Aviation buffs turn out to see giant Airbus hit U.S. soil

If you're an airplane buff of any kind, you're probably aware of the Airbus A380, the new giant flying beast that currently holds the title of world's largest passenger airplane.

But if you are in the United States, you have not had the pleasure--until now--of seeing an A380 unless you left American soil and headed across the pond.

On Monday, that all changed when Airbus flew A380s into New York and Los Angeles on goodwill tours.

And judging by pictures I've seen, aviation fans were out in force to see the planes land.

Who can blame them? The A380 is, plainly, huge. I mean, big, big, big. It is a double-decker plane that can hold nearly 600 people, can fly 8,000 miles and can hold an entire Olympic-size swimming pool. OK, I'm kidding about that last part.

But to hear people talk about the plane, you'd think it could. On the other hand, there is a lot of fear that airlines will use the A380 to jam as many people as they can and create a whole new meaning for the word "steerage."

We will find out this fall, it seems, when Singapore Airlines becomes the first carrier to take delivery of one of the behemoths. The question of course, is where will it be able to fly. From what I gather, many airports won't be able to handle the huge planes and will have to retrofit the size of their runways if they want to.

As for whether I'll fly one? Well, why not? I'm always game for new experiences. But forget it if I have to row.