Airbus begins installation of A380 wing reinforcements

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

[smonk]

Airbus begins installation of A380 wing reinforcements By Max Kingsley-Jones in Filton

Airbus has begun to install a strengthening package on to the wing of a completed A380 as an interim solution after the static-test specimen suffered a premature rupture during its ultimate load test. Meanwhile, Airbus UK is working on a long-term redesign of components.

“We have devised a small modification package while we go through the analysis to understand [the rupture] in detail and devise a long-term solution, to present that to the European Aviation Safety Agency [EASA],” says Airbus UK head of A380 wing engineering Phil Hamblin. “The interim package is being put into the aircraft on the production line at the moment. Longer term, rather than add on reinforcings, we’ll embody the modifications into the machining of the baseline components at source.”

Airbus UK senior vice-president Brian Fleet says the interim modifications have been incorporated into the wing of MSN003, which is the first A380 for Singapore Airlines and currently in Hamburg for cabin installation.

“The remainder of the wings that have already been delivered will be modified in the next few months,” says Fleet. “Wings delivered from MSN018 onwards will have the modifications incorporated before delivery to the final assembly line.”

Hamblin says that, although the interim modifications have not been approved by EASA, the agency “has been taken through our findings and our analysis of the test, and has approved our approach”. He adds that approval “will be covered in the documentation presented for A380 certification” later this year.

Fleet says discussions are already under way with suppliers about modifying the base designs.

[Banjoguy]

Then this is the engineering equivelant for the term "kluge"

The more shopworn it gets with patches and retrofits, the more "klugey" it becomes...just like old software.

[HighWheeler]

This is now the Airbus enemy, the Boeing 747-8.

[jimbo123]

[mad_as_he$$]

The 777 has a lot of composites and has been flying for about 10 years. Seems to be a solid aircraft. I saw the video of Boeing testing the wing. They bent that sucker about 30 feet at the end before it popped.

[skeptoid]

It has flown, though without a passenger load. Just the flight crew.

It has the LOAD, just not many passengers. From this Airbus webpage third paragraph:

"For its first flight, Airbus’ 21st century flagship, carrying the registration F-WW0W, took off at a weight of 421 tonnes / 928,300 lbs, the highest ever of any civil airliner at take-off to date. It is powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines. In addition to water ballasts, the equipment on board the A380 comprises a full set of flight-test instrumentation to record the thousands of parameters necessary to enable in-flight performance analysis." (bold by me)

The water is carried in plastic containers arranged like seats.

[yankeedame]

LOL!!

[Kirkwood]

[yankeedame]

New engineer:

Old engineer:

Boeing engineer:

[Moonman62]

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.

Actually, I think they do, but the A380 has been a political project with lots of political noses sticking in it. I don't see it as any different than the numerous NASA failures due to the same cause.

[COEXERJ145]

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

Then you won't be flying much. All newly designed aircraft (A320/330/340/380 and the 777/787) are fly-by-wire and composites are already in wide use on many aircraft. The Boeing 787 will be nearly all composites.

[COEXERJ145]

The end of the DC-10 in passenger service had nothing to do with the cargo door problems. The aircraft simply reached the end of its service life and coupled with their higher fuel burn made them uneconomical to operate as passenger aircraft.

However, you can still find DC-10's flying passengers including with Northwest Airlines. Although this is true for only a few more months as the last DC-10's are heading out of the fleet fairly soon.

[RoadTest]

I stand corrected. I need all the correction I can get, when the corrector is qualified, as you are.

[Jameison]

Didn't we have some news a few weeks back , saying Boeing has had the first order/s for a passenger version of the Boeing 747-8 in addition to the cargo version they had already sold?
I sure hope so.
We need orders for the Boeing 747-8 to take off.

[Energy Alley]

The 747-8 is not being well received, even at a significant discount it is far too expensive for a retread. It is an especially tough sell when you can have a new-built 747-400 today at an incredible price.

[Jameison]

"It is an especially tough sell when you can have a new-built 747-400 today at an incredible price."

They are still making the 747-400's?
Why they selling the 747-8's so high then?
It's only an upgrade to the 747-400's isn't it? Plus I heard they were using similar engines to those for the 787's.

[Jameison]

According to this link:

http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_comm_story.jsp?id=news/747806026.xml

They have sold 18 747-8's so far.

[EEDUDE]

You're right. I won't be flying much.

At least not commercial.

I will however, continue to fly in my sailplane, which IS composite.

But the wing loading characteristics of sailplanes are a lot lower than an Airbus 380.

Cheers.

[VOA]

bump

[Energy Alley]

that is the freighter version, not the "Intercontinental" passenger version. The 747 freighter has some unique advantages that make it worth the price.

[snowman1]

When this POS finally goes in the toilet the EU will have to pick up the bills for the losses. Airbus skates.