I watched with absolute wonder and amazement as the brand-new Airbus A-380 lumbered down the runway and lifted gracefully into the air. Was I in Paris for this great event? No, I watched from my house last night from the tele. Yes, all from the comfort of my super stuffed, mocha breeze, living room chair.
The Airbus A-380 is the world’s first twin deck, four aisle airplane. It actually has a third deck for cargo that, as is advertised, could be used as a business center, a daycare (think about that for a second) or a fitness center. The passenger version will hold between 555 and 840 passengers and is claimed to have better fuel efficiency than your normal, everyday car. Just don’t try parallel parking it at the mall!
If you are still struggling comprehending the size of this thing it’s about 240 feet long (almost the same length as a football field) with a wingspan of 262 feet.
I’m watching this documentary which focuses on the design and build process of this airborne behemoth with complete fascination. They had landing gear engineers, fuselage engineers, cockpit engineers, electronics engineers, navigational system engineers and (ready for this) sanitation engineers. That was not their official title but they had a team of engineers working on the toilet flushing system. Is there a pecking order amongst engineers? Do all the other engineers tease the lavatory specialists?
It was an impressive show which showcased the dedicated efforts of some very creative, innovative people. Still, I’m not sure if I want to be a passenger on this modern marvel. The plane will more than likely be filled with people wanting to be the first passengers. This type of maiden voyage is a bit too Titanic for my liking.
Those men and women who had a part in designing and building this airplane were so deliriously excited and relieved when that plane took off for the first time. The test pilots were deliriously excited and relieved when the plane safely landed four hours later. It must have been a huge sense of personal satisfaction watching something so complex actually work.
Nestled within my many thoughts were these questions:
I wonder how God feels about this? Does he smile? Is he proud of the creative work?
Does God delight in us when we exercise those creative traits we inherited from him, our father?
Do we as his creation continue to amaze God?
Does God react the way we do as parents at the accomplishments of our own children?
I don’t have any problem thinking that when that airplane lifted off some angel heard God say, “how cool is that?”
