View Full Version : Qantas A380 grounded in Los Angeles after mystery problem with hydraulics
p.j.m
30th Jun 2015, 07:03
Qantas A380 grounded in Los Angeles after mystery problem with hydraulics (http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/qantas-a380-grounded-in-los-angeles-after-mystery-problem-with-hydraulics-20150630-gi188o.html)
Qantas is yet to determine the exact cause of the problem but sources say one of the aircraft's hydraulic systems appears to have been contaminated with the wrong fluid.
Engineers discovered filters clogged with a black, molasses-like substance, and have since replaced several filters and fluid pumps in what is known as the "yellow" hydraulic system.
The A380 returned from several weeks of maintenance at Lufthansa Technik's base in Manila in the Philippines on June 20, and flew a return flight from Sydney to London, and then onto Los Angeles before it was grounded there last Thursday.
This is going to be interesting.
Off shore maintenance Alan? Its not like anyone warned you!
scavenger
30th Jun 2015, 07:31
I suppose ripping a jack through the stabiliser in Sydney a few weeks ago was offshore as well?
Going Boeing
30th Jun 2015, 07:42
I suppose ripping a jack through the stabiliser in Sydney a few weeks ago was offshore as well?
scavenger, where was the jack calibrated?
An A380 with a funny 6*** flight number arrived into YSSY from the North East the other night at FL420. Must have been empty to be that high!!!
griffin one
30th Jun 2015, 07:48
More the fact that the only off shore maintenance over sight is only carried out by Ops managers.
Cost savings apparently
Bootstrap1
30th Jun 2015, 08:10
The aircraft in question has had no end of issues since the ferry flight back from Manila.
This is what they wanted, no LAME oversight and a handful of non-licenced Ops Managers to over see the paperwork.
The Texan and the Clogman wanted this, let the Clogman answer to the board why his centre of excellence is such a sh1t fight.
Hardworker
30th Jun 2015, 08:16
Classic symptoms of overheated Hydraulic fluid turns to Black Sludge..
A380 what a crap aircraft, overweight, slow and no better on fuel consumption than a B744....A Billion dollar exercise is "Keeping up with the Jones"
Resale value....zero!
Arnold E
30th Jun 2015, 08:51
scavenger, where was the jack calibrated?
Well, what is the answer.:confused:
dragon man
30th Jun 2015, 08:52
Thanks hard worker for that I didn't know it. What's the result of the overheating and sludge? Do pumps , actuators and flexible lines have to be replaced? Any info would be appreciated.
Bootstrap1
30th Jun 2015, 08:55
I reckon hardworker is commentating from the sidelines with no factual info about the aircraft in question.
Hardworker
30th Jun 2015, 08:58
Had it happen on an A340 Green system, both 1 and 4 pumps caused the hydraulic fluid to turn to black sludge...ended up changing main delivery lines and flush the system over and over....what caused it? Never did find out but suspected air in the system...airbus are very difficult to bleed all the air from the hydraulic systems...you end up bleeding on the pressure/case/supply lines on the pumps..
1a sound asleep
30th Jun 2015, 10:53
A380 what a crap aircraft, overweight, slow and no better on fuel consumption than a B744....A Billion dollar exercise is "Keeping up with the Jones"
Resale value....zero!
Hardworker is offline Report Post
Guess what? There are another 8 of these coming. FIRM order made by Dixon and Airbus wont let QF out of the deal
Lean Sigma
30th Jun 2015, 11:50
As the man said.....Oils ain't oils sol....
blueloo
30th Jun 2015, 19:56
engine oil.....
Capt Claret
30th Jun 2015, 20:37
OMG, stop the world and let us get off. An aeroplane broke down and made the news and it's a slow news day!
blueloo
30th Jun 2015, 21:25
Actually it potentially could have been a bit more serious than just a breakdown...
A380 what a crap aircraft, overweight, slow and no better on fuel consumption than a B744...Ok, I'll accept it was a frustrated rant, however it is still ill-informed. Yes the A380 is controversial and yes it could be better, however it is significantly better than the 747 for airline needs in many respects. It is not for all routes but it does ultra long range and slot constrained airports very well with a standard of (especially premium) passenger accommodation that can't be had on anything else.
Overweight? .. perhaps - they did build the wing for another 100 tonnes of TOW, so they could have saved some weight there. Current production machines have an additional 10 tonnes approx disposable load from a combination of reduced empty weight and increased TOW.
Slow? .. same cruise speed as a 747 - does 0.86 mach quite nicely. Fuel consumption does start to climb a bit after that though.
Fuel Consumption? .. yes it does burn about 20% or 25% more, but then for the same passenger configuration standard, it can carry 40% to 50% more pax.
Airfield performance? .. beats the stuffing out of a 747.
Altitude capability? ... It's great being able to climb above the traffic as an initial altitude ... 3,000 to 4,000 ft advantage over others.
Range? .. Dallas - Sydney with 380 pax (with a very high percentage of premium seats). Nothing else can do that. (777 or 787 can't do the premium end like the A380)
I'll certainly never see full fuel tanks.
