Posted: 6/13/2006 10:40:49 AM EDT
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LONDON (AFX) - Airliners may have to fly twice the normal distance behind the new Airbus A380 superjumbo jet to avoid potential hazards from its powerful wake, the Wall Street Journal quoted preliminary safety guidelines as showing Interim air-traffic control guidance from the International Civil Aviation Organization says the plane, scheduled to go into service next year, produces 'significantly stronger' air turbulence than the largest jetliners now in use. On the basis of flight tests and data analyses, the ICAO calls for minimum separations of 10 nautical miles for all aircraft following a landing A380, versus the typical five-mile mandatory buffer behind today's largest aircraft. However the guidelines, released to the industry earlier this month, are tentative and almost certainly more cautious than the formal rules expected next year, the Journal admitted. [email protected] jms This will cause some delays at more busier airports. So whats the gain if you have to land fewer planes per day even if they carry more passengers? The WSJ article is much more informative and states that even longer separations maybe required. |
I agree its not a safety issue . Its more of a scheduling issue. Even a large modern busy airport like JFK or Ohare will have problems if they have to increase the separation. Even if the runway is dedicated to heavies, it still has to land fewer 380s versus 747s. Also a lot airports that are extremely busy in Europe have only one runway. Those airports are the ones that are going to suffer the most. |
Uh-oh. Double whammy!!! Nelson laugh!  Airbus announces delay in A380 deliveries PARIS (AFP) - The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus told clients that deliveries of its A380 super jumbo jet would be delayed by six to seven months because of a production problem. Only nine of the aircraft would be delivered in 2007, seriously affecting the financial results of the parent group, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, EADS said in a statement. EADS owns 80 percent of Airbus and BAE Systems of Britain holds 20 percent. EADS warned that operating profit would be cut by "about 500 million euros" (625 million dollars) per year during the period 2007-2010. "Possible contract terminations under the new timetable have not been taken into account in this estimate," it added. Airbus said the delay was for industrial reasons only, adding that it was still on track to win certification for the aircraft and deliver the first unit at the end of 2006 to Singapore Airlines, which had expected to get two. Commercial director John Leahy told AFP the problem lay with the manufacture and installation of wiring connections between slices of the fuselage, adding: "there will be late fees paid to clients". "It's embarrasing, those problems should have been fixed by now," he said. Airbus said in a statement that it was "perfectly aware" of the impact the delay would have on client airlines "eager to begin using their A380s". EADS co-chief executives Tom Enders and Noel Forgeard said in a joint statement: "We expect Airbus management to fully deliver according to the revised schedule and if possible, even to improve (on it)". Compared to the initial delivery target, shortfalls of five to nine aircraft deliveries were now expected in 2008 and of around five aircraft in 2009. Airbus had initially planned to deliver 20-25 A380s in 2007, around 35 in 2008 and 45 in 2009. |
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Reference (ICAO report "Wake Vortex aspects of the Airbus A380 aircraft" 11/10/2005: T 13/3-05-0661.SLG) Preliminary data from A380 wake turbulence test are in, and it looks like Airbus predictions are totally outside the ball park with regards to the A380 wake. Flight test data shows that the A380 wake vortices will descend further and are significantly stronger at 1000ft (300m) below the generation altitude than for any other aircraft in its weight category (747 etc). On occasions the A380 wake vortices may descend 2000ft (600M) below the aircraft and pose possible passenger comfort issues, but not a hazard. Initial ICAO guidance is as follows: 1) one additional min to be added to all separations, when the A380 is the leading aircraft. 2) Horizontal spacing on final approach to be no less than 10 NM between A380 and following aircraft. 3) vertical spacing to be no less than 2000ft when following behind the A380. http://www.airliners.net/discussions/general_aviation/read.main/2437407/ And BTW: BAE Sysyems are selling their stake in Airbus. ANdy |
I could be wrong, but I don't think it's so much of a distance issue as it is a time issue. Figure an airliner going 500 mph travels 8.3 miles/min....that means the planes are just over a minute apart. I don't think that's too awful long. |
I was thinking about that too after I typed my first post. I came up with a round 5 miles a minute incoming for landing. So, 1-2 minute spacing..... Except from the sound of it the spacing issue doesnt sound like its time based so much as based on turbulance. Hence the reason for increasing the spacing for the 380. It seems to me turbulence would be gone after 1 minute...... |
You guys are presuming cruising speed. Approach speed to an airport is much much slower then that. We are talking somewhere in the 200 knot speed for such a big plane. The airplane guys will know a lot more about this. But its definitely not the 540-580 mph that it will cruise at. The wake is a function of the size and weight of the plane. This sucker is huge and I cant understand why they thought it wouldnt have a large wake. There have been a lot of interest in this since some plane crashed following 757s that are also supposed to create large wakes. |