(Redirected from A380)
The 'Airbus A380' is a
double-deck, four-engined
airliner manufactured by
EADS (Airbus S.A.S.). As the largest passenger airliner in the world, the A380 made its maiden flight on
27 April 2005 from
Toulouse,
France,
[ A380, the 21st century flagship, successfully completes its first flight ] and is scheduled to begin commercial flights late in 2007.The aircraft was known as the 'Airbus A3XX' during much of its development phase, but the
nickname 'Superjumbo' has since become associated with it.
The A380's upper deck extends along the entire length of the
fuselage. This allows for a cabin with 50 percent more floor space than the next largest airliner, the
Boeing 747-400,
[2] and provides seating for 525 people in standard
three-class configuration or up to 853 people in full
economy class configuration.
[3] Two models of the A380 are available for sale. The A380-800, the passenger model, is the largest passenger airliner in the world, superseding the
Boeing 747. The A380-800F, the freighter model, is designed as one of the largest
freight aircraft, with a listed payload capacity exceeded only by the
Antonov An-225.
[4] The A380-800 has a design range of 15,200
km (8,200
nmi, sufficient to fly from
New York to
Hong Kong nonstop), and a cruising speed of
Mach 0.85 (about 900 km/h or 560 mph at cruise altitude).
3
History
Development
Airbus started the development of a very large airliner (termed Megaliner by Airbus in the early development stages) in the early
1990s, both to complete its own range of products and to break the dominance that
Boeing had enjoyed in this market segment since the early
1970s with its
747.
McDonnell Douglas pursued a similar strategy with its ultimately unsuccessful
MD-12 design. As each manufacturer looked to build a successor to the 747, they knew there was room for only one new aircraft to be profitable in the 600 to 800 seat market segment. Each knew the risk of splitting such a
niche market, as had been demonstrated by the simultaneous debut of the
Lockheed L-1011 and the
McDonnell Douglas DC-10: either aircraft met the market’s needs, but the market could profitably sustain only one model, eventually resulting in
Lockheed's departure from the civil airliner business. In January 1993, Boeing and several companies in the Airbus consortium started a joint feasibility study of an aircraft known as the Very Large Commercial Transport (VLCT), aiming to form a partnership to share the limited market.
The first completed A380 at the "A380 Reveal" event in Toulouse.
In June 1994, Airbus began developing its own very large airliner, designated the A3XX. Airbus considered several designs, including an odd side-by-side combination of two fuselages from the
A340, which was Airbus’s largest jet at the time.
[5] The A3XX was pitted against the VLCT study and Boeing’s own
New Large Aircraft successor to the 747, which evolved into the 747X, a stretched version of the 747 with the fore body "hump" extended rearwards to accommodate more passengers. The joint VLCT effort ended in July 1996, and Boeing suspended the 747X program in January 1997. From 1997 to 2000, as the
East Asian financial crisis darkened the market outlook, Airbus refined its design, targeting a 15 to 20 percent reduction in operating costs over the existing
Boeing 747-400. The A3XX design converged on a double-decker layout that provided more passenger volume than a traditional single-deck design.
On
19 December 2000, the supervisory board of newly restructured Airbus voted to launch a
€8.8 billion program to build the A3XX, re-christened as the A380, with 55 orders from six launch customers. The A380 designation was a break from previous sequential Airbus designations because the number 8 resembles the double-deck cross section, and is a
lucky number in some Asian cultures. The aircraft’s final configuration was frozen in early
2001, and manufacturing of the first A380 wing box component started on
23 January 2002. The development cost of the A380 had grown to €11 billion when the first aircraft was completed.
Boeing, meanwhile, resurrected the 747X programme several times before finally launching the
747-8 Intercontinental in November 2005 (with entry into service planned for 2009). Boeing chose to develop a derivative for the 400 to 500 seat market, instead of matching the A380's capacity.
Testing
Five A380s were built for testing and demonstration purposes.The first
prototype, serial number 001 and registration , was unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse on
18 January 2005. Its maiden flight took place at 8:29
UTC (10:29 a.m. local time)
27 April 2005. The prototype, equipped with
Trent 900 engines, departed runway 32L of
Toulouse Blagnac International Airport with a flight crew of six headed by
chief test pilot Jacques Rosay, carrying 20
tonnes (22
short tons) of
flight test instrumentation and water ballast. The take-off weight of the aircraft was 421 tonnes (464 short tons); although this was only 75 percent of its maximum take-off weight, it was the heaviest take-off weight of any passenger airliner ever flown.
