A380 troubles, the latest news...

Discussion of aviation issues which are not safety related (airline operations, pilot contracts, aviation industry news, etc.)

Moderators: FrankM, el, Dmmoore

User avatar
Not_Karl
Previously banned for not socially distancing
Posts: 4128
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 6:12 pm
Location: Bona Nitogena y otra gaso, Argentina

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Not_Karl » Sat May 14, 2011 12:12 am

Video of Lightning Strike on Emirates A380. Typical media - they show the same strike over and over.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/ ... 6055405918
"DRAMATIC" indeed ,but I miss some comments from the passengers screaming, praying for their lives.
International Ban ALL Aeroplanies Association, founder and president.

"I think, based on the types of aircraft listed, you're pretty much guaranteed a fiery death."
- Contemporary Poet flyboy2548m to a Foffie.

User avatar
reubee
Posts: 687
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:36 am
Location: AKL

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby reubee » Thu Oct 06, 2011 3:09 pm

I'm about to pop my A380 cherry in the middle of a AKL-BNE-SIN-KUL-SIN-LHR-ORY-SXB-CDG-LHR-BKK-SYD-AKL marathon. Report to follow.
Image

User avatar
reubee
Posts: 687
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:36 am
Location: AKL

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby reubee » Fri Oct 07, 2011 11:01 pm

I'm about to pop my A380 cherry in the middle of a AKL-BNE-SIN-KUL-SIN-LHR-ORY-SXB-CDG-LHR-BKK-SYD-AKL marathon. Report to follow.
Survived the A380 experience. Most annoying thing was being in the back of Premium Economy which on QF is at the back of the top deck. Hence getting the full effect of all the bumps, much prefer sitting close to the C of G. Also with the seat layout I couldn't see out of any window. The only way I knew we did one orbit in the hold was through watching SkyCam.
Image

B77W-QOTS
Posts: 1449
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:47 pm
Location: Melbourne Australia

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby B77W-QOTS » Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:12 am

I'm about to pop my A380 cherry in the middle of a AKL-BNE-SIN-KUL-SIN-LHR-ORY-SXB-CDG-LHR-BKK-SYD-AKL marathon. Report to follow.
Survived the A380 experience. Most annoying thing was being in the back of Premium Economy which on QF is at the back of the top deck. Hence getting the full effect of all the bumps, much prefer sitting close to the C of G. Also with the seat layout I couldn't see out of any window. The only way I knew we did one orbit in the hold was through watching SkyCam.

Should have flown SQ
"We are running an airline not a circus," - Qantas spokeswoman

User avatar
Verbal
Posts: 3576
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 9:04 pm
Location: Planet Bacterion

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Verbal » Mon Oct 31, 2011 5:07 pm

China Southern's new superjumbo grounded
South China Morning Post 10/30/2011
Author: Sally Wang
(c) Copyright 2010 South China Morning Post Publishers. All Rights Reserved.

China Southern Airlines' much-hyped new Airbus A380 superjumbo had barely clocked up the first of its air miles before it had to be grounded over equipment failure.

A mechanical breakdown forced the airline to replace its scheduled A380 flights between Beijing and Shanghai with a smaller A330 passenger plane yesterday, less than two weeks after its maiden flight, the company said.

China Southern said on its website that it was waiting for equipment from abroad to fix the problem. It did not specify when the 500-seat A380 would return to the skies, nor give details of the failure.

"We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience to passengers," the airline said.

"The safety of passengers is always our top priority. We will fix the problem and resume normal operation of the A380 as soon as possible."

The National Business Daily website quoted a member of the airline's staff as saying Toulouse-based manufacturer Airbus was responsible for repairs to the plane.

"Any problems with the A380 should not be fixed by us. It must be examined and repaired by experts from Airbus. So there is no timetable for resuming flights,"
the staff member said.

China Southern took delivery of the A380 jumbo jet on October 15 and put the aircraft on its debut flight two days later. The plane had been in operation for just 12 days before it was grounded.

It was the first of five A380 jets to be delivered to China Southern. Airbus is due to deliver four more A380s to the carrier, one by the end of the year, two next year and another in 2013, according to the National Business Daily.

China Southern is the seventh carrier in the world to operate the superjumbo, and the first to use it on a domestic flight. The aircraft is scheduled to shuttle between Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and is expected to ply international routes in the future.

The Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport has modified many of its facilities to accommodate the giant airliner.

