747 vs DC-10 Limitations
 

Hello all!

Some years ago I read somewhere that the DC-10 is volume limited in the sence that with some freight(?) it reaches its maximum take off weight before it reaches its cargo capacity.

In the contraty the 747 can take reach its maximum take off weight and use all the available space in the aircraft.

The context was on why the Boeing 747 gave a big boost on the cargo industry and is a better freighter regarding express courrier like FED EX and UPS.

So the question is DC-10 volume limited and the 747 weight limited? I am not sure if I make sence!


Rwy in Sight


PS. I did not download the iespell.

Re: 747 vs DC-10 Limitations
 

Totally depends on the cargo.

If you have loose pallets that are particularly dense (i.e weigh more than the volumetric weight which airlines use), then you might well reach the max weight for any a/c before you fill the hold.

I can't see that it is easy to make a statement like that about two a/c types until you have a unit of cargo to measure them with.

Maybe you mean the ratio of volume available to weight an aircraft can carry differs between a/c types.

Eg: DC10-30F. 65t approx max cargo weight, approx 350-420cbm of space.
B744F. 120t approx max cargo weight, approx 640cbm os space.

The DC-10 has a higher vol to weight ratio than the 744F.

But because aircraft holds are not uniform in shape, it totally depends on carge shape, because no-one can fill their hold with water.

Re: 747 vs DC-10 Limitations
 

AWR,


Thank you very much for answering. Two follow up issues. The first one is that I was referring to documents so the cargo is paper and second is volumetric weight. I can guess but I 'd rather have a specialist giving me an answer.


Best regards

Rwy in Sight

Re: 747 vs DC-10 Limitations
 

Don't assume that express couriers fly just paper documents. These days most of those go by email while express freight is made up of just about any urgent stuff you can imagine from pharmacuticals to car parts. Electronics to frozen fish. The majority of it though is high volume low density (people use big carboard boxes stuffed with polystyrene, for obvious reasons.)

Re: 747 vs DC-10 Limitations
 

Even if you are just shipping paper, it still has to travel in pallets or containers like ULDs. So you will never completely "volume out" a cargo hold.

Volumetric weight is a calculation that airlines use when booking freight.

Basically, an airline is at a disadvantage is someone moves no weight in a big box, so they charge them as a function of the dimensions.

Lets say the pallet is a 1cbm box at 100kg actual weight.

100cm x 100cm x 100 cms = 1,000000. Then divide by 6000 and you get 166.67.

So 166.67kg volumetric weight is the amount that the airline will charge you for.

Whichever figure is higher (actual or volumetric) will be used by the airline.

Re: 747 vs DC-10 Limitations
 

Thanks again for your assistance.

So is it correct to say that the 747 is "better" because it carries more volume thus it balances out the high volume low weight situation?

Rwy in Sight

Re: 747 vs DC-10 Limitations
 

It depends how much cargo and how far you want to go. The heavier the cargo, the less fuel you can carry ie decreased range. A 747 can carry more cargo a longer distance. That's one reason the MD11 is so popular for freight.

BBB

Re: 747 vs DC-10 Limitations
 

Thank you very much for all the assistance

Rwy in Sight