In mid-November 2005, the A380 embarked on a tour of Southeast Asia and Australia for promotional and for long-haul
flight testing purposes, visiting
Singapore,
Brisbane,
Sydney,
Melbourne and
Kuala Lumpur. During this tour, the livery of
Singapore Airlines,
Qantas and
Malaysia Airlines were applied in addition to the Airbus house livery. On
19 November, an A380 flew in full
Emirates livery at the Dubai Air Show.
On
1 December 2005, the A380 achieved its maximum design speed of Mach 0.96, in a shallow dive, completing the opening of the
flight envelope.
[6] The aircraft's maximum allowed operational speed is lower, at Mach 0.89, and its cruising speed is Mach 0.85.
On
10 January 2006, the A380 made its first transatlantic flight to
MedellÃn in
Colombia, to test engine performance at a high altitude airport. It arrived in
North America on
6 February, when an A380 landed in
Iqaluit, Nunavut in
Canada for cold-weather testing.
[7] The same aircraft then flew to
Singapore to participate in the Asian Aerospace 2006 exhibition, in full
Singapore Airlines livery.
On
26 March 2006, the A380 underwent evacuation certification in
Hamburg in
Germany. With 8 of the 16 exits blocked, 853 passengers and 20 crew left the aircraft in 78 seconds, less than the 90 seconds required by certification standards.
[8] Three days later, the A380 received
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and United States
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to carry up to 853 passengers.
[9]
The first A380 planned for delivery to a customer, serial number 003 and registration , took to the air in May 2006. The maiden flight of the first A380 with
GP7200 engines (F-WWEA) took place on
25 August 2006.
On
4 September 2006, the first full passenger-carrying flight test took place.
[10] The aircraft flew from
Toulouse with 474 Airbus employees on board, in the first of a series of flights to test passenger facilities and comfort. In November 2006, a further series of route proving flights took place to demonstrate the aircraft's performance for 150 flight hours under typical airline operating conditions.
Airbus obtained the A380
type certificate from the EASA and FAA on
12 December 2006 in a joint ceremony at the company's French headquarters.
[11]
As of September 2007, ten A380s had flown, and the five A380s in the test programme had logged over 2,900 hours during 1,995 test flights, including route proving and demonstration flights around the world.
Delivery delays
Initial production of the A380 was plagued by a series of delays attributed to the 530 km (330 miles) of wiring in each aircraft. Airbus cited as underlying causes the complexity of the cabin wiring (100,000 wires and 40,300 connectors), its concurrent design and production, the use of two incompatible versions of the
CATIA computer-aided design software, the high degree of customisation for each airline, and failures of
configuration management and
change control.
[12][ The race to rewire the Airbus A380 Max Kingsley-Jones ] Deliveries would be pushed back by nearly two years.
While Airbus attributes the delays entirely to wiring, industry analyst
Richard Aboulafia, noting that the first A380 will be around 5.5
tons heavier than intended, speculates that the weight problems "[go] a long way in explaining the delay", and that "wiring alone did not explain what we were all hearing. It sounds like weight-reduction design changes are a big part of the delay, too."
[13]
Airbus announced the first delay in June 2005 and notified airlines that delivery would slip by six months, with
Singapore Airlines expecting the first A380 in the last quarter of 2006,
Qantas getting its first delivery in April 2007 and
Emirates receiving aircraft before 2008. This reduced the number of planned deliveries by the end of 2009 from about 120 to 90–100.
On
13 June 2006, Airbus announced a second delay, with the delivery schedule undergoing an additional shift of six to seven months. Although the first delivery was still planned before the end of 2006, deliveries in 2007 would drop to only 9 aircraft, and deliveries by the end of 2009 would be cut to 70–80 aircraft. The announcement caused a 26% drop in the share price of Airbus's parent,
EADS, and led to the departure of EADS CEO
Noël Forgeard, Airbus CEO
Gustav Humbert, and A380 programme manager Charles Champion.
[14] In the wake of the new delay,
Malaysia Airlines and
ILFC were reported to be considering the cancellation of their orders.
[15][16] Launch customers Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Qantas also were reported to be angered by the delays and expecting compensation.
[17] However, on
21 July 2006, Singapore Airlines ordered a further 9 A380s and stated that Airbus had ''"demonstrated to our satisfaction that the engineering design for the A380 is sound [and that] it has performed well in flight and certification tests and the delays in its delivery have been caused more by production, rather than technical, issues."''
