A380 Takeoff/Landing Performance Requirments

[Sky_Captain]

If anyone could point me in the right direction or could provide some figures, I would greatly appreciate it. I am researching for a project looking at the runway and taxi way requirments for the Airbus A380. I need to determine what requirments the aircraft will need for an aerodrome with an elevation of less than 500 feet. I belive 300 feet is the elevation.

All I have at the moment is what I can get from the airbus website but i'm looking for more help to determine certain factors, including Take off run required for an A380 at MTOW, Landing distances, Accelorate Stop distances required and pavement loading requirments with an LCN Conversion.

I know it's a lot to ask, but if anybody could help with any of the above, or knows somebody in Airbus who could provide figures, could they PM me or respond here.

Many Thanks,

S.C. :ok:

[Sky_Captain]

OK i'll try Airbus directly with that question, would there be any 747-400 drivers in here that could provide any distance figures for a MTOW take off and landing with say a 10kt tail-wind and a max temp of 30C (can't see it getting much hotter than that here).

I would greatly appreciate anything?

S.C. :ugh:

[OverRun]

There is so much complexity in the A380 performance, which has to include a proper route analysis, that it is impossible to speak so simply. But in the event that you don't mind being wrong but want to start somewhere:
MTOW 560 000 kgs
Takeoff distance at MTOW, Trents, 300', 30 degC = 2800 m
MLW 386 000 kgs
Landing distance at MLW, Trents, 300', 1900 m
LCN +/- 120 on the wing gear
Runway and taxiway width - far too complex. Group F. Runway 60m width plus all the rest of shoulders, blast etc. Taxiway - hey its gonna fall off many of the exisitng taxiways on the corners.
Summary - think 747 (apart from the pavement widths) and you'll cover much of it. Try this in real life and you'll go broke because the A380 is so finely tuned in the economics field (unlike the 747).

The $US costs to upgrade an adequate and fairly recent 747 airport to A380 ops are something like (I do hope I don't upset people):

runway length $0
runway strength $0 (for the next 8 years of ops anyway)
...... add $10 mill if your consultants are good at the mumbo-jumbo or are a big firm
...... and/or add $10 mill if the present runway is a bit stuffed
runway widening from a 45m runway $8 mill
...... but any half-wit project manager can add another $10 mill to this
taxiway widening $3 mill
aerobridge/gate $2 mill
...... per gate
terminal $2 mill
...... add $20 mill if your present terminal is older than your mother-in-law
...... add another $10 mill if your airport directors have grandious visions

EXTRAS
if your airport CEO is a women - add $10 mill
....... and/or if your airport organisation structure has the legal dept ranking as high as the ops dept - add $10 mill
......third world - add 40% (divided equally between higher costs and bribes)

BTW - I've been doing the A380 airport upgrade thing - my contractors start building in March 06.

[Sky_Captain]

Overrun,

Thank you for the distance figures, there of great benifit. This project is a runway from scratch :eek: I can just imagine how many more millions need to be added.

EXTRAS
if your airport CEO is a women - add $10 mill :hmm: :D :p

Anything else you think would be of benifit overrun, would greatly be appreciated.

S.C. :ok:

[OverRun]

Sky Captain
I would suggest the minimum runway length be at least 3500m, which caters for 747 long range ops and allows for the inevitable weight growth of the A380. Plus being a new facility, you’ll need the 240m RESAs beyond the strip end. All up, 4100m of length is desirable, although it can be done in 3400m for the 2800m runway.

An all new runway is actually much cheaper to build (per sq.m.). The 60m runway, shoulders, RESAs, parallel taxiway, widened taxiway turning fillets (also designed for the difficult to fit A340-600), connect to existing taxiway system, and providing enough taxiway exits (including a couple of high speed ones) so as to have good runway capacity: - US $52 million construction cost. Consulting fees and supervision and charges $8-10 million. Add US$10 million for earthworks (making the ground smooth and level) for an easy site or up to $50 mill if there are big amounts of filling and cutting to be done. Add in the terminal and gate upgrade costs. Add in the various factors mentioned above. That gives a feel for project basic cost to which a prudent person adds a contingency of 15-25%.

Still warning about the vital route analysis and economics - the A380 is radically different to the 747. I was really surprised when I did the analysis for our A380 runway upgrade work.

And a final thought on project costs - the terminal building can be a potential blow-out item because it is closely affected by politics and prestige. If the president / mayor / governor / chairman is up for re-election next year or is going to retire in a couple of years, there is a temptation to make this their landmark and go for a new terminal. The costs I've quoted will just add functionality to an existing building. But when the visionary designers get there spruiking . . . . the new terminal has soaring peaks sweeping out above the bold imaginative glass roof where the soul of the user soars in harmony with the spirit of flight and the outstanding vision of your eminence stands above all. Well shucks - how big is the cheque book.

[Sky_Captain]

Hey Overrun,

Thank you very much for the details into my querey. It is all greatly appreciated, you've given me a lot to look into.

Many thanks,

S.C.

[Paradism]

SkyCaptain
I must first state that I know very little about the subject which you have queried but I notice that all of the answers you have received do not give any regulatory quidance about statutory requirements.
In 2003 the UK CAA published a document which gave some information which is based on the Code of airport required for A380 operations. Whilst the information may by now have been superseded, it does give source information for the international standards you may have to meet. I hope the following link is of help to you.
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/NTL200302.PDF
At the very least the information may be of interest since the cost of getting it wrong could be a very long stretch of unusable tarmac.

[Sky_Captain]

Hi Paradism,

Many thanks for the link. It's official documentation like that that i'm also looking for. It may not be performance related for figures, but it is every bit important.

Many Thanks,

S.C. :ok:

[broadreach]

OverRun, thanks for the best chuckle this week!

I read the CAA link posted by Paradism. Item 17 reads:
quote
When an A380 aircraft is landing on the runway centreline, there will be in the order of 35m of lateral separation between the wing tip of the A380 and the nose of an aircraft [of any type/size] close up to a visual runway taxi-holding position at or near the runway threshold. This distance will be reduced proportionally if the A380 is not on the runway centreline and could reduce to less than 5m with the wheels of the landing aircraft still
on or above pavement. Similar separation distances could apply at a visual runway taxi-holding position at a runway crossing point when an A380 aircraft is either landing or taking-off on the same runway. The CAA, therefore, considers that inadequate safety margins will exist with the use of visual runway taxi-holding positions when an A380 aircraft is landing or taking-off on the same runway and hence, in this situation, aircraft and vehicles shall be held at least 90m from the runway centreline.
unquote

"...could reduce to less than 5m..." Yikes!