Blue - Green - Yellow
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: France
Blue - Green - Yellow
Just lifted this from the ATSB report on the A380 uncontained engine failure.
As a Concorde ancient, to me the primary hydraulic (and flight control) systems are called BLUE and GREEN, and YELLOW is the 'fall-back'.
When did this 'convention' change ?
"Confused"
The GREEN hydraulic system is one of two primary hydraulic systems on the A380. Hydraulic power is supplied by engine-driven pumps on Nos 1 and 2 engines.
The YELLOW hydraulic system is the second of two primary hydraulic systems on the A380. Hydraulic power is supplied by engine-driven pumps on Nos 3 and 4 engines.
The YELLOW hydraulic system is the second of two primary hydraulic systems on the A380. Hydraulic power is supplied by engine-driven pumps on Nos 3 and 4 engines.
When did this 'convention' change ?
"Confused"

Joined: Apr 1999
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From: Canada
It has been almost ten years since my Airbus time but I recall that on the A-320 series as well as the A-330 & A-340 the Green was the heavyweight and the Blue & Yellow were pretty much equals, splitting various services. One could start quite a discussion about which of those two was the more important but in the end they were about equally loaded but definitely came after the Green one.

Joined: Mar 2005
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From: England
Green and Yellow are L and R on the A320 layout.
Green and Yellow are L and R on the A380 layout. No blue system fitted.
A320 has been around for well over 20 years now so I guess that answers the original question.
Green and Yellow are L and R on the A380 layout. No blue system fitted.
A320 has been around for well over 20 years now so I guess that answers the original question.
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Durham
Colour Codes
Same reason that electrical wire are coloured. Instead of labels you have colours.
You can also make the fluids coloured with dyes so if there is a leak you can tell which system is leaking.
Also because all systems are not the same in other words to stop service people connecting the wrong tubes together.. Yup really is that simple.
If I am not mistaken I think A388 only has two systems, not sure though.
You can also make the fluids coloured with dyes so if there is a leak you can tell which system is leaking.
Also because all systems are not the same in other words to stop service people connecting the wrong tubes together.. Yup really is that simple.
If I am not mistaken I think A388 only has two systems, not sure though.
Joined: Aug 2007
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From: In the library
When a colleague of mine was told after he had stuffed a Comet through the Hangar doors at Heathrow "why didn`t you have the Red pump on??!!!
It was a standing joke at the Best Ever Airline which he never lived down!!!
tristar 500
(Sorry for thread drift)
It was a standing joke at the Best Ever Airline which he never lived down!!!
tristar 500
(Sorry for thread drift)

Joined: Feb 2005
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From: flyover country USA
If it were the electronic component color code, the game would be:
0 Black
1 Brown
2 Red
3 Orange
4 Yellow
5 Green
6 Blue
7 Violet
8 Grey
9 White
(Electron-heads know the mnemonic for this...)
0 Black
1 Brown
2 Red
3 Orange
4 Yellow
5 Green
6 Blue
7 Violet
8 Grey
9 White
(Electron-heads know the mnemonic for this...)

Joined: Jul 2009
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
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From: Not far from a big Lake
Fargoo
What about the Blue system that seems to be the emergency bring back system?
http://pmgasser.ch/airbus_memos/downloads/A320_HYD.pdf
No engine driven pump, but if you lost Green and Yellow, you would definitely want it.
Green and Yellow are L and R on the A320 layout.
http://pmgasser.ch/airbus_memos/downloads/A320_HYD.pdf
No engine driven pump, but if you lost Green and Yellow, you would definitely want it.
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 3,325
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From: UK
Did the colour system start on the Caravelle??
'twas on the Comet green,blue,yellow and red.
One was in deep do do if all you had was red !
I understand Concorde was to have these 4 systems as well, but the Red system was deleted early on.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: France
You're right about the nose....
Sud bought a Comet nose for the prototype, and manufactured the others under licence.
I wouldn't know about the systems... they weren't that far behind!
LOL.... blue, green and yellow were just the designations and colour codes for the systems.... as on the hydraulic selection panel top left on this photo of the overhead panels (courtesy of CONCORDE SST - The Definitive Concorde Aircraft Site on the Internet).

The hydraulic liquid itself wasn't coloured (what for?).
And BTW, Concorde didn't use skydrol, but a special heat-resistant hydraulic fluid, known either as "Oronite" or "M2V".
CJ
Sud bought a Comet nose for the prototype, and manufactured the others under licence.
I wouldn't know about the systems... they weren't that far behind!
Originally Posted by CancelIFR
How do they change the colour of so much skydrol?

The hydraulic liquid itself wasn't coloured (what for?).
And BTW, Concorde didn't use skydrol, but a special heat-resistant hydraulic fluid, known either as "Oronite" or "M2V".
CJ

Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 733
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From: Andalucia
I get on dangerous ground here as it's 38 years ago and I never had a formal course, at that time one was purely a radio engineer and with the comet in full time employment doing just that, however IIRC, red on the comet was just brakes and u/c uplocks. I think, if you had the remainder of your life, flaps. there might have been some flying controls as well as I don't recall much manual reversion.
I don't know if the nose on the caravelle is an urban myth or not but from brief encounters there were many similarities, Avons, 120vdc starters, coloured hydraulic systems etc.
I don't know if the nose on the caravelle is an urban myth or not but from brief encounters there were many similarities, Avons, 120vdc starters, coloured hydraulic systems etc.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,315
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From: France
No, it's true.
Where I'm not sure, is whether Sud then has bought other nose assemblies from DH or manufactured them all themselves under licence.
Thanks, that answers my question about systems....
CJ
Where I'm not sure, is whether Sud then has bought other nose assemblies from DH or manufactured them all themselves under licence.
but from brief encounters there were many similarities, Avons, 120vdc starters, coloured hydraulic systems etc.
CJ
Joined: Sep 2010
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From: earth
As for the "colours" yellow mixed with blue = green. Just a bit of logic that airbus has used since the classic a-300. Green had pumps on both engines yellow and blue were independantly driven and had PTU drove off the green system. All primary flight controlls were powered by all 3 systems then secondaries, gear, brakes and steering divied up what was left.





