Last A380 Leaves Assembly Hall
Join Date: Jun 2007
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172 Driver
350 ok 787 dire but both not as good as 380 in my opinion and I have done a lot of LH flying in my time, with quite a lot of time on 380,less on the other two, though the 787 is on my no fly list, as plane and indeed company have issues with them for me.
350 ok 787 dire but both not as good as 380 in my opinion and I have done a lot of LH flying in my time, with quite a lot of time on 380,less on the other two, though the 787 is on my no fly list, as plane and indeed company have issues with them for me.
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Chief Willy
The square cube law indicates that weight increases with a higher exponential than the capacity/lift. Larger aircraft are thus structurally less efficient (payload over empty weight) than smaller ones, which negates any increase in aerodynamic efficiency (lift to drag ratio).
On a similar note, the A321neo is structurally extremely efficient, so has high payload to empty weight ratio. The aerodynamic efficiency is however a bit lower than for widebody aircraft.
Max payload / Operational empty weight (tonne/tonne)
A380: 84.0/277.0 = 30.1%
B747-8: 76.1/220.1 = 34.5%
B787-9: 52.6/128.9 = 40.8 %
A321neo: 25.5/50.1 = 50.9 %
The square cube law indicates that weight increases with a higher exponential than the capacity/lift. Larger aircraft are thus structurally less efficient (payload over empty weight) than smaller ones, which negates any increase in aerodynamic efficiency (lift to drag ratio).
On a similar note, the A321neo is structurally extremely efficient, so has high payload to empty weight ratio. The aerodynamic efficiency is however a bit lower than for widebody aircraft.
Max payload / Operational empty weight (tonne/tonne)
A380: 84.0/277.0 = 30.1%
B747-8: 76.1/220.1 = 34.5%
B787-9: 52.6/128.9 = 40.8 %
A321neo: 25.5/50.1 = 50.9 %
Pegase Driver
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procede :
interesting calculation .
this for the pax version , the Fs doa bit better of course.
I was curious to see what the An124 ratio was, and surprisingly 82% ( 150 t payload /181 OEW ) our soviet friends did not do a too bad job in their days ..
interesting calculation .
B747-8: 76.1/220.1 = 34.5%
I was curious to see what the An124 ratio was, and surprisingly 82% ( 150 t payload /181 OEW ) our soviet friends did not do a too bad job in their days ..
Join Date: Jan 2009
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I'm a fan of the A380 - that Airbus video makes me sad. But it'll be in the air for a while yet and I suspect, in 20 years time, we'll be looking for something to fulfil a similar role. I could see, post Covid, the A380 being helpful to mop up demand into one rotation a day from smaller airports (e.g. BHX). But I'm no expert and it might be more 'hope' than 'realism'. But I'll be glad when it returns to BHX for the trip to Dubai!
Changing the subject - is there any particular reason why the tailfin and engine covers have Emirates branding, but the rest remains unpainted? Is there something special about those that means they cant be painted later?
Changing the subject - is there any particular reason why the tailfin and engine covers have Emirates branding, but the rest remains unpainted? Is there something special about those that means they cant be painted later?
The moving bits of the rudder need to be balanced after it's painted. So it's usually painted prior to installation.
It's a pretty common sight around the Boeing flight line to see otherwise unpainted aircraft with the hinged portion of the rudder painted.
I don't know about the engine nacelles...
It's a pretty common sight around the Boeing flight line to see otherwise unpainted aircraft with the hinged portion of the rudder painted.
I don't know about the engine nacelles...
Join Date: Jul 2000
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Google Earth images are NOT updated regularly... EK recalling Unpaid leave 380 pilots now so more airframes will be returning to the sky where they belong!
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I counted 84 at DWC and 33 at DXB. According to airfleets, they have 118 in total, including one that is to be scrapped. https://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Emirates.htm
A380F
All this talk of it being too late, and too uneconomical to convert it to a freighter may have to eat their words.
https://www.flightglobal.com/air-tra...138247.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/air-tra...138247.article
This seems to be just the makeshift conversion for short notice standby freighters made from idle passenger airplanes. This obviously needs paperwork and certification but is far from some actual freighter conversion, special freighters and such.
Doesn't address the low MZFW issue - if you carry much cargo there won't me any weight left for passengers.
Further, certifying a new combi is going to be a challenge - the regulations governing a new combi cert were changed after the Helderberg disaster and no one has certified a new combi since that regulation change.
Further, certifying a new combi is going to be a challenge - the regulations governing a new combi cert were changed after the Helderberg disaster and no one has certified a new combi since that regulation change.
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Now that NZ has banned the shipping of cattle and sheep by sea maybe the A380's could be repurposed as large cattle carriers; 150 tonne payload would = 300 cows, 150 per deck, remove the overhead bins and install a 'waste' conveyor, use the hold for the dung?
All this talk of it being too late, and too uneconomical to convert it to a freighter may have to eat their words.
https://www.flightglobal.com/air-tra...138247.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/air-tra...138247.article
“Anyone who opts for Lufthansa Technik’s exceptional solution now can easily switch to the permanent [supplementary type certification] solution later.”........Jochmann says the change involves “much more than just taking out seats”, because of the different load and safety considerations involved in placing freight in the passenger cabin.
The Airbus vanity project is done. COVID simply hastened its inevitable phase out.
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Absolute rubbish. EK is currently bringing long term unpaid leave pilots back to the line so obviously has plans aplenty for the 380. Likewise I believe that both BA and QF have stated they will bring 380s back to flying status. SQ is renewing the cabins of their older models to be brought back to service.
The 380 is, quite frankly, the most comfortable and economic airliner in the sky; Covid lockdown
notwithstanding!
The 380 is, quite frankly, the most comfortable and economic airliner in the sky; Covid lockdown
notwithstanding!
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Most comfortable, perhaps. Most economic? Not even close. And that’s all that really matters in this game. They are fuel hungry per seat and have poor cargo capacity. Truly an awful design hence the embarrassing sales figures. BA, SQ, QF are only keeping them as they have slot issues on certain routes and are stuck with the A380 now anyway. Would they have ordered them with hindsight of what would happen in 2020? I highly doubt it. EK’s reason for having so many? Hubris.
The future of longhaul is 787, 350 and long-range A321s.
The future of longhaul is 787, 350 and long-range A321s.
Moderator
Loathe as I am to admit, Chief Willy is correct. The A380 is an incredible technical achievement, but that is not the exam question. It was the right aircraft at the wrong time. If you are an airline executive and are looking for the best value long haul aircraft, you would inevitably be looking at a B777X, B787 or A350 before contemplating an A380. The economics of the case seem undeniable. I feel really bad for the countless people who invested years of work into this amazing project but, Coronavirus or not, there is no scenario that I can see that will lead to anything other than a slow death for the project. Very sad.