A380 - VH-OQA Write Off.
Jesus 'flying lid' that Meccano set is worth more than the busted bus itself! Rare indeed. Wish I still had my old set long with the Triang train-set, the Mamod steam engine& the Malvern Star bike, all of which if put together & sold could buy a new A380 for sure!:-)
Amazing though all this. Here we have a seriously damaged plane that most likely would be scrapped if it where any other type but there's a few boffins out there trying to save face at any cost!
QF, ya gotta love 'em QF = Quick Fix
The best thing is to gut it, put 500 beds in it & turn it into a homeless shelter
Amazing though all this. Here we have a seriously damaged plane that most likely would be scrapped if it where any other type but there's a few boffins out there trying to save face at any cost!
QF, ya gotta love 'em QF = Quick Fix
The best thing is to gut it, put 500 beds in it & turn it into a homeless shelter
I would be rather interested in the repair scheme that has been designed for the forward spar...especially the test methods, additional inspection schedules and NDI techniques proposed to ensure the fatigue life and continuing airworthiness of this major load bearing element of the wing.
OTOH, perhaps outsourcing this responsibility to an outside agency such as Airbus will allow the clowns running the show to escape any future blame as has been seen so far with the "Power by the Hour Contract" debacle.
You start to wonder what the holder of an AOC is actually responsible for these days...oh, I forgot, good returns to the shareholders so as to guarantee management bonuses.
I hope that the future will prove me to be wrong...
OTOH, perhaps outsourcing this responsibility to an outside agency such as Airbus will allow the clowns running the show to escape any future blame as has been seen so far with the "Power by the Hour Contract" debacle.
You start to wonder what the holder of an AOC is actually responsible for these days...oh, I forgot, good returns to the shareholders so as to guarantee management bonuses.
I hope that the future will prove me to be wrong...
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Flying Lid
She'll mend. Just send a No 10 Meccano set to Singapore.
Having said the #10 is desirable, I suspect that kit has never been used. Used rather than 'played with', because building Meccano projects was so much more than playing.
I note that Teresa Green admits to still having a set from childhood - I tell you what, I still have my dad's Meccano! Most of it dates from the nineteen-twenties and is in a box my grandfather made. It has components modern Meccano fans would kill for. Not only which, I also have - rebuilt by me many times and not in very good condition - a Meccano steam engine, not the Mammod one.
My set hasn't been out of the loft for more than twenty years - my kids are not engineers, they are computer geeks and although they loved Technical Lego, they simply weren't up to the mighty Meccano. Roger.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
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Flexible Response - Do you think they will try and repair the wing or replace it? I ask as a pilot, not an engineer.
I appreciate spare wings are not kept on the shelf but would it not have been simpler to manufacture and ship a new wing to Singapore? Does the wiring have logical junctions at the point of attachment of the wing and body? Are the wings manufactured with wiring in place?
I would have thought that both QANTAS and Airbus would not want the old wing to fly again, even a subsequent and unrelated accident will have Joe public blaming it, if it does fly again!
I appreciate spare wings are not kept on the shelf but would it not have been simpler to manufacture and ship a new wing to Singapore? Does the wiring have logical junctions at the point of attachment of the wing and body? Are the wings manufactured with wiring in place?
I would have thought that both QANTAS and Airbus would not want the old wing to fly again, even a subsequent and unrelated accident will have Joe public blaming it, if it does fly again!
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I know spar repairs are a big deal, but they do happen. Qf have in the past performed spar repairs to 747s when they had heavy maint in Sydney.
No doubt this is the first time is will be done to an A380 but realistically it is not over the top of what can and can't be done.
They also wont be replacing the wing, if they did choose to do it they would need to change both as any new build wing is a newer mod status to the wings already on it. Having 2 wings of 2 differing mod statuses and strengths would no doubt cause problems of its own.
No doubt this is the first time is will be done to an A380 but realistically it is not over the top of what can and can't be done.
They also wont be replacing the wing, if they did choose to do it they would need to change both as any new build wing is a newer mod status to the wings already on it. Having 2 wings of 2 differing mod statuses and strengths would no doubt cause problems of its own.
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A380 Build Process
This video gives an idea of the how the wings are installed, the tooling required and also the sheer size of the wings to ship.