[18]
On
3 October 2006, upon completion of a review of the A380 program, the then CEO of Airbus,
Christian Streiff, announced a third delay.
[19] The largest delay yet, it pushed the first delivery for Singapore Airlines to October 2007, to be followed by 13 deliveries in 2008, 25 in 2009, and the full production rate of 45 aircraft per year in 2010. The delay also increased the earnings shortfall projected by Airbus through 2010 to €4.8 billion.
[20] The customer with the largest A380 order, Emirates, saw its first delivery pushed back to August 2008 and said as a result that it was considering scaling back its order,
[21] potentially in favour of the rival
Boeing 747-8.
20 Virgin Atlantic deferred its deliveries by four years, to 2013.
[22] The third delay was followed by the first cancellations to hit the A380 programme. On
7 November 2006 FedEx cancelled its order for 10 A380F freighters in favour of 15
Boeing 777 Freighters.
[23] In March 2007, the last remaining customer for the A380F,
UPS, announced the cancellation of its order.
[24] Airbus suspended work on the freighter version in order to concentrate on delivering the passenger version, but said the freighter remained on offer.
[25] As of March 2007, Airbus estimated a 2014 entry into service for the A380F.
[26]
Entry into service
Singapore Airlines have announced that the first aircraft, MSN003, will be handed over on
15 October 2007, following a lengthy acceptance test phase, and enter service on
25 October 2007 with a flight between Singapore and Sydney (flight number SQ380).
[27][28] The airline plans to use its first aircraft, in a 471-seat configuration, on its
London–
Singapore–
Sydney (the
kangaroo route) service. As of May 2007, this specific aircraft is in its final stages of production having been painted with SIA's colours on
10 May 2007.
[29] Subsequent routes for Singapore Airlines may include the Singapore–
San Francisco route via
Hong Kong, as well as direct flights to
Paris and
Frankfurt. Qantas (second to fly A380) has announced it will use the A380, in a 450-seat configuration
[1], on its
Melbourne and
Sydney to
Los Angeles and Melbourne and Sydney to London routes.
Air France's aircraft will be used on the Paris to
Montreal and
New York routes. The first Engine Alliance powered A380 which is due to enter service with
Emirates (MSN 011), had its maiden flight on 4th September 2007
[30].
Emirates will receive the aircraft in September 2008 and will initially deploy the plane on its Australian services to Sydney and shortly after to Melbourne.
Design
The new Airbus is sold in two models. The 'A380-800' was designed to carry a maximum of 555 passengers in a
three-class configuration or 853 passengers (538 on the main deck and 315 on the upper deck) in a single-class economy configuration. In May 2007, Airbus began marketing the aircraft to customers as a 525 seat aircraft
3 in a mixed configuration; due to the ever increasing size of the first class seat/suite. The design range for the -800 model is 15,200 km (8,200 nmi).
3 The second model, the 'A380-800F' freighter
[31], will carry 150
tonnes of cargo 10,400 km (5,600 nmi).
4 Future variants may include an 'A380-900' stretch seating about 656 passengers (or up to 960 passengers in an all economy configuration) and an extended range version with the same passenger capacity as the A380-800.
5
A380 F-WWDD in Emirates Airline livery at the 2005
Dubai Airshow.
The A380's wing is sized for a
Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) over 650 metric tonnes in order to accommodate these future versions, albeit with some strengthening required.
5 The stronger wing (and structure) is used on the A380-800F freighter. This common design approach sacrifices some
fuel efficiency on the A380-800 passenger model, but Airbus estimates that the sheer size of the aircraft, coupled with the significant advances in technology described below, will provide lower operating costs per passenger than all current variants of
Boeing 747.
Cockpit
Airbus used similar cockpit layout, procedures and handling characteristics to those of other Airbus aircraft, to reduce crew training costs. Accordingly, the A380 features an improved
glass cockpit, and
fly-by-wire flight controls linked to
side-sticks.
[32] The improved cockpit displays feature eight 15-by-20 cm (6-by-8-inch)
liquid crystal displays, all of which are physically identical and interchangeable. These comprise two
Primary Flight Displays, two navigation displays, one engine parameter display, one system display and two
Multi-Function Displays. These MFDs are new with the A380, and provide an easy-to-use interface to the
flight management system—replacing three multifunction control and display units. They include
QWERTY keyboards and trackballs, interfacing with a
graphical "
point-and-click" display navigation system.
