These are the days when smaller is better - as in iPods, BlackBerrys and tiny phones that take pictures - but for European leaders bruised by Washington of late, the unveiling of the hulking new A380 jumbo jet was a chance to revel in having something bigger than the Americans. Everyone knew that Gerhard Schröder, the German chancellor, was addressing himself to Donald Rumsfeld when he hailed "the tradition of good old Europe that has made this possible."

The thing is certainly big - 30,000 tons heavier and 16 feet taller than a Boeing 747, with wings 50 feet wider. Its upper deck stretches the length of the plane, making room for as many as 840 seats, compared with a mere 416 in the 747. But is big still so beautiful? The biggest ship sank a long time ago, the fastest jetliner is retired, and the tallest skyscrapers don't have the same glamour since Sept. 11, 2001.

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