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Airbus A380

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Template:Infobox Aircraft The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, four-engined airliner manufactured by Airbus S.A.S. It first flew on 27 April 2005 from Toulouse in France. Commercial flights should begin in early 2007 after 15 months of testing, with the delivery of the first aircraft for launch customer Singapore Airlines. During much of its development phase, the aircraft was known as the Airbus A3XX, and the nickname Superjumbo has become associated with the A380.

The A380 is double decked, with the upper deck extending along the entire length of the fuselage. This allows for a spacious cabin with 50% more floor space than the next largest airliner, providing seating for 555 people in standard three-class configuration or up to 853 people in full economy class configuration.[1] Two models of the A380 are currently available. The A380-800, the passenger model, is the largest passenger airliner in the world,[2] superceding the Boeing 747. The other launch model, the A380-800F, is a freight aircraft and will be one of the largest freighters, with a payload capacity exceeded only by the Antonov An-225.[3]

The A380-800 has a maximum range of 15,000 km (8,000 nmi, sufficient to fly from Chicago to Sydney nonstop), and a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 (1,050 km/h),[2] similar to that of the Boeing 747.[4]

History

Development

The first completed A380 at the "A380 Reveal" event in Toulouse

Before the A380 project was launched, both Airbus and Boeing had focused on cornering the very-large-airliner market. Airbus and Boeing had worked together on a study investigating a 600+ seat aircraft called the Very Large Commercial Transport. Although both manufacturers issued various statements, they had a tacit understanding that there was probably room for only one maker to be profitable in the 600 to 800 seat market segment. Both knew the risk of splitting a niche market; the simultaneous debut of the Lockheed L-1011 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 had demonstrated this: either aircraft responded to the market demand, but the market could only sustain one of the two, eventually resulting in Lockheed's departure from the civil airliner market. However, Airbus and Boeing decided to enter the new 600 seat market each in their own ways.

Boeing initially had the upper hand. The 747, though designed in the 1960s, was popular and larger than Airbus' largest jet, the A340. For many airlines, the extra size of the 747 made it a "must buy" for their highest density routes, and the lower costs of a common fleet led carriers to buy additional Boeing aircraft. Boeing was considering a New Large Aircraft to replace the 747, and acquired McDonnell Douglas and their cancelled MD-12 design. Boeing also studied the concept of the 747X, a version of the 747 with the forebody "hump" extended towards the rear for more passenger room, before dropping the concept in favour of the 747 Advanced. This design was similar to the 747X and was finally announced as the 747-8 Intercontinental in November 2005, well after the A380 had been launched.

Development of the "A3XX" began in June 1994. After years of research and development, Airbus decided to proceed with the € 8.8 billion project in 1999, with the final budget settling at about € 12 billion. The double-decker layout would provide higher seat capacities, and hence lower costs, than a traditional design. On 19 December 2000, the Airbus supervisory board voted to launch the A3XX, re-christened as the "A380," with 55 orders from six launch customers.

Testing

Flight test engineer's station on the lower deck of A380 F-WWOW at the 2006 Farnborough International Airshow
File:AirbusA380SIA.JPG
A380  F-WWDD (MSN 004) in Singapore Airlines livery at the Asian Aerospace exhibition, February 2006

The first A380 prototype, serial number 001 and registration F-WWOW, 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 with Trent 900 engines. The prototype departed runway 32L of Blagnac International Airport in Toulouse with a flight crew of six headed by test pilot Jacques Rosay, carrying 22 short tons (20 metric tons) of flight test instrumentation and water ballasts. The take-off weight of the aircraft was 421 tonnes (464 short tons); although this was only 75% of its maximum take-off weight, it was the heaviest take-off weight of any passenger airliner ever flown.

Airbus initially planned about 15 months of flight testing, but shortly after the first flight they acknowledged that the airplane would not be ready for formal certification and commercial service until the end of 2006, resulting in delays of 6 months or more for initial deliveries.

In mid-November 2005 the A380 embarked on a tour of Southeast Asia and Australia for both promotional and long-haul flight testing purposes, visiting Singapore, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur. During this tour, the colors of Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Malaysia Airlines were applied in addition to the Airbus house colors. On 19 November an A380 flew in full Emirates colors at the Dubai Air Show.