[33]
Engines
Either the
Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or
Engine Alliance GP7000 turbofans may power the A380. Both are derived from the predecessors
Trent 800,
GE90 and
PW4000. The Trent 900 core is a scaled version of the
Trent 500, but incorporates the swept fan technology of the stillborn Trent 8104.
[34] The GP7200 has a GE90-derived core and PW4090-derived fan and low-pressure turbo-machinery.
[35] Noise reduction was a driving requirement for the A380, and particularly affects engine design.
[36] Both engine types are expected to allow the aircraft to meet the stringent QC/2 departure noise limits set by
London Heathrow Airport, which is expected to become a key destination for the A380.
Advanced materials
Composite materials make up 25% of the A380's airframe, by weight.
Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic,
glass-fibre reinforced plastic and
quartz-fibre reinforced plastic are used extensively in wings, fuselage sections, tail surfaces, and doors. The A380 is the first commercial airliner with a central wing box made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic, and it is the first to have a wing cross-section that is smoothly contoured. Other commercial airliners have wings that are partitioned in sections. The flowing, continuous cross-section allows for maximum aerodynamic efficiency.
Thermoplastics are used in the leading edges of the
slats. The new material
GLARE (GLAss-REinforced fibre metal laminate) is used in the upper fuselage and on the stabilizers' leading edges. This
aluminium-
glass-fibre laminate is lighter and has better corrosion and impact resistance than conventional aluminium
alloys used in aviation. Unlike earlier composite materials, it can be repaired using conventional aluminium repair techniques.
[37] Newer
weldable aluminium alloys are also used. This enables the widespread use of
laser beam welding manufacturing techniques
[38] — eliminating rows of
rivets and resulting in a lighter, stronger structure.
Avionics architecture
The A380 employs an
Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) architecture, first used in advanced military aircraft such as the
F-22 Raptor and the
Eurofighter Typhoon. It is based on a
commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) design. Many previous dedicated single-purpose avionics computers are replaced by dedicated software housed in onboard processor modules and servers. This cuts the number of parts, provides increased flexibility without resorting to customised avionics, and reduces costs by using commercially available computing power.
33 Together with IMA, the A380 avionics are very highly networked. The data communication networks use
Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet, following the ARINC 664 standard. The data networks are switched,
full-duplexed,
star-topology and based on 100baseTX fast-Ethernet.
[39] This reduces the amount of wiring required and minimizes
latency.
[40] The Network Systems Server (NSS) is the heart of A380 paperless cockpit. It eliminates the bulky manuals and charts traditionally carried by the pilots. The NSS has enough inbuilt robustness to do away with onboard backup paper documents. The A380's network and server system stores data and offers electronic documentation, providing a required equipment list, navigation charts, performance calculations, and an aircraft logbook. All are accessible to the pilot from two additional 27 cm (11 inch) diagonal LCDs, each controlled by its own keyboard and control cursor device mounted in the foldable table in front of each pilot.
40
Systems
Power-by-wire flight control actuators are used for the first time in civil service, backing up the primary hydraulic flight control actuators. During certain manoeuvres, they augment the primary actuators. They have self-contained hydraulic and electrical power supplies. They are used as electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHA) in the aileron and elevator, and as electrical backup hydrostatic actuators (EBHA) for the rudder and some spoilers.
[41]
The aircraft's 350 bar (35 MPa or 5,000 psi) hydraulic system is an improvement over the typical 210
bar (21
MPa or 3,000
psi) system found in other commercial aircraft since the
1940s. First used in military aircraft, higher pressure hydraulics reduce the size of pipelines, actuators and other components for overall weight reduction. The 350 bar pressure is generated by eight de-clutchable hydraulic pumps. Pipelines are typically made from
titanium and the system features both fuel and air-cooled
heat exchangers. The hydraulics system architecture also differs significantly from other airliners. Self-contained electrically powered hydraulic power packs, instead of a secondary hydraulic system, are the backups for the primary systems. This saves weight and reduces maintenance.
The A380 uses four 150 kVA variable-frequency electrical generators eliminating the constant speed drives for better reliability. The A380 uses aluminium power cables instead of copper for greater weight savings due to the number of cables used for an aircraft of this size and complexity. The electrical power system is fully computerized and many
contactors and breakers have been replaced by solid-state devices for better performance and increased reliability.
41
The A380 features a bulbless illumination system.