And don't forget this is the relative start of its development cycle.
It is not the answer to everything and we certainly need a large fleet of aircraft such as the 777, 787 or A350, however it is very good at what it does. The 747 is still a great aircraft and a stunning example of aircraft design. It still does some things better than anything else, but so does the A380.
N
Goddamnslacker
1st Jul 2015, 00:34
You forgot to mention how unreliable and how much manpower the A380 absorbs...triple the amount compared to a B744....wrong aircraft type...the A350 and New Gen B777 are the hub busters, the A380 takes too long to turnaround....bottom line its too big not the ideal aircraft...
Ngineer
1st Jul 2015, 01:03
You forgot to mention how unreliable and how much manpower the A380 absorbs
I beg to differ. The worlds most avionic advanced passenger aircraft requires next to no avionic technicians these days (provided you dont mind the occassional 3 + hour delay). Manpower is really being saved there.
As for jacking incidents, who knows what happened there. And comparing overseas MRO's to SAM is like comparing apples to oranges. We don't have a heavy maint facility for this aircraft.
There are quality engineers all around the globe. Many in QF are from different backgrounds of maintenance, and from other countries too. What makes a real difference to maintaining a quality product are the facitlities, procedures and ratios of qualified supervision in place. IMHO Sydney had the best many years ago (but it wasn't "worlds best practice").
TBM-Legend
1st Jul 2015, 03:36
What's the reliability like with other big users of the A380?
westjet
1st Jul 2015, 05:16
Get over it guys, Emirates for one seem pretty happy with theirs!!
At the end of the day while many of you would love Qantas to have 777s or 747/800s, its the passengers who pay the bills, and they love the 380, particularly the ones that generate big revenue, Business Class.
The 777 nor the 777x can compete with the 380s upper deck Business Class and dedicated aerobridge!
I have no doubt one of main reasons Qantas continues to perform well across the Pacific, is because they are the only Airline flying the 380.
As the man said.....Oils ain't oils sol....
haha, maybe that's the problem.
I know my late model Toyota engine was extremely unhappy when the local mechanic put Valvoline in it, instead of Toyota's recommended Castrol.
Luckily no permanent damage was done, and it went back to normal when I had him replace it with Castrol.
fwiw, that mechanic has now gone out of business.
Probably the wrong spec oil,rather than a different brand that made that happen.
An A380 with a funny 6*** flight number arrived into YSSY from the North East the other night at FL420. Must have been empty to be that high!!!
Probably was fairly light on that occasion, however FL420 is easily achievable even with a reasonable load.
FL 420 can be comfortably and efficiently achieved at 380T and ISA+10, so with a ZFW of say 345T (400 pax or thereabouts) that would be doable 2 hours or so from destination if desired.
Sand dune Sam
1st Jul 2015, 09:33
A380 = heap of ****.
1a sound asleep
1st Jul 2015, 10:06
A380 = heap of ****.
The next 8 we get will be far better. The problem still remains that we need to be able to fill all the seats
So without your Boeing only attitudes, explain in factual terms why A380 = heap of ****.
Otherwise, your argument is invalid and worthless and nothing more than a "I hate Airbus because I fly a 737" rant.
From a pax point of view, give me an A380 over a 747 any day. Smoother, quieter, more comfortable.
morno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuo4Xotcvns&sns=em
Thank God for International Rescue!
B744 part played in this episode by Thunderbird 2.
All references to persons and aircraft either living or dead are not intentional.
Going Boeing
1st Jul 2015, 23:08
Get over it guys, Emirates for one seem pretty happy with theirs!!
They may be happy with the aircraft but not so happy with the engines - have ordered the next tranche with RR and asked Airbus if it's possible to re-engine the current ones.
The passengers may love the aircraft but if the airlines can't make money with it (because of high fuel burn/weight issues) then it's not a good aircraft.
1a sound asleep, you'll have to give up on your wishful thinking - the International CEO has stated that QF won't be taking delivery of any more A380's.
A380 = heap of ****As a pax who travels in steerage I find the 380 the best of anything else on offer. Appreciate that those who fix/fly may have different opinions.
Capn Rex Havoc
2nd Jul 2015, 02:18
Going Boeing - (the name says it all)
Emirates are making a sh.t ton of profit - so the 62 380s (with a total of 140 ordered) can't be hurting the bottom line too much.
The EA engines on the first ones performed exactly as promised. In fact better than promised. Emirates have switched engine manufacturers because RR are promising even better performance in their next gen of donks. It's called evolution.
Going Boeing
2nd Jul 2015, 04:56
Rex, I think you misinterpreted me. I didn't sat that EK were unhappy with the aircraft and that they weren't making money with them, it's just the engines that they aren't happy with. It's been public for a while now that EK asked Airbus to develop a NEO version to reduce the fuel burn and after signing with RR for the next tranche, they asked if it was possible to retrofit the existing fleet (not feasible).
EK have an advantage with the price of fuel in DXB that helps make the A380 operations profitable but other A380 operators are finding it more difficult, especially on longer sectors.