Industry observers said China Southern's purchase of A380s was fuelled by its ambition to attract premium passengers to take its international flights.
"I'm putting an end to this f*ckery." - Rayna Boyanov

PurduePilot
Posts: 2130
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 2:02 am

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby PurduePilot » Sun Nov 06, 2011 9:43 pm

Another Qantas A380 IFSD, although I'm not sure if they should be more concerned about the IFSD rate or the passenger loading...

http://avherald.com/h?article=44591647&opt=256
Incident: Qantas A388 enroute on Nov 4th 2011, engine shut down in flight
By Simon Hradecky, created Friday, Nov 4th 2011 08:32Z, last updated Saturday, Nov 5th 2011 10:40Z

A Qantas Airbus A380-800, registration VH-OQC performing flight QF-31 (sched. dep Nov 3rd) from Singapore (Singapore) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with 258 passengers and 25 crew, was enroute east of Dubai (United Arab Emirates) when the crew needed to shut engine #4 (Trent 972, outboard right hand) down due to a low oil quantity indication. The aircraft drifted down to FL280, diverted to Dubai, entered a holding at FL100 for about one hour and lande safely on runway 30L about 2.5 hours after the engine shut down.

The airline confirmed engine #4 was shut down after the crew noticed problems with an oil quantity.

The aircraft departed Dubai the following day (Nov 5th) and is estimated to reach London with a delay of 31.5 hours.

User avatar
Sickbag
Posts: 2969
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 2:10 pm
Location: Spine-fuhrer of Hoboken

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Sickbag » Mon Nov 07, 2011 7:29 am

Another Qantas A380 IFSD, although I'm not sure if they should be more concerned about the IFSD rate or the passenger loading...
Maybe Qantas should take the engine to Fair Work Australia arbitration? Cheaper then fixing the real problem.
2022: The year of the Squid Singularity

User avatar
J
Posts: 1663
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:33 pm
Location: South of Canada

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby J » Mon Nov 28, 2011 1:13 pm

I guess Economy Class passengers are more liberal?
Qantas pilot gets steamy midair

Passengers in the first class section of QF32 from London were stunned at the pilot's amorous antics with the woman.

He was seen sitting on her lap during the flight in the luxurious premium section of the Qantas A380 jet before things became quite steamy, sources told the Herald Sun.

The seat has privacy walls and reclines to become a bed. The pilot was off-duty and not in uniform at the time of the incident.

He was scolded twice by crew as passengers became annoyed at the public display of affection, sources said.

After the flood of complaints, the pilot shifted to economy.
* * *
The female passenger left the flight in Singapore and the pilot returned to the first-class cabin.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more- ... 6208515232

User avatar
Sir Gallivant
Posts: 1103
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:17 pm

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Sir Gallivant » Mon Nov 28, 2011 3:01 pm

I guess Economy Class passengers are more liberal?
IFE system on the fritz in Economy, maybe?
Veni, Vidi, Velcro!

User avatar
J
Posts: 1663
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:33 pm
Location: South of Canada

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby J » Fri Dec 02, 2011 7:32 pm

Airbus Expects United To Place A380 Order
Excerpt:
Airbus Chief Operating Officer-Customer John Leahy, speaking with Aviation Week yesterday after a market forecast presentation in Washington, asserted that United President and CEO Jeffery Smisek has changed his previously held view that the widebody was inappropriate for U.S. operators and now saw possibilities for the A380 in the new United fleet.

However, the Airbus executive issued a caveat when pressed on a pending United deal, noting, “I’m not saying there is an order soon, but United understands that if it wants to have a major presence in Asia it needs the A380.”

Airbus considers Boeing 747 operators as likely A380 customers, and in North America that means United and Delta Air Lines are candidates. However, Delta is no longer a target, having told Airbus it wants to focus on smaller widebodies, says Leahy. “That leaves United as our target,” he added.

Despite its popularity in Asia and the Middle East, the A380 so far has failed to generate much interest in the Americas, with North American carriers favoring a high-frequency schedule using smaller aircraft and Latin operators simply aware that the region’s current infrastructure is insufficient for such a large-capacity aircraft. But Leahy is adamant that the A380 will be adopted in the region, especially in the U.S. as traffic demands outstrip efforts to upgrade the country’s air traffic control system.

“I flew into JFK [John F. Kennedy International Airport] and it looked pretty crowded,” Leahy said during the presentation, which predicts a doubling of U.S. and Canadian demand in the next 15 years. “Are we going to double movements? That is why we are offering our A380,” he noted.