On 10 January 2006, the A380 made its first transatlantic flight to Medellín in Colombia, to test engine performance at a high altitude airport. Its first arrival in North America came on 6 February, when an A380 landed in Iqaluit, Nunavut in Canada for cold-weather testing. (CBC) The same A380 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. The test, performed to meet regulatory requirements, involved evacuating 853 passengers and 20 crew from the aircraft within 90 seconds, with 8 of the 16 exits blocked. The evacuation was successfully completed in just under 80 seconds[5]. 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, indicating that the evacuation trial had met their certification standards.[6]

Five A380s have been built for testing and demonstration purposes. The first A380 slated for delivery to a customer, serial number 003 and registration F-WWSA, 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. As of August 2006, seven A380s have flown over 1,800 hours during 575 flights.

Delivery

The A380 at the Paris Air Show 2005

Airbus has not publicly announced a firm delivery schedule, although it notified airlines in June 2005 that delivery would be delayed by up to six months, which meant Singapore Airlines would receive the first A380 aircraft in the last quarter of 2006, with Qantas getting its first delivery in April 2007 and Emirates receiving aircraft before 2008.[7]

On 13 June 2006 Airbus announced in a press release that the A380 delivery schedule would undergo an additional "shift of six to seven months due to production ramp up issues." Although the first aircraft will be delivered before the end of 2006, deliveries in 2007 will be limited to only 9 aircraft. Overall, the initial (pre-2005) plan was to deliver about 120 A380s by the end of 2009; this was reduced to around 90-100 by the first delay, and is now cut to a plan for roughly 70-80 deliveries by 2009. The announcement caused a 26% drop in the share price of Airbus's parent, EADS. [1] Shortly thereafter, Malaysia Airlines and ILFC were reported to be investigating the cancellation of their orders for the aircraft in the wake of the production delays.[8][9] Launch customers Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Qantas also were reported to be angry at the delays and to be considering compensation.[10] 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." .[11]

Singapore Airlines will use the plane on its Sydney and Singapore routes. Although it originally planned to begin service in late 2006 in a 485 passenger configuration, the second major delay in the program means that while first delivery will be before the end of 2006, entry to service will be sometime in early 2007. Subsequent routes by Singapore Airlines may include the Singapore - San Francisco route via Hong Kong, as well as direct flights to Paris and Frankfurt. Qantas has announced it will use the A380 on its Los Angeles to Sydney to Melbourne route in a 501 seat configuration. Air France's order will arrive in 2007 and be used on the Paris to Montreal and New York routes.

Design

A380 cabin cross section, showing economy class seating

The new Airbus is currently sold in two models. The A380-800 can carry 555 passengers in a three-class configuration or up to 853 passengers in a single-class economy configuration. The range for the -800 model is 15,000 kilometres (8,000 nmi).[2] The second model, the A380-800F freighter, will carry 150 tonnes of cargo 10,400 km (5,600 nmi).[3]

Future variants may include an A380-900 stretch seating about 650 passengers, a shortened A380-700 seating about 455 passengers, and an extended range version with the same passenger capacity as the A380-800. The A380's wing is sized for a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of over 590 metric tonnes in order to accommodate these future versions, albeit with some strengthening required. The stronger wing (and structure) is used on today's A380-800F freighter. This common design approach sacrifices some fuel efficiency on the A380-800 passenger model, but the sheer size of the aircraft, coupled with the significant advances in technology described below, are still expected to provide lower operating costs per passenger than all currently produced 747 variants.

Cockpit

Airbus made the cockpit layout, procedures and handling characteristics similar 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.

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.[12]

Engines

A Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine on the wing of an Airbus A380.

Either the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP7200 turbofans may power the A380. Both are derived from predecessors available on the Boeing 777. The Trent 900 is the scaled version of the Trent 800, but incorporating the swept-back fan and counter-rotating spools of the stillborn Trent 8107.[13] The GP7200 has a GE90-derived core and PW4090-derived fan and low-pressure turbo-machinery.[14] Noise reduction was a driving requirement for the A380, and particularly affects engine design. Both engine types meet the stringent QC2 departure noise limits set by London's Heathrow Airport, which is expected to become a key destination for the A380. The Trent 900, the launch engine, initially gained most sales. However, the Engine Alliance GP7201 sales total has since surpassed the Trent 900's by a sizable margin.