LEDs are employed in the cabin, cockpit, cargo and other fuselage areas. The cabin lighting features programmable multi-spectral LEDs
[42] capable of creating a cabin ambience simulating daylight, night or shades in between. On the outside of the aircraft,
HID lighting is used to give brighter, whiter and better quality illumination. These two technologies provide brightness and a service life superior to traditional incandescent light bulbs.
The A380 was initially planned without
thrust reversers, as Airbus believed it to have ample braking capacity. The
FAA disagreed, and Airbus elected to fit only the two inboard engines with them. The two outboard engines do not have reversers, reducing the amount of debris blown up during landing. The A380 features electrically actuated thrust reversers, giving them better reliability than their pneumatic or hydraulic equivalents, in addition to saving weight.
Passenger provisions
Initial publicity stressed the comfort and space of the A380's cabin,
[43] which offers room for such installations as relaxation areas, bars, duty-free shops, and beauty salons. One A380 customer likely to use innovative amenities is
Virgin Atlantic Airways, which has a bar in Business Class on its aircraft, and has announced plans to include casinos, double beds, a gymnasium and showers on its A380s.
[44][45] The A380 will provide more and wider seats, lower seat-distance costs and better amenities. It also gives 50% lower cabin noise than a 747 and a lower cabin altitude of 5000 ft; both features are expected to reduce the effects of jetlag.
At 555 passengers, the A380's seating capacity represents a 35% increase over the 747-400 in a standard three-class configuration, along with a 50% larger cabin volume — producing more space per passenger. If, however, the plane is ordered in an all-economy-class configuration, it can hold up to 853 passengers; its maximum certified carrying capacity.
Airport compatibility
The A380 was designed to fit within an 80 × 80 m
airport gate,
[46] and can land or take off on any runway that can take a
Boeing 747. Due to its lower landing speed, the A380 uses less runway length than a 747. However, airports used by the A380 in commercial service may need infrastructure modifications.
[47] Its large wingspan can require some
taxiway and
apron reconfigurations, to maintain safe separation margins when two of the aircraft pass each other. Taxiway shoulders may be required to be paved to reduce the likelihood of
foreign object damage caused to (or by) the outboard engines, which overhang more than 25 m (80 ft) from the centre line of the aircraft. Any taxiway or runway bridge must be capable of supporting the A380's maximum weight. The
terminal gate must be sized such that the A380's wings do not block adjacent gates, and may also provide multiple
jetway bridges for simultaneous boarding on both decks.
[48] Service vehicles with lifts capable of reaching the upper deck must be obtained,
[49] as well as
tractors capable of handling the A380's maximum ramp weight.
[50] The A380 test aircraft have participated in a campaign of airport compatibility testing to verify the modifications already made at several large airports, visiting a number of airports around the world.
[51][52] The A380 has now also been approved for use on regular width runways (45m) by both the
FAA and
EASA.
[53]
Production
Major structural sections of the A380 are built in
France,
Germany,
Spain, and the
United Kingdom. Due to their size, they are brought to the assembly hall in
Toulouse in
France by surface transportation, rather than by the
A300-600ST ''Beluga'' aircraft used for other Airbus models. Components of the A380 are provided by suppliers from around the world; the five largest contributors, by value, are
Rolls-Royce,
SAFRAN,
United Technologies,
General Electric, and
Goodrich.
[54]
The front and rear sections of the fuselage are loaded on an Airbus
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ship,
Ville de Bordeaux, in
Hamburg in northern
Germany, whence they are shipped to the
United Kingdom.
[55] The wings, which are manufactured at
Filton in
Bristol and
Broughton in North
Wales, are transported by
barge to
Mostyn docks, where the ship adds them to its cargo. In
Saint-Nazaire in western
France, the ship trades the fuselage sections from Hamburg for larger, assembled sections, some of which include the nose. The ship unloads in
Bordeaux. Afterwards, the ship picks up the belly and tail sections by
Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA in
Cadiz in southern
Spain, and delivers them to Bordeaux. From there, the A380 parts are transported by barge to
Langon, and by oversize road convoys to the assembly hall in
Toulouse. New wider roads, canal systems and barges were developed to deliver the A380 parts. After assembly, the aircraft are flown to Hamburg to be furnished and painted. It takes 3,600 litres (950 gallons) of paint to cover the 3,100 m² (33,000 ft²) exterior of an A380.
Airbus sized the production facilities and
supply chain for a production rate of four A380s per month.
