Airbus begins installation of A380 wing reinforcements

flightglobal.com ^ | July 4, 2006 | Max Kingsley-Jones

[LIConFem]

The "reinforcements".

[EEDUDE]

IMHO, we just don't understand the structural properties of composites well enough to try to use them in aircraft of this size and weight.

I also don't believe we understand how these materials degrade as they age, since they are so new.

I wouldn't want to fly on this aircraft, with wiring problems, fly by wire, and composite construction.

[LIConFem]

Grrr... You only beat me by 29+ minutes :o(

[Jameison]

"I think it is turning out to be an engineering quagmire"

Hey, I thought "quagmire" was only reserved for Iraq?
What you doin' using that word for the mighty Euro-socialist project that shows the superiority of Europeans over those naive Americans? :)

[exit82]

They need to check that center fuel tank thingy while they're at it......and glue the tail on tighter.

[new cruelty]

ScareBus is more like it.

[lmailbvmbipfwedu]

Hear, hear. Witness the Airbus that lost its vertical stab during takeoff and crashed around New York a few years ago.

[TommyDale]

LOL! I have always linked "AirBus" to duct tape. It's an automatic laugh.

[LIConFem]

I've always linked AirBus to lawn darts, myself :o)

[Humvee]

Wings fall off and critical wiring is bad - boy those europeans really know how to build a plane. You won't see me on one.

[longtermmemmory]

are they even designed to make a profit? It seems they will only make money with parts repairs.

Which is scarry considering there is then an incentive to make parts that wear out sooner than later. (and the contrary effort the the "budget minded" airline to extend partlife beyond recomendations)

[Calvin Locke]

I saw a piece on the the DC10. Apparently, the hardware for an outer cargo hold door would warp when trying to seal
the door if it wasn't really secured, sending a false signal that the door wasn't a jar.

So, the plane might depressurized suddenly, collapsing the passenger floor...

The end of it was once the hardware was replaced, (automatic vents for the floor, too) it was too late for the
passenger days of the DC10.

They are now an efficient cargo transporter, though.

[butternut_squash_bisque]

"...suffered a premature rupture during its ultimate load test..."

Scary mental image, isn't it?

[JustTheTruth]

Another Concorde-type loser, except on a grander scale?

[smonk]

meh, how important is it for the wings to stay on when the emergency escape chutes work so well?

Sweet irony

[river rat]

I can still remember the response to a suggestion we incorporate "plastics" into high end Hard Disk Drives in the 70's...

"Plastics are not a sufficiently understood engineering material"....

Semper Fi

[Socratic]

This plane is still in the Beta stage.

[sionnsar]

Airbus A380: The BIG PIG

Hopefully the additions will make it so heavy they won't be able to "cram" more than 400 people into it. (I know, the additions aren't likely to weigh 30 tons.)

[Banjoguy]

I dunno...wasn't thinking straight I guess.

[winner3000]

(I think it is turning out to be an engineering quagmire)

I think they should pull out of there, or as Murtha would say, reverse direction!