Capn Rex Havoc
2nd Jul 2015, 06:59
Going Boeing - The fuel advantage chestnut is rubbish. Please provide evidence that EK gets cheaper fuel than Qantas.
And of course they are always going to push for more efficient donks. It does not mean they are unhappy with the ones they have, they want to get more profit from up and coming design improvements. Every airline wants that.
Goeing Boeing,
I was of the understanding that the Jet fuel in Dubai is mainly imported from Singapore, and more expensive than fuel in Singapore.
Where are your numbers coming from ?
Tim Clark from EK says they are not subsidised and pay market rates for fuel worldwide :
http://www.emirates.com/english/images/Airlines%20and%20subsidy%20-%20our%20position%20new_tcm233-845771.pdf
1a sound asleep
2nd Jul 2015, 08:35
Tim Clark from EK says they are not subsidised and pay market rates for fuel worldwide :
And they buy 55% of their fuel in DXB where they get a very very very substantial bulk discount:D
Going Boeing
2nd Jul 2015, 08:55
I don't know exact details of DXB pricing but a pilot for Qatar Airways told me that they often plan via DXB and uplift as much fuel as possible because it's significantly cheaper than in Doha.
kumul1
2nd Jul 2015, 09:17
Going Boeing, EK does the same.
The fuel prices are monitored on a daily basis and flight plans are designed to tanker, taking in account the cost to carry that extra fuel. This is mainly done on the A330's and B777's bouncing around the 2-4 four sectors.
I have tankered fuel from Tehran, Kuwait and Doha in the past as well.
Goring Boeing,
Just looked up the price in DXB, it is the same as ZRH, BAH, DFW, IAH, IAD, ORD,CPT, BOM, NRT, AMS.
Price in DOH is about 10 cents more per gallon, same price as JNB, PEK, CGK, NGO, BKK, FRA, MAD.
IST, LGW, ICN, SGN are around 10 cents cheaper per gallon than DXB.
LHR, KUL, CDG are around 30 cents cheaper per gallon than DXB.
YYC, SIN are around 40 cents cheaper per gallon than DXB.
Ok but who pays that price?
It's the market rate for account holders available though a large vendor, it is not the cash rate.
Who pays that rate, qualifying account holders.
donpizmeov
2nd Jul 2015, 11:08
Anyone know why all the A380 experts fly Boeing?
doug606
2nd Jul 2015, 12:23
Its Like when you get fuel at Woolworths + Coles some airlines get the 20c off because they spent over 200 dollars on groceries and other foreign airlines only get 4c off but if the crew spends more then 5 dollars in the terminal they get another 4c off. Airlines just have to remember the shopper docket only last a month before it expires.
1a sound asleep
2nd Jul 2015, 13:09
Anyone know why all the A380 experts fly Boeing?
Seriously would you buy a Citroen?
bakutteh
2nd Jul 2015, 17:58
5 22:09
1a sound asleep
Quote:
Anyone know why all the A380 experts fly Boeing?
Seriously would you buy a Citroen?
Sure, I would! That ugly duckling 2CV is utterly exquisite...
Seriously would you buy a Citroen?
What do you call a car made in Australia ?
westjet
2nd Jul 2015, 19:53
Goeing Boeing,
Think you will find that Emirates basically happy with original engines on their 380s,but Clark wants a 380 NEO, and EA have shown no interest in developing their 380 engine,were as Rolls have, hence the switch!
Capn Rex.
The main reason the A380 financials look so good for EK is due to the low average purchase price and in service operating cost guarantees.
As far as fuel is concerned I would expect EK to effectively pay less than QF due to their purchasing power. I am told the US military have the best 'deal' followed by the Star Alliance group. The invoiced cost is not the end cost due to volume discounts and rebates etc.
I am currently paying 12.262 cents per litre less than the 'pump' price for my fuel from Shell.
Chris2303
3rd Jul 2015, 07:51
QF8 seems to be limited to an average of 270-280 pax
QF8 seems to be limited to an average of 270-280 pax
Close.:rolleyes:
380 pax. More importantly First & Business are usually full even when the total pax load falls below 380.
And they're up selling the empty seats in Y so that people can have a couple of empty seats beside them...... for a fee of course.
indamiddle
4th Jul 2015, 00:23
There has been a couple of mentions that we have another 8 A380's on order. I thought that the Irishman had given them the flick. Guess I'm wrong.
When is the next delivery due?
There has been a couple of mentions that we have another 8 A380's on order. I thought that the Irishman had given them the flick. Guess I'm wrong.
When is the next delivery due?
That was the original order. The remaining 8 have been delayed indefinitely.
AJ has publicly stated that there will be no more. Unless things change significantly, the remaining 8 will never arrive.
Mind you, if the A380 does get a stretch, or GW increase, coupled with more efficient NEO engines the metrics may change. Can't see it though.
Chris2303
4th Jul 2015, 19:38
I can't post as I can be identified but if you look at passenger loading for each day, trip summary and the number of offload callouts we do................