55
Orders
Fifteen airlines have ordered the A380, including an order from aircraft lessor
ILFC. Total orders for the A380 stand at 174, of which 173 are firm.
[56] Orders for the freighter model reached 27 but dwindled to zero following the production delays. Airbus expects to sell a total of 750 aircraft, and estimated
break-even at 420 units, increased from 270 due to the delays and the falling exchange rate of the
US dollar.
In April 2007, Airbus CEO Louis Gallois said that break-even had risen further, but declined to give the new figure. Industry analysts anticipate between 400 and 880 sales by 2025.
54 As of 2006, the list price of an A380 is
US$ 296 to 316 million, depending on equipment installed.
[57]
Entries shaded in pink have been announced, but have not yet come under contract.
Technical concerns
Several concerns about the A380 have arisen during its development. Airbus has addressed these concerns as required to obtain a
type certificate from the
European Aviation Safety Agency and its American counterpart, the
Federal Aviation Administration.
Ground operations
Early critics claimed that the A380 would damage taxiways and other airport surfaces. However, the pressure exerted by its wheels is lower than that of a Boeing 747 or Boeing 777 because the A380 has 22 wheels, four more than the 747, and eight more than the 777.
[80] Airbus measured pavement loads using a 540-tonne (595 short tons) ballasted test rig, designed to replicate the
landing gear of the A380. The rig was towed over a section of pavement at Airbus' facilities that had been specially instrumented with embedded load sensors.
[81]
Based on its
wingspan, the U.S.
FAA classifies the A380 as a Design Group VI aircraft, and originally required a width of 60 m (200 ft) for runways and 30 m (100 ft) for taxiways, compared with 45 m (150 ft) and 23 m (75 ft) for Design Group V aircraft such as the Boeing 747.
[82] Airbus claimed that the A380 could safely operate on Group V
runways and
taxiways, without the need for widening. Both the FAA and EASA agreed that the A380 can operate on Group V runways and taxiways. The ICAO is still disputing this fact. When operating on Group V infrastructure, the FAA originally considered limiting the taxi speed of the A380 to 25 km/h (15 mph), but has since issued waivers related to the speed restriction and some of the proposed runway widening requirements.
[83][84]
As of late 2005, there were concerns that the
jet blast from the A380's engines could be dangerous to ground vehicles and airport terminal buildings, as more thrust is required to move its greater mass (590 t compared with 412.8 t for a 747). The FAA has established a commission
[85] to determine if new safety regulations seem necessary, and it will make appropriate recommendations to the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). According to ''
The Wall Street Journal'', "The debate is supposed to be entirely about safety, but industry officials and even some participants acknowledge that, at the very least, an overlay of diplomatic and trade tensions complicates matters." The FAA commission has stated it will not enact
unilateral safeguards for the A380, only those imposed by the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Wake turbulence
The A380 generates more
wake turbulence on takeoff and landing than existing aircraft types, requiring increased airport
approach and departure spacing for following aircraft.
[86]
In
2005, the ICAO recommended that provisional separation criteria for the A380 be substantially greater than for the 747 because preliminary
flight test data suggested a stronger wake than the 747.
[87] These criteria were in effect while the A380 Wake Vortex Steering Group, with representatives from the
JAA,
Eurocontrol, the
FAA, and
Airbus, refined its 3-year study of the issue with additional
flight testing. In September 2006, the working group presented its conclusions to the ICAO, which is expected to issue final guidance on the issue in November 2006. The working group concluded that an aircraft trailing an A380 during approach needs to maintain a separation of 6
nmi, 8 nmi and 10 nmi respectively for ICAO "Heavy", "Medium", and "Light" aircraft categories, instead of the traditional 4 nmi, 5 nmi and 6 nmi spacing. However, the working group found no need to limit the A380's trailing distance behind another aircraft, potentially making up for some of the increased spacing behind the A380.
86 On departure behind an A380, the working group concluded that "Heavy" aircraft are required to wait two minutes, and "Medium"/"Light" aircraft three minutes for time based operations. Finally, the working group did not recommend any modified restrictions on vertical or horizontal separation criteria during cruise.
During the A380's maiden trip to the United States in 2007,
air traffic control used the callsign suffix "Super" to distinguish the A380 from "Heavy" aircraft.
[88]
Wing strength
During the destructive wing strength certification test, the test wing of the A380 failed to meet the certification requirement of 150% of limit load.