Advanced materials

Composite materials make up 25% of the A380's airframe, by weight. Carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, glass-fiber reinforced plastic and quartz-fiber 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 fiber reinforced plastic. 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.[15]

Newer weldable aluminium alloys are also used. This enables the widespread use of laser welding manufacturing techniques - eliminating rows of rivets and resulting in a lighter, stronger structure.[15]

Advanced 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.[12]

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. This reduces the amount of wiring required and minimizes latency. [16]

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.[16]

Systems

Power-by-wire flight control actuators are used for the first time in civil service. They function as ultimate flight control backups for the A380. In some conditions they help the primary flight controls during certain manoeuvres. 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.[17]

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.[18]

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.[17]

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 capable of creating a cabin ambience simulating daylight, night or various shades in between. On the outside of the aircraft, HID lighting is used to give brighter, whiter and better quality illumination. These two bulbless technologies provide far superior brightness and service life compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs.[19]

Thrust reversers are one of the items that are often faulty in service. The A380 was initially planned to do away with thrust reversers, as it has ample braking capacity. The FAA disagreed, and Airbus elected to fit only the two inboard engines with them. The two outboard engines do not go into reverse, to reduce 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 considerable weight.[20]

Passenger amenities

Initial publicity stressed the comfort and space of the A380's cabin, 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.

The A380 will significantly expand the historical improvements that the 747 made — more seats and lower seat-distance costs — while providing wider seats and better amenities. 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 nearly 50% larger cabin volume — meaning 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.[5]

Airport compatibility

The A380 was designed to fit within an 80 x 80 m airport gate, and can land or take off on any runway that can take a Boeing 747. However, the airports to be served by the A380 in regular commercial service may undertake certain infrastructure preparations in order to efficiently accommodate the A380. Its large wingspan can require some taxiway and apron reconfigurations, to maintain safe separation margins when two of the aircraft pass each other. The outboard engines on the A380 hang 25 m (80 ft) from the centre line of the aircraft, giving them a total span of 50 m (160 ft). Most runways in operation are 45 m (150 ft) wide, putting the outer engines over grass or dirt, and creating a concern about foreign object damage caused to (or by) the engines. The FAA at first required all airports serving the A380 to begin widening runways to 60 m (200 ft). [2][3] However, Airbus has maintained that the A380 can safely operate on 45 m (150 ft) runways and 25 m (75 ft) taxiways. In April 2006 the FAA issued a report agreeing with Airbus' conclusion, allowing the A380 to use existing runways and taxiways for the foreseeable future. [4] Furthermore, 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. Service vehicles with lifts capable of reaching the upper deck must be procured, as well as tractors capable of handling the A380's maximum ramp weight.

The A380 test aircraft have begun a campaign of airport compatibility testing, to verify the modifications already made at several large airports. To date, the airports visited for compatibility testing include Brisbane, Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, London[21], Melbourne, Singapore, and Sydney.

Construction

The A380 transporter Ville de Bordeaux

During construction, the front and rear sections of the fuselage are loaded on an Airbus RORO ship, Ville de Bordeaux, in Hamburg in northern Germany, whence they are shipped to the United Kingdom.[15] There the huge 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. Doors were specially made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bangalore in India.[15]

From there, the A380 parts are transported by barge to Langon, and by road to an assembly hall in Toulouse in France. New wider roads, extra canal systems and barges were developed to deliver the massive A380 parts. After assembly, the aircraft are flown to Hamburg to be furnished and painted. Final assembly began in 2004, with first aircraft (MSN001) displayed in January 2005.[15]

Orders

Sixteen airlines have ordered the A380 as of 6 April 2006 including an order from AIG's aircraft leasing unit, ILFC. Currently, A380 orders stand at 168, including 27 freighter models.[22] Break-even is estimated to be at 250 to 300 units. Former Airbus CEO Noël Forgeard stated he expects to sell 750 of the aircraft. As of 2006, the unit cost of the A380 is US$ 296 to 316 million, depending on equipment installed.[23]

