Zones,
EK and others in TLS this week went to Airbus and have asked for a streached A380, they want a 1000 seat aircraft for relatively short range high denisty routes.
FullWings
"Also, Airbus are claiming only a fairly moderate reduction in seat/mile costs over smaller aircraft - so what will the reality be with all those extra Kg's?"
15% reduction is not what I would call fairly moderate, if any aircraft had 15% advantage, its a significant advantage.
VRThomas
"Wasn't the 747 originally designed to be a "double decker", but was downscaled because no one believed it would be able to fly? (Not unreasonalble considering the powerplants and limited manufacturing techniques available at the time.)"
Dont know about that, however Boeing never did not conduct any upper deck evac work to get the aircraft certified. The 744 is certified for 660 pax, but no operator ever gets close to that number as engines never got big enough.
"What Technology is in the 380 that is NOT available in a new 747?"
The list is very extensive, Boeing with the 744 still have not got the concept of ECAM, still uses paper checklists.
Many of the technology advancements for the 380 have been driven by its size, like the hydraulic system, if everything was at conventional pressures (3000 psi) you would need hydraulic hoses 750mm in diameter.
Omark44,
BEagle does not work for Airbus,
AFAIK been flying Boeings for well over the last 10 years of their career.
Max Angle
No x-wind probs I have heard of, most jets are certified so that they do not need to aligned with the longitudinal axis of the aircraft aligned with the centre line.
With its mass its easier to fly the 380 over a smaller aircraft in x-wind or gusty conditions, the momentum of the aircraft makes life easier. Similar with the 744 over a 738.
Good to see they will have it flying earlier than planned, and will be visiting losts of places which will suprise many ! The box teh aircraft fits in is not that much bigger than a 747, C5 etc.