[89] Limit load is the maximum load expected during operation in the design life of an aircraft. The test wing buckled between the inboard and outboard engines at 147% of limit load, as the wing tip reached a vertical deflection of 7.4 m (24.3 ft). Airbus initially stated that the test article represented an early design, and that the load requirement would be verified by analysis of changes already made. Subsequently, Airbus announced that modifications adding 30 kg to the wing would be made to provide the required strength.
Specifications
| Measurement | A380-800 | A380F |
|---|
| Cockpit crew | Two |
|---|
| Seating capacity | 525 (3-class)
853 (1-class) | 12 couriers |
|---|---|
| Length | 73 m (239 ft 6 in) |
|---|---|
| Span | 79.8 m (261 ft 10 in) |
|---|---|
| Height | 24.1 m (79 ft 1 in) |
|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 30.4 m (99 ft 8 in) |
|---|---|
| Outside fuselage width | 7.14 m (23 ft 6 in) |
|---|---|
| Cabin width, main deck | 6.60 m (21 ft 8 in) |
|---|---|
| Cabin width, upper deck | 5.94 m (19 ft 6 in) |
|---|---|
| Wing area | 845 m² (9,100 ft²) |
|---|---|
| Operating empty weight | 276,800 kg (610,200 lb) | 252,200 kg (556,000 lb) |
|---|---|
| Maximum take-off weight | 560,000 kg
(1,235,000 lb) | 590,000 kg (1,300,000 lb) |
|---|---|
| Maximum payload | 90,800 kg
(200,000 lb) | 152,400 kg (336,000 lb) |
|---|---|
| Cruising speed | 0.85 Mach |
|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 0.89 Mach |
|---|---|
| Take off run at MTOW | 2,750 m (9,020 ft) | 2,900 m (9,510 ft) |
|---|---|
| Range at design load | 15,200 km (8,200 nmi) | 10,400 km (5,600 nmi) |
|---|---|
| Service ceiling | 13,115 m (43,000 feet) |
|---|---|
| Maximum fuel capacity | 310,000 L (81,890 US gal) | 310,000 L (81,890 US gal),
356,000 L (94,000 US gal) option |
|---|---|
| Engines (4 x) | GP7270
Trent 970 | GP7277
Trent 977 |
|---|---|
References
1. A380 deliveries, line nos. 1-199
2. A380 FAQ, question 4
3. A380 Specifications
4. A380 Freighter Specifications
5. Airbus A380: Superjumbo of the 21st Century, , Guy, Norris, Zenith Press, , ISBN 978-0-7603-2218-5
6. A380 powers on through flight-test Max Kingsley-Jones
7. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11236081/ Airbus tests A380 jet in extreme cold of Canada
8. Airbus A380 evacuation trial full report: everyone off in time Kieran Daly
9. Pictures: Airbus A380 clears European and US certification hurdles for evacuation trial
10. Airbus A380 completes test flight
11. Airbus A380 certified air worthy
12. The A380 programme
13. Airbus A380 a bit too superjumbo James Wallace
14. Airbus replaces chief of jumbo jet project Nicola Clark
15. MAS prepares to cancel A380 order Geoffrey Thomas
16. ILFC considers billion A380 cancellation as pressure on Airbus mounts Aaron Karp
17. More setbacks for Airbus Superjumbo jet Bob Jamieson
18. Farnborough: SIA shocks the air show by ordering 20 Airbus A350s, nine further A380s David Kaminski-Morrow
19. Airbus confirms further A380 delay and launches company restructuring plan
20. Airbus will lose €4.8bn because of A380 delays David Robertson
21. New A380 jet delays confirmed Nicola Clark
22. Virgin Atlantic is to defer its order for the new Airbus A380 by four years
23. Airbus bust, Boeing boost Dell Quentin Wilber
24. UPS to Cancel A380 Freighter Order
25. Airbus says A380F development 'interrupted'
26. Airbus to Boost A330 A340 Line
27. First A380 Flight on 25-26 October
28. SIA's first A380 enters 'lengthy' acceptance-testing phase as delivery looms Max Kingsley-Jones
29. Painting of first Singapore Airlines A380 completed
30. EXCLUSIVE: Airbus test flies first A380 for Emirates Airline
31. The triple-deck cargo hauler
32. Cockpit
33. A380 flight deck
34. Trent 900 engine
35. GP7200 engine features
36. Environment
37. Airbus A380 Superjumbo
38. Laser Beam Welding
39. Networking
40. Test cards for the Airbus A380 Charlotte Adams
41. A380: ‘more electric’ aircraft Charlotte Adams
42. Cabin Interior, Mood Lightning
43. Airbus Cabin Showroom
44. "Virgin eyes gyms, casino, double beds on A380 jet"
45. "Could the A380 Become Tomorrow's 'Cruise Ship of the Sky'?: A Peek at the Airbus Giant"
46. A380 Airplane Characteristics for Airport Planning
47. Maintenance hangar
48. Boarding Procedures
49. Catering
50. Aircraft movements
51. Successful landing – the A380 in Frankfurt
52. A380 in Munich
53. Airbus A380 cleared to operate on standard-width runways
54. EADS: the A380 Debate Scott Babka
55. Towards Toulouse
56. Airbus orders & deliveries
57. Airbus raises price of A380 plane
58. The Emirates Story
59. Lufthansa A380 Portal
60. Qantas and the A380
61. First To Fly A380
62. Virgin Atlantic to delay A380 deliveries until 2013 Steve Goldstein
63. http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,23483,22371785-27977,00.html
64. Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced today an US.6 billion order for 25 super-jumbo A3XX very large aircraft (VLA).