Orders sorted by airline
Airline EIS Type Engine
A380-800 A380-800F Options EA RR
Air France 2007 10 4 *
China Southern Airlines 2007 5 *
Emirates 2007 43 *
Etihad Airways 2008 4 *
FedEx 2009 10 10 *
ILFC 5 5 4
Kingfisher Airlines 2010 5
Korean Air 2008 5 3 *
Lufthansa 2008 15 10 *
Malaysia Airlines 2007 6 *
Qantas 2007 12 10 *
Qatar Airways 2009 2 2
Singapore Airlines 2007 19 6 10
Thai Airways International 6
UPS 2009 10 10 *
Virgin Atlantic 2008 6 6 *
Sub-totals 143 25 61 82 58
Total 168 140
Orders sorted by chronology
Announcement
Date 		Confirmation
Date 		Airline EIS Type Engine
A380-800 A380-800F Options EA RR
30 April 2000 24 July 2000 Emirates 2007 5 2 *
24 July 2000 18 June 2001 Air France [5] 2007 10 4 *
25 July 2000 17 June 2001 ILFC 5 5 4
29 September 2000 12 July 2001 Singapore Airlines [6] 2007 10 15 *
29 November 2000 6 March 2001 Qantas 2007 12 10 *
15 December 2000 28 April 2001 Virgin Atlantic 2008 6 6 *
16 January 2001 12 July 2002 FedEx [7] 2009 10 10 *
27 February 2001 20 June 2003 Qatar Airways [8] 2009 2 2
4 November 2001 Emirates 2007 15 *
6 December 2001 Lufthansa [9] 2008 15 10 *
10 January 2003 Malaysia Airlines [10] 2007 6 *
16 June 2003 Emirates 2009 21 *
27 August 2004 Thai Airways International 2007/8 6
10 January 2005 UPS [11] 2009 10 10
18 January 2005 Korean Air [12] 2008 5 3 *
31 January 2005 Etihad Airways [13] 2008 4 *
31 January 2005 China Southern Airlines [14] 2007 5 *
15 June 2005 Kingfisher Airlines 2010 5
May 2006 Emirates 2 -2 *
23 July 2006 Singapore Airlines [15] 9 6
Sub-Totals: 143 25 61 72 58
Totals 168 130

Entries shaded in pink have been announced, but have not yet signed a firm contract.

Technical concerns

Several concerns about the A380 have arisen, fueling criticism of the aircraft and its safety. Airbus has said that it will address these concerns as required by the European Aviation Safety Agency and its American counterpart, the FAA, which must both issue a type certificate before the A380 can enter into service.

Ground operations

The A380's 20-wheel main landing gear

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 because the A380 has 22 wheels, four more than the 747. 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.

As of late 2005 there are 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 to 412.8 t for a 747). The American FAA has established a commission[24] to determine if new safety regulations seem necessary, and will make appropriate recommendations to the 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 they will not enact unilateral safeguards for the A380, only those imposed by the ICAO.[25]

Wake turbulence

The A380 may generate more wake turbulence than existing aircraft types, potentially requiring increased airport approach and departure spacing. Greater aircraft separation would reduce the frequency of aircraft landings, which would undercut the business case for the A380, built in part on the premise that the aircraft would increase throughput at large airports already saturated with traffic.

All aircraft produce wingtip vortices during flight, contributing to wake turbulence, which is strongest in portions of the flight envelope involving high thrust, high angles of attack, and under-clean configurations, such as departures. Many airliners already in service produce extremely large and powerful wakes, which are dangerous to lighter following aircraft. Airspeed, weight, wingspan, and flap and gear deployment all affect the strength of these vortices, which is "proportional to aircraft weight and inversely to aircraft speed and wing span".[26] Aircraft operating below 10,000 feet are limited to 460 km/h (250 knots), and until just before landing are in a clean configuration (flaps and gear retracted). Weight and wingspan are therefore the primary factors affecting vortex strength.

