QANTAS AIRBUS A380 ARRIVES

[planeimages]

The first QANTAS Airbus A380 arrived in Sydney this morning. Here captured as she flew over my house at North Rocks. Made a change from mowing the lawns at 0845.

[vgp]

nice photo.

[FlyNavy]

Thanks for da pic. It sure looks more ungainly from that angle. Videos on TV showing landing make it look a lot less 'whale-like' from above, to one side angle.

[planeimages]

Thanks for the kind comments. Pity I couldn't arrange an air-to-air sortie to get a better angle! The bulge underneath looks like the cargo pod on a Cessna. I wonder how much lift it contributes?

I thought the "mare's tails" looked arty.

[FlyNavy]

"Mare's Tails"? I thought that was the 'everyone going to the loo before landing at Sydney' effect. ;D

[planeimages]

Today's Sunday Herald had a Qantas lift out. In the centre was the shot we we looking for: A380 over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

[Dave Homewood]

That is a super photo Peter, and indeed an interesting angle. I never realised the wings were so broad, it's a big machine.

[flyjoe180]

It certainly is a fatty isn't it? I saw a Singapore A380 at Sydney a few months back, and whilst it was big it wasn't as large as I imagined it would be. Not in length or wingspan anyway.

Did you know the Boeing 747-8 is 76.4 metres long, the A340-600 75.3 metres, the Boeing 777-300ER at 73.9 metres, and the Airbus A380 at a poultry 73 metres.

[FlyNavy]

Why did the 'poultry' Airbus A380 cross the road? ;D I did not realise the A380 was not so lengthy. "Never mind the length - feel the width"? ;D "Not so squeezy" though as the Oz Toyota ads would say.

[bazzaboeing]

Hey Flyjoe are those sizes correct because if they are that makes the 747-8 longer by 1.1 metres?

Bazza

[flyjoe180]

Corrected the line up, apologies there.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes, a poultry A-380 will make a wonderful chook house for some farmer when tehy retire.

[corsair67]

You could even live upstairs yourself, and keep the chooks downstairs! ;D

[FlyNavy]

An e-mail correspondent has sent this missive:
"Airbus A380 Certification
During takeoff the pilot rotates the aircraft at well below normal (V1) rotation speed. The aircraft is not ready to lift off, so at a high angle of attack the tail hits the runway and drags until the aircraft gains sufficient speed to fly. Apparently the boffins miscalculated the position of the strike device bolted to the fuselage (the red/orange thing) and the rearmost fuselage scraped the runway. Tail strike is a required certification test."

s98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/SpazSinbad/?action=view¤t=AirbusA380Tailstrike.flv

[planeimages]

Now that's some tail strike. What do the Frog pilots do, try to write off their aircraft?

Thanks Dave. Just happened to catch the light.

The "Lane of entry" for light aircraft between Bankstown and the north of Sydney and which lies between Sydney Controlled airspace and RAAF Richmond' space has an upper level of 2000 ft. There is a warning that commercial heavies may fly with a vertical separation of only 500 feet and for pilots to be aware of potential wake turbulence. She sure looked big to me even though her length is slightly smaller than some B.747s.

[planeimages]

Dave: The wings have to be broad: Lift=cl1/2 Rho V squared S. In equilibrium, lift = weight, ergo weight (in equilibrium) = cl 1/2 rho V squared S. Thus big weight needs big wing area (S). Least that's what my Kermode tells me.

[flyjoe180]

Now that's some tail strike. What do the Frog pilots do, try to write off their aircraft?

This is a Singapore Airlines requirement.

[planeimages]

Doesn't Qantas need as much lift? Surely they need the money?

My very observant brother suggests that a stretched A380 might appear one day.

[FlyNavy]

An Adelaide e-mail correspondent has sent this pic of the 380 landing there today 27 Sep 08: