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Old 24th May 2004 | 12:55
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Milt
 
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,300
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From: Canberra Australia
Have made a few estimates for a typical 747.

Rough volume of fuselage and wings is 100,000 cubic feet.
If air occupies about 20% of the volume then we end up with about 6000 pnds content of air at sea level.

Using volume of 100,000 and a weight of 450,000 pnds then density is close to 4.5 pnds/cubic foot.

That puts the relative density (to water at 62.5 pnds per cubic foot) at about 4.5/62.5 = 0.07. This is a lot lower than expected perhaps similar to a model made from something lighter than balsa.

Am I close?
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