At 560,000 kg, the A380-800 is 36% heavier than the 747-400ER's 412,000 kg,[27] but its 79.8 m span is 24% wider than the 747's 64.4 m. At weights equal to the 747, the A380 will therefore produce weaker vortices. However, at Maximum Take-Off Weight, notwithstanding other aerodynamic improvements, which Airbus claims to have implemented,[28] the turbulence will be stronger. Modern aerodynamics can potentially reduce the effect. Research in the 1970s demonstrated that using wingtip vortex control concepts such as winglets, while reducing cruise vortices and drag, did not have a significant effect on vortex strength during the landing phase. Though it is not clear whether wingtip fences were ever tested, this research (and more recent studies) did identify several promising alternatives.[29]

In 2005, the ICAO recommended that provisional separation criteria for the A380 be substantially greater than for the 747 because “flight test data has raised concerns about horizontal and vertical wake turbulence spacing criteria for approach, landing, departure and en route A380 operations,” and “analyses indicate that A380 wake vortices will descend further and be significantly stronger at 300 m (1,000 ft) below the generation altitude than for other aircraft in the heavy wake turbulence category.”[30] Further flight testing will be required in order to determine whether the vortices produced are substantially larger than existing aircraft vortices, and the ICAO is expected to issue final guidance on the issue in November 2006.

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.[31] 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, however, Airbus announced that modifications adding 30 kg to the wing would be made to provide the required strength.

Cabin pressurization

Joseph Mangan, a former employee of TTTech, has claimed the microprocessors produced by TTTech for the A380 are severely flawed.[32] The microchips control the A380's cabin pressurization system; Mangan has stated that the combination of TTTech's microprocessor and a new architecture of valves could cause the A380 to undergo rapid decompression. This sudden drop in cabin pressure could cause the flight crew to lose consciousness and jeopardize safe flight. This allegation has been strongly rejected by both TTTech[33] and Airbus parent EADS. Boeing has also said it is unaware of any problems with TTTech's chips.[34] An Austrian court has fined Mr. Mangan for violating its preliminary injunction against discussing his allegations pending court cases.

Trading pressure on Thailand

Following the tsunami disaster in December 2004, the European Commission pressured Thailand to maintain Thai Airways International's order for six A380s, reportedly as part of a trade deal in exchange for Thailand avoiding EU fishing tariffs.[35]

Trivia

  • The fictional airplane (the E-474) in the 2005 film Flightplan clearly resembles an A380 as far as its general arrangement of full length upper and lower passenger decks and four turbofan engines. The name is obviously derived from the Boeing 747.
  • The A380 was nicknamed "Megaliner" during early development within Airbus.

Specifications

A size comparison between four of the largest aircraft. Click to enlarge.

(800F Freighter in brown)[2][3]

General characteristics
  • Flight crew: 2
  • Capacity: 555 in 3 classes or 853 passengers in 1 class, with up to 66.4 tonnes (146,400 lb) of cargo in 38 LD3s or 13 pallets
    • 152.4 tonnes (336,000 lb) of cargo (158 t option)
  • Powerplant: 4×311 kN (70,000 lbf) turbofans. Either Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP7200
    • 4×340 kN (76,500 lbf)
Dimensions
  • Length: 73 m (239 ft 6 in)
  • Wingspan: 79.8 m (261 ft 10 in )
  • Height: 24.1 m (79 ft 1 in )
  • Wing area: 845 m² (9,100 ft²)
Weights and fuel capacity
  • Typical Operating Empty Weight: 276,800 kg (610,200 lb)
    • 252,200 kg (556,000 lb)
  • Maximum takeoff: 560,000 kg (1,235,000 lb)
    • 590,000 kg (1,300,000 lb)
  • Maximum fuel: 310,000 litres (81,890 US gal)
    • 310,000 l (352,000 l option)
Performance
  • Normal cruise speed: 0.85 Mach (approx 1050 km/h, 647 mph, 562 kt)
  • Maximum cruise speed: 0.89 Mach
  • Range: 15,000 km (8,000 nmi)
    • 10,400 km (5,600 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 13,100 m (43,000 ft)

