startled me every time. They needed not to do that.

    Also, the narrator's voice/tone seemed to imply that it's a miracle we don't have planes crashing into our backyards every day since planes are metal tubes hurtling through the sky at...

    And now that I've watched it, it was difficult to do.

    The fact that they kept "exploding" the plane, and then plane parts, to get a better view of things wasn't necessary, and startled me every time. They needed not to do that.

    Also, the narrator's voice/tone seemed to imply that it's a miracle we don't have planes crashing into our backyards every day since planes are metal tubes hurtling through the sky at 600 mph, and landing is so dangerous. So I felt myself getting stressed out over something I know is completely safe.

    So I didn't love this one. I enjoyed the LH 380 video much more. Though it was cool that some of your plane was filmed at LAX.

    I hope nobody else posts comments here. I've enjoyed monopolizing them on this thread, and I feel that the comments section is *mine* now. :) :)

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ TravelinWilly -- Hah, totally agree, didn't love the show, but for selfish reasons couldn't help but share it. :D

  4. TravelinWilly Diamond

    ...and because I cannot edit, I'll add this: It wouldn't play in Firefox for some reason, however it played fine for me in Chrome.

    I'm glad I could add such value to the discussion that I alone am having with myself. :)

  5. TravelinWilly Diamond

    Darn! I'm getting a "Content is unavailable" message when I try to play it.

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The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Ivan Y Diamond

Glad I'm not the only one who thought this was rather sensationalized. It's not really clear what's different/special on A380 compared to other planes. Making a fuss about making up a 30-minute delay seems weird too. Also, any idea why it'd be Air France itself testing the engines and not Airbus/contractor?

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trust778 Guest

GREAT documentary! Enjoyed watching it. Hopefully I can fly the A380 soon.

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lucky OMAAT

@ TravelinWilly -- Hah, totally agree, didn't love the show, but for selfish reasons couldn't help but share it. :D

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