Posted on 07/31/2006 5:54:07 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
Airbus is aiming to undertake the first flight of an A380 with a full load of passengers at the beginning of next month, when it launches the early long flights (ELF) test programme for the ultra-large aircraft.
Speaking in Abu Dhabi, where the A380 was last week undertaking a hot-weather test campaign, Airbus flight-test engineer Jacky Joye told Flight International that Airbus has set a target date for the first flight with a full load of passengers: "The first ELF flight is due to take place on 4 September," he said.
The ELF programme will be flown by the third A380 flight-test aircraft (MSN002), which is equipped with a fully furnished, 474-seat three-class test cabin. This aircraft was recently used to complete the external noise trials in Tarbes, France. A second cabin-equipped A380 (MSN007) will undertake the 300h of route-proving required for type certification towards the end of the year, in conjunction with Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.
The ELF test programme will comprise four flights to test the cabin in airline operating conditions, said Joye. "We had issues with the cabin on the A340-300 after it entered service, so we introduced the ELF tests with the A340-600," he added. The programme enables early feedback on any potential problems with the cabin ahead of the route-proving programme.
Four ELF flights will be performed from Toulouse - 7h, 10h, 12h and 15h - one a night flight to cover all types of conditions. Around 300 of the passengers will be Airbus staff, and the remainder will be "other guests", says Airbus.
Meanwhile, the Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered A380 MSN004 spent last week in the emirate of Abu Dhabi undergoing hot-weather tests in temperatures of around 40°C (104°F). The aircraft was adorned in partial Etihad Airways colours for a public relations event at the airline's base at Abu Dhabi international airport, ahead of the seven-day test programme that was flown from Al Ain airfield, north of the city of Abu Dhabi.
"We are testing all the aircraft systems in hot conditions and focusing on evaluating the performance of the engines. We're making sure they deliver the required thrust and measuring exhaust gas temperatures," said Joye. "Tests involve simulating an engine failure to keep the aircraft at lower, warmer altitudes for a longer period while we take measurements."
If only....
Dale, sounds as if you were close to the limit on that one! If you don't mind specifying the airplane make, I'd love to know.
Piper Arrow
Hmmm, same thing I rent from time-to-time.
Well I didn't lose the wing!
It was about as violent up, down, and back up about 1000' each direction as you could immagine. When I hit the bottom and was sent badk up it did break the seat.
You sure those bumps in the road weren't mexicans?
Um, is it just me, or does this plane keep shrinking? I could've sworn that I read initial reports that it would hold upwards of 700 pax. Then it's been slowly dropping, and now, 474? A 747-8 can carry 450. What the deuce?
It's a tradeoff between payload and range. More passengers weigh more and decrease the amount of cargo and fuel that can be carried. Sure it could carry 850 people, but it can't carry them the stated 8,000 nautical mile range.
For purposes of comparison, some Japanese airlines use 747-400s configured with high-density coach seating on domestic routes and have almost 600 seats on them. Those 747s will still carry more passengers than the first A380s delivered with a more normal long-haul layout.
Wondering if those people are employees they would like to terminate but government rules won't let them?
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Naw. Probably more like 3rd and/or Nth* worlders who were told that if they went on this flight and everything goes okay they would be allowed to stay in Europe.
(* Nth world are countries even more 
than 3rd world countries.)
Give it a few years and the airlines will go cattle-car. The 747 was supposed to have this luxury too.
Hehe, I've done that. The smart ones got up and slept on the palettes on the loading ramp for the trip.
I was just thinking the same thing...
How long did the upper bar thing last on the 747's, before they were replaced with fare-paying seats?
Till the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the ensuing Arab oil embargo. When oil prices shot up, airlines were more interested in driving down the CASM than making more nonessential amenities for their passengers. Also deregulation pushed this too.
Some early 747's were bought for domestic service in the US, because the CAB regulated the number and times of flights an airline could fly but not the size of the aircraft. Airlines could add more capacity without having to apply for more authorizations of routes from the CAB. Even if the plane was too big for the route that was ok, because the CAB wouldn't let any airline go bankrupt, and the extra space could be used for other things than seats. Once airlines were deregulated, airlines started competing on frequency so they started putting more and smaller planes on domestic routes.
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