Posted on 05/22/2025 5:43:10 AM PDT by Red Badger
I was an engineer on several airport projects. I’ve seen C5’s take off andland on 8,000 foot runways. At Klamath Falls airport with a 10,000 foot runway, I saw a C5 touch down at the 4,000 foot mark and shut down at 9,000 feet.
I saw a Antonov at Kfalls use all 10,000 to take off and land.
Another issue is the wing span and the location of the outboard engines. Kfalls is 150 feet wide runway and the C5 outboards were beyond the pavement edge which thros up a lot of debris and required extensive runway sweeping.
"as per the company's claims..."
The 'company' didn't claim anything. Let the author cite the individual who claimed that aircraft will have the ability to land on unpaved landing strips, because it's complete fiction.
The story said length was one football field (100 yds).
My mistake, I guess
Is the inventor building the prototype in his garage? (Hey, the Wright brothers started small !)
“The good news is we have built the world’s biggest aircraft. The bad news is there is nowhere on Earth big enough to hangar it nor is there a runway long enough for it to take off and land. We are considering converting it into a shopping mall and adding waterslides off the wings. We are thinking outside the box.”
OK we have guesstimate on 747 comparison. How much bigger than a C-5?
Why are so many unnecessary things invested...?
Ah, they’ve found a use for the old out of use turbine blades? Drop them on the enemy? Better than stuffing them under the bed (putting them in old mines). More silliness.
It probably saves the expense of getting the pilots back.
Gigantic wind turbines are inefficient and fast approaching obsolescence.
Promoting advanced wind turbine technology and blade design would be more effective in the long-term. Grasping and holding onto aged technology smacks of corraling technological investment while curtailing advancement for the sake of controlling competitive gains.
....almost as long as an NFL football field....
If one includes both endzones, the NFL football field is 120 yards long.
FYI and Freegards
Spruce Goose II.
Size does not matter in the amount of runway needed. That would be closely tied to lift/drag ratio and stall speed, reversible engine thrust, and current load weight.
I would like to see a plane with 20 engines, 10 on each side, wingspan of 2,000 feet and a length of 2,850 feet.
It would need five miles of runway to take off but what a majestic sight that would be indeed!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.