Airbus A380 Causes Major Wake Turbulence Problem
The Airbus A380, claimed to be “bigger and better” than the Boeing 747, may not be. Originally, Airbus had thought that the double decker A380 would carry 35-40 percent more passengers than the 747, which has been now changed. With a smaller passenger count, many of the advantages of the A380 go away. The most interesting problem with the A380 is a matter of wake turbulence. When waiting for takeoff, planes are normally separated by a minute or more, depending on size, as to not get caught in the vortex of the plane that had just taken off.
The problem is, is due to the A380’s size, it generates a large disruption in the air (see this picture for an example).
From the article.
Large jets will need a separation of an additional two nautical miles when trailing an A380, compared with rules for existing large planes such as the 747.
This rises to an additional four nautical mile spacing for light aircraft and airports won’t be able to squeeze in as many flights in the minutes after an A380 lands as they do with a 747.
Update: Post at CrankyFlier.com for more information.
Written by tb_neg on September 13th, 2007 with
no comments.
Read more articles on Interesting.
- [+] Digg: Feature this article
- [+] Del.icio.us: Bookmark this article
- [+] Furl: Bookmark this article