65. http://www.flightinternational.com/Articles/2005/11/22/Navigation/264/203213/Al-Baker+fully+charged+at+Qatar.html
66. "UPS Places Order For 10 Airbus A380 Freighters" UPS News, 10 January, 2005]
67. "Korean Air goes for Airbus A380" Airbus Press Centre, 18 June 2003
68. "ETIHAD selects Airbus A380" Airbus Press Centre, 20 July 2004
69. China Southern orders 5 A380s Airbus Press Centre, 28 January 2005
70. Singapore Airlines orders additional A380s Airbus Press Centre, 20 December 2006
71. "Qantas Confirms Order for Eight More Airbus A380S" Bloomberg.com, 21 December 2006
72. FedEx favours Boeing 777F over A380 Washington Post, 8 November 2006
73. ILFC converts A380 Freighter orders to passenger versions Flight Global, 4 December 2006
74. http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,23483,22371785-27977,00.html
75. "UPS to Cancel A380 Order" UPS Pressroom, 2 March 2007
76. Emirates Airlines Reaffirms Commitment To A380 And Orders Additional Four
77. Air France To Order Two Additional A380s And 18 A320 Family Aircraft
78. Qatar Airways Confirms Order For 80 A350XWBs And Adds Three A380s
79. Emirates Airline Agrees To Buy Eight Additional Airbus A380s
80. 777 Family
81. A380 - A solution for airports
82. Airport Design
83. Minimum Requirements to Widen Existing 150-Foot Wide Runways for Airbus A380 Operations
84. Use of non-standard 75-foot-wide straight taxiway sections for Airbus 380 taxiing operations
85. Airbus A380 faces dispute with US aviation officials - report Ragnhild Kjetland
86. Airbus A380 wake vortex study completed
87. Guidance material in regard to wake vortex aspects of A380 aircraft
88. Interim Procedures for A380 Proving and Promotional Flights
89. Airbus thinks it has overcome A380 structural failure Ian Goold
External links
★
Official Airbus A380 page
★
★
Airbus A380 Navigator
★
★ (Technical data)
★
Everything about the A380 at FlightGlobal.com
★
★
★
★
A380 cutaway diagram
★ A380 overviews and technical data at
Airliners.net,
Aerospace-Techonology.com and
Aerospaceweb.org
★ A380 photos at
Airbus,
Airliners.net,
PlanePictures.net,
Futura Sciences,
Pictaero,
MyAviation.net,
BBC News, and
Google.
★ A380 videos at
Airbus,
Google Video,
PopularMechanics.com or
FlightLevel350.com
★
A380 production list at PlaneSpotters.net
★
Airbus A380 Portal at web site
★
How the Airbus A380 Works at HowStuffWorks.com
★
Singapore Airlines' ''First To Fly The A380'' web page
★
''The Airbus saga: Hubris and haste snarled the A380'' - Herald Tribune
★
Giant plane a testimony to 'old Europe', by Jorn Madslien, BBC News
★ Snodgrass, James.
'Luxury living at 35,000 feet: The customized Airbus 380', CNN, July 20, 2007
★
Airbus A380 wing skins
Media
Gallery
Farnborough Air Show, 2006:
More pictures and videos can be viewed at the
Singapore Airlines A380 Gallery.
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