YouTube - A380 assembly (How to build an A-380 7 minutes)
Some excuses for flight delays from Taaj.
YouTube - Come fly with me - Taaj flight delay excuses.
YouTube - A380 assembly (How to build an A-380 7 minutes)
Some excuses for flight delays from Taaj.
YouTube - Come fly with me - Taaj flight delay excuses.
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Qf have in the past performed spar repairs to 747s when they had heavy maint in Sydney.
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I understand where you are coming from Sparky, but my point was more that the spar repair on Vh-OQA wont be the first time an aircraft has this done.
It might be the biggest but not the first,
It might be the biggest but not the first,
...but it will be the first A380 spar repair.
We once repaired a spar on a L-1011 that was damaged in a heavy landing accident in Japan. Remove left wing and replace with another left wing from the desert. Superb job considering the new wing was re-installed outside the manufacturer's jigs. It only required 1 division of rudder trim at 300 knots to compensate for the installation.
The repair on VH-OQA will be a huge challenge and well worth tracking...
We once repaired a spar on a L-1011 that was damaged in a heavy landing accident in Japan. Remove left wing and replace with another left wing from the desert. Superb job considering the new wing was re-installed outside the manufacturer's jigs. It only required 1 division of rudder trim at 300 knots to compensate for the installation.
The repair on VH-OQA will be a huge challenge and well worth tracking...
$80M looks to be the pay out figure...
Rolls-Royce reveals engine fire payout - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Rolls-Royce reveals engine fire payout - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
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Thanks for that.I dont think there was ever any doubt about it being repaired.
QF and Airbus have far too much to lose by not doing whatever it takes.It is the flagship, high profile aircraft.
Especially if RR are paying !!
QF and Airbus have far too much to lose by not doing whatever it takes.It is the flagship, high profile aircraft.
Especially if RR are paying !!
The L1011 wing repair Flexible Response refers too did not involve a wing replacement at all. The rear spar failed between the MLG trunnion and the root and there was no replacement spar cap material available for a repair so a section of wing containing the rear spar from MLG trunnion to root was removed from a parted out L1011 and spliced in. All done under a Lockheed approved scheme. The rudder trim might have been OK but it flew decidely one wing low and needed about 4 units of roll trim which was rigged in so the pilots set zero trim but the ailerons were offset to make it fly level.
I apologise for the tread creep here...but for the sake of accurate recording of history...
I agree that CV880's memory of the L-1011 Narita hard landing repair involving a wing splice to replace the broken rear spar rather than a full wing change is correct. A tremendous feat of engineering considering it was accomplished far away from the manufacturers jigs.
And yes I agree that the roll trim was mis-rigged to compensate for a wing low flying characteristic that the aircraft demonstrated after repair. However, the mis-rigged roll trim was only good for a certain speed range and the maintenance log advised that additional trim was required at speeds of above 300 KIAS?
And perhaps CV880 remembers the depressurization on the flight back from Japan as well?
I agree that CV880's memory of the L-1011 Narita hard landing repair involving a wing splice to replace the broken rear spar rather than a full wing change is correct. A tremendous feat of engineering considering it was accomplished far away from the manufacturers jigs.
And yes I agree that the roll trim was mis-rigged to compensate for a wing low flying characteristic that the aircraft demonstrated after repair. However, the mis-rigged roll trim was only good for a certain speed range and the maintenance log advised that additional trim was required at speeds of above 300 KIAS?
And perhaps CV880 remembers the depressurization on the flight back from Japan as well?
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Ampclamp - My understanding is that the players and the insurance companies are still 'discussing' the repair. Yes it will be repaired, but the finer details have not been sorted.
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RR and the Insurers are arguing apparently. Qantas is waiting for them to sort out payout ratios and then the work will begin full time.
At this stage, RTS planned for last quarter this year.
At this stage, RTS planned for last quarter this year.
Airbus would prefer not to have the liability of fixing it and to cover their ass - its easier for them to say we dont have an approval. Airbus is worried about future litigation if the repair fails. They claim potential weakening of frame
Nightmare continues. Qantas v Airbus v RR v Insurance
Nightmare continues. Qantas v Airbus v RR v Insurance
Last edited by 1a sound asleep; 8th Mar 2011 at 00:31.
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Airbus is worried about future litigation if the repair fails. They claim potential weakening of frame.