for those who don't know all the model numbers, can someone explain the 747-400? Is this that comeptor to the a380 that was going to be built?
and now a really silly question, can a modern day 747 use a shorter runway? This way some of the regional airports don't have to extend (buy land) runways?
The 747-400 is the latest-and-greatest version of the 747, with advanced electronics and a "glass cockpit"--the instruments are on LCD screens or CRTs, very few analog gauges. It's got more range, more capacity, and more power than the older 747-200s and -300s.
Boeing is talking about something called the "747 Advanced", which would be sort of a competitor to the A380. It would invove stretching the 747-400 to lengthen the fuselage, changing the wings, putting in the advanced new engines being developed for the 787 Dreamliner, and all sorts of other things. But the 747 Advanced is still not a definite yet.
}:-)4
The problem with the 380 isn't the length of the runway, it is the weight and width of the plane. Taxiways and ramp areas are probably going to need more work than the runways, and for the passenger versions, work will be needed on the terminals as well.
Atlanta makes a good example. Planes can currently park back to back at different terminals, with other planes passing both ways between them. Throw in some 380s, and there is only room for one way traffic between the terminals. The runways have plenty of length, but there are clearance issues to the side in some cases.