4 A380
The new Airbus A380 An Air Traffic Control view Ph oto :A irb
Daniel Casanova ^ by (Controller in Toulouse
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Blagnac TWR) The A380 is the largest airliner ever built. The A380 is certificated to carry as many as 853 passengers; however most A380 customers have chosen a three-class configuration with a typical capacity of 500 seats.
The Aircraft Size Using a new generation of engines that can lift the plane‘s 560 Tonnes maximum take-off weight into the air, the aircraft has an excellent runway and climb performance. As amazing as it is for the largest aircraft in the world to take to the air, the A380 faced significant challenges on the ground as well. However airport compatibility was a design requirement from the earliest stage of the programme, keeping changes required at airports to accommodate the A380 to a minimum. To integrate into existing airports, the A380 had to fit the standard airport-docking plan. The plane‘s nearly 80m wingspan meets this requirement by about
A380800 Basic
40 cm. Its outer-most engines, however, would hang just beyond the standard 45m runway width, requiring minor upgrades, i.e. shoulder extensions at many airports. The plane‘s weight will be distributed over 20 landing gear wheels, actually producing less weight per wheel than the 777. The cockpit location, between the main and upper decks, is designed to give pilots a view of the runway and taxiways at the similar height as the A330/340 aircraft and therefore improves manoeuvrability.
Flight Testing During the flight test for certification, the five A 380 flight test aircraft (4 Trent 900 powered and 1 GP7200 powered) have flown a large part of the test program in the Toulouse-Blagnac TMA. The Toulouse Approach Centre provides the ATC services in this TMA. Around 70 civilian controllers plus 10 test and acceptance traffic controllers serve in the centre. For civilian IFR traffic, controllers provides normal ATC services. They also provide tower services and radar control during controller training. Part of the IFR approach room is reserved for CER (a French test and acceptance navigation control center). Blagnac is also a flight test centre with air traffic control officers specialising in CER. These controllers are trained for this specific role under the authority of DGA (French Defense Procurement Agency). The CER is used by the French flight test center to conduct flight tests for aircraft and navigation system tests as well as acceptance flights.
The CER controllers integrates these test flights into French airspace with coordination from the SNA (French ATC provider) controllers.
Experience With over 3300 flight hours of A380 flying to date, the controllers unit of Toulouse-Blagnac has gained extensive experience on the new aircraft. From the point of view of performance the A380 is very easy to integrate in a radar vectoring approach. The speed range of the A380 provides good opportunity to the controllers to accommodate it with other aircraft, regardless of their size or speed. According to airline crew who have flown the A380, it is as manoeuvrable as an A319! Even at maximum takeoff weight, the A380 can directly reach the initial cruising altitude of FL350 in 28 minutes and 204 nautical miles, and cruise at 0.85 Mach. Runway performance and occupancy times are also very good. During the recent A380 route proving flights to the United States, the A380 landed at JFK at very close to maximum landing weight, yet spent less than one minute on the runway after touchdown. On the ground, the Blagnac taxiways intersecting at 90° are no problem for the A380, and following certification by the EASA, there are no operating restriction on the 45-meter wide runways. A useful aid for A380 crews is an on-board taxi camera that provides an external view of the position of both the nose and the main gear wheels.
Weights
Performance
Dimensions
Powerplants
Capacity
ZFW: 361,000kg
Max cruising speed M 0.88 Long range cruising speed: 0.85 Mach
MTOW: 560,000kg
Range: 8,000nmTake off field length at MTOW: 2,970 m, Sea level, ISA+15°C conditions
Wing span 79.8m Length 72.7m Height 24.1 m
MLW: 386,000kg
Landing field length at MLW: 2,010 m at seal level
Four 311kN (70,000lb) thrust class Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or Engine Alliance (General Electric-Pratt & Whitney) GP-7200 turbofans
Standard seating for 555 passengers on two decks in a three-class arrangement. Qantas plans to fit its aircraft with 501 seats (in three classes). A380 has 50% more floor area but only 35% more seats (in 555 seat configuration) than the 747-400, allowing room for passenger amenities such as bars, gymnasiums and duty free shops
Can reach FL350 in 28 min as an initial cruise altitude. Max cruise altitude FL430 Approach speed at MLW: 138 kts, same as the A320
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