Thrust difference between A340 and 747
Hello,
This is a question for all pilots and/or aircraft mechanics/engineers who work with the Jumbo Jet 747-400 and/or the Airbus A340 series aircraft.
I am a flight simmer who uses Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and recently noticed that the power rating of the engines of the A340-200/300 series aircraft is considerably less the engines of the 747-400 which surprised me. The gross weight difference between these aircraft is not that large - maybe 150,00 lbs. (representing a ratio of perhaps 1.4:1) but the ratio of the power (thrust) difference is literally 2:1 per engines - 31,000-34,000 lbs for the A340 and about 63,000 lbs per engine for the Boeing 747-400.
I am curious to know how Airbus manages to design the A340 so it can still travel at a cruise speed of mach 0.82-0.84. I figure there is some engineering design difference here from the 747-400 as the difference in GTOW weights is small when compared to the thrust diference.
John