Source: http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/ ... 80%20Order

GlennAB1
Posts: 1455
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:00 pm

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby GlennAB1 » Fri Dec 02, 2011 8:15 pm

:o
you still have to find a crew willing to fly this "barely airworthy" heap
no such thing as "barely airworthy" it's either Airworthy or Not
100% incorrect Ever hear of Ferry Permit? issued for Non airworthy aircraft
LOL

B77W-QOTS
Posts: 1449
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:47 pm
Location: Melbourne Australia

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby B77W-QOTS » Sun Feb 12, 2012 9:21 pm

http://m.watoday.com.au/travel/trave...212-1sz9j.html

QF A380 with steering issues at LHR
"We are running an airline not a circus," - Qantas spokeswoman

User avatar
Sickbag
Posts: 2969
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 2:10 pm
Location: Spine-fuhrer of Hoboken

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Sickbag » Sun Feb 12, 2012 10:29 pm

I hate it when I get a shopping trolley like that.
2022: The year of the Squid Singularity

OldSowBreath
Posts: 1420
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:16 pm

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby OldSowBreath » Mon Feb 13, 2012 5:13 pm

On the ground structural break up within eighteen months.

PurduePilot
Posts: 2130
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 2:02 am

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby PurduePilot » Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:40 am

I'm about to pop my A380 cherry in the middle of a AKL-BNE-SIN-KUL-SIN-LHR-ORY-SXB-CDG-LHR-BKK-SYD-AKL marathon. Report to follow.
Survived the A380 experience. Most annoying thing was being in the back of Premium Economy which on QF is at the back of the top deck. Hence getting the full effect of all the bumps, much prefer sitting close to the C of G. Also with the seat layout I couldn't see out of any window. The only way I knew we did one orbit in the hold was through watching SkyCam.

Should have flown SQ
Should have flown 787

User avatar
Verbal
Posts: 3576
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 9:04 pm
Location: Planet Bacterion

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Verbal » Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:02 pm

Airbus May Not Hit 2012 A380 Target, Tribune Says
By David Whitehouse - Apr 25, 2012 10:08 PM PT

Airbus SAS may fail to reach its A380 delivery target for 2012 as monthly production has slowed to 2.3 planes from 2.7, French daily La Tribune reported.

The newspaper cited unidentified people at Airbus. Production is likely to recover to three planes a month in 2013, La Tribune said.
"I'm putting an end to this f*ckery." - Rayna Boyanov

OldSowBreath
Posts: 1420
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:16 pm

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby OldSowBreath » Thu May 03, 2012 8:13 pm

Their target goal is 3.14159 aircraft per month, but that's just pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking.

User avatar
Sir Gallivant
Posts: 1103
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:17 pm

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Sir Gallivant » Fri May 04, 2012 7:20 am

Their target goal is 3.14159 aircraft per month, but that's just pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking.
That was just a nice round number that looks nicely calculated in the reports to the shareholders
Veni, Vidi, Velcro!

User avatar
Sickbag
Posts: 2969
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 2:10 pm
Location: Spine-fuhrer of Hoboken

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Sickbag » Thu May 17, 2012 6:59 am

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/34072 ... s-best.htm

I believe cracked lobster claws served with cracked pepper is the house special.
2022: The year of the Squid Singularity

User avatar
Sickbag
Posts: 2969
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 2:10 pm
Location: Spine-fuhrer of Hoboken

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Sickbag » Thu May 17, 2012 6:59 am

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/34072 ... s-best.htm

I believe cracked lobster claws served with cracked pepper is the house special.
2022: The year of the Squid Singularity

Marc 1
Posts: 432
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 2:24 pm

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Marc 1 » Thu May 17, 2012 8:37 am

Total Shellfish disaster within 18 months.

User avatar
Not_Karl
Previously banned for not socially distancing
Posts: 4128
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 6:12 pm
Location: Bona Nitogena y otra gaso, Argentina

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Not_Karl » Thu May 17, 2012 10:03 am

Waiter, there's a piece of cheap composite in my soup!
International Ban ALL Aeroplanies Association, founder and president.

"I think, based on the types of aircraft listed, you're pretty much guaranteed a fiery death."
- Contemporary Poet flyboy2548m to a Foffie.

User avatar
Verbal
Posts: 3576
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 9:04 pm
Location: Planet Bacterion

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Verbal » Mon Jun 11, 2012 6:07 pm

A380 Wing Repairs To Take 60 Days
Aviation Week.com 06/10/2012
Author: Jens Flottau

Airlines may have to ground their Airbus A380s for 60 days to repair the aircraft’s wings, two A380 operators told Aviation Week on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association’s annual general meeting in Beijing. Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, says around 30,000 maintenance man-hours are required to make the fix developed by Airbus. Airbus is performing the work because Emirates does not have the manpower to handle the task, Clark says.

Airbus says it is also developing a repair schedule that would allow the airlines to perform the work during regular C checks. But that would mean the repairs would be spread out over several years and would make the aircraft subject to a more rigorous check regime.

Lufthansa’s executive board member Carsten Spohr says that with its current fleet of six aircraft, the airline will technically have one of its A380s grounded for one year until all of them are repaired.

Type 2 cracks have been discovered in wing rib feet, the connecting parts between the rib and the wing skin, in most in-service aircraft. Because a permanent fix will not be