An easy mistake for a guy as I have often thought my 6 inches actually looked like 10.............:E

So thats why pilots always go out with women with small hands!!!!

Better still, small hands and no teeth. :rolleyes:

pjvr,

Often people close to a project have access to information that, while not Earth stoppingly secret (as in this case), is nevertheless covered by some kind of protected caveat. To be the one to disclose this puts one in a delicate position.

Remaining silent on the number is perhaps ‘infinitely wiser’ than pulling one out of the air and posting it.

The actual clearance is tw………..

< Mr Ginardon has been taken to a secure facility for de-brief, please carry on as if normal…..>

Thank you ......

Just out of interest.....
 

....at what point does an advanced turbo-prop become a prop-fan? Is it based on number of blades? Does a prop-fan necessarily have more than one "fan" stage? Are we heading towards some sort of fusion here or is there a more fundamental difference involved?

No, for fusion you'd need a flux capacitor....

Just wait till they twist it vertical..

http://www.defenselink.mil/transform...es/Osprey1.jpg

At a guess, but I don't know for a fact as I am in no-way an expert, an un-ducted fan engine would have a fixed blade angle like any other fan stage in an engine (optimised for the cruise condition). Whereas this monster prop is clearly variable pitch. But I could well be wrong so I stand by to be shot down in flames.

Good job on getting the big donk going chaps, I wish I could have seen it running!

My take on a few questions...

There is no bibbedy bobbedy boo that defines a prop-fan or a propeller. They're essentially the same thing. Most "classic" props, though, are designed for Mach 0.6 or less. The A400M prop is designed for Mach 0.72, and the prop-fans that everyone made a great fuss over in the 1980s were aimed at Mach 0.8 and higher. All three are points on a continuum.

The A400M versus Cargomaster, C-130 and Belslow comparison as presented misses some of the key points. On the Belslow, check out "range with max payload". Ewww! The Cargomaster claims a not dissimilar range at about 20 tonnes, but it was emphatically not a STOL or off-runway aircraft (neither was the Belslow) and had neither the power nor the Mach capability to get anywhere near the A400M's normal cruise speed. And the C-130, while light and efficient, doesn't have the speed or the capacity of the A400M.

:hmm: An 8 bladed prop....OK.....well I hope for all who are involved with the beast that it doesn't produce the same problems as a certain 6 bladed prop does on the ATP.....fine when it's working...does the job rather well in fact....however...in terms of ( nasty word here ) maintenance.......a :mad:nightmare when it goes for a can of worms.

My take on the A400M, C-130H, Belfast and Cargomaster.

The C-130H, Belfast and Cargomaster have flown, whereas, only a computer model of the A400M has 'flown'.

The C-130H, Belfast and Cargomaster have all entered service, whereas pictures of the A400M have entered service crewrooms.

How true ZH........ Bit like getting all excited about how good the thing is supposed to be - compared to a 50 year old design. It'd F:mad:ing wanna be better, wouldn't it? Now, lets just see how long it takes to actually arrive:rolleyes:

Big Donk ...
 

Nice shot from Marshall's - does anyone know whether the struts from the nacelle to the Herk's fuselage are to keep that powerful beast tied to the airframe or are there for data-gathering cables and such ... ?
It'll be good to hear that a) the Herk's really started flying the Donk, and b) that the four now in Madrid are ready to get the A400M airborne at last - the airframe has been waiting for quite some time, and the "production spec" TP400 will be available for airframe set 7 (or so I hear).
Big Donk ... Biiiiig Problems ...:eek:

Actually, MSN001 now has engines and propellers fitted.

And it's at Seville, not Madrid.

But since you gave your location as Toulouse, you probably missed all that because you were having lunch at the time.....as per usual for that place.

My overriding memory of numerous trips to Airbus Toolooze is of hundreds of black suited grenouilles enjoying 2 hour lunch breaks.......

The cabling runs aft and then down the leading edge of the wing. The struts have oleo dampers built in to stop the engine wobbling too much.

Long lunches ...
 

@ BEagle ...
Being long-retired retired and not far from the mountains, long lunches aren't part of my day, really, despite what people across the Manche think ...
(Not mine, anyway ...)
I seem to remember that guests got long lunches, but fer us workahs, 30 mins were enuff, even though the canteen food was very good ...
Hope the A400M roll-out/presentation towards the end of the month goes well - at Seville, as I stand corrected ... but I have serious doubts whether Farnborough will see it this year (cries of "Shame" - directed at the engine people ???).

Struts
 

@ Sook,
Tks for the info ... Getting this beastie fitted to the Herk must have been an engineer's nightmare, specially in view of the vibrations reported some while ago ... Does this installation represent a true "down between engines" fit, as the A400M will have ???
:}

All i can say is poor Snoopy. What a waste of low hours airframe and wings that could have been put to good use somewhere else. Lets hope they dont wreck her completely !

Has Snoopy yet flown in his new guise?
 

Does anyone know yet if the A400M engine (and prop) testbed has flown? Marshalls must be getting close......

MB