Media

Airbus A380 rolling to runway
File:AirbusRedArrowsFarnborough2.jpg
With the Red Arrows at Farnborough, 2006
Landing at Farnborough, 2006
Overflight showing gear deployment, Farnborough 2006
Airbus A380 F-WWOW (MSN 001) performing a display flight at Farnborough, 2006
Banked turn, Farnborough 2006
Take-off, Farnborough 2006

References

  1. ^ Market challenges facing Airbus' giant, John Cronin, BBC News, 25 April 2005
  2. ^ a b c d A380 Specifications Airbus S.A.S.
  3. ^ a b c A380 Freight Specifications Airbus S.A.S.
  4. ^ "Technical Characteristics -- Boeing 747-400", Boeing Commercial Aircraft, retrieved June 11 2006
  5. ^ a b Airbus Evacuates 873 People From A380 in 80 Seconds in Test Andrea Rothman, Bloomberg, 26 March 2006
  6. ^ "Pictures: Airbus A380 clears European and US certification hurdles for evacuation trial." Flight International. 29 March 2006
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference gulfnews_20060504 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Geoffrey Thomas (20 June 2006). "MAS prepares to cancel A380 order". ATWOnline. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Aaron Karp (21 June 2006). "ILFC considers $3 billion A380 cancellation as pressure on Airbus mounts". ATWOnline. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Bob Jamieson (June 14, 2006). "More Setbacks for Airbus Superjumbo Jet". ABC News.
  11. ^ "David Kaminski-Morrow (21 July 2006). "Farnborough: SIA shocks the air show by ordering 20 Airbus A350s, nine further A380s". Flight International. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ a b Flight Deck Specifications Airbus S.A.S.
  13. ^ Trent 900 Specifications Rolls-Royce
  14. ^ GP7200 Specifications Engine Alliance
  15. ^ a b c d e Aerospace Technology - Airbus A380
  16. ^ a b Test Cards for the A380 Charlotte Adams, Aviation Today, July 1 2002
  17. ^ a b 'More Electric' Aircraft Charlotte Adams, Aviation Today, 1 October 2001
  18. ^ Messier-Dowty hands over first A380 nose landing gear to airbus Messier-Dowty, 9 January 2004
  19. ^ Goodrich softens A380 landings Kirby J. Harrison, Aviation International News, 24 February 2004
  20. ^ Certification tests completed for the A380's GP7200 thrust reverser, Aircelle
  21. ^ "Airbus A380 jet lands at Heathrow." BBC Business News Online. 18 May 2006.
  22. ^ Orders & Deliveries to 30 June
  23. ^ Airbus raises price of A380 plane, BBC News, 23 June 2006
  24. ^ "Airbus A380 faces dispute with US aviation officials - report." Kjetland, R. Forbes. 5 October 2005.
  25. ^ "FAA: Wake Turbulence Rules May Have To Be Rewritten." Aero-News.net. 7 October 2005.
  26. ^ "Proceedings of the 11th Conference on Aviation, Range and Aerospace Meteorology, Hyannis, MA 2004." Cole, R. E. and Winkler, S. MIT Lincoln Laboratory.
  27. ^ 747 specifications." Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
  28. ^ "Wake Vortices of the Airbus A380 and its effect on buildings in Neuenfelde and the vicinity of the Hamburg-Finkenwerder factory airfield." Die Arp-Schnitger-Orgel.
  29. ^ "Concept to Reality: Wake-Vortex Hazard." Langevin, G. S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration. October 17, 2003.
  30. ^ ”Guidance Material in Regard to Wake Vortex Aspects of A380 Aircraft.” ICAO. June 2006.
  31. ^ "Airbus thinks it has overcome A380 structural failure". Aviation International News. 21 February 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ "A380 jet flawed, fired worker alleges." Pae, P. The Seattle Times. 2 October 2005.
  33. ^ "TTTech defends against false allegations." Official TTTech press release. 6 October 2005.
  34. ^ "A Skeptic Under Pressure." Pae, P. The Los Angeles Times. September 27 2005.
  35. ^ "Tsunami-hit Thais told: Buy six planes or face EU tariffs." Nelson, F. The Scotsman. 19 January 2005.
  • Guy Norris and Mark Wagner, (2005), Zenith Press, Airbus A380: Superjumbo of the 21st Century. ISBN 978-0-7603-2218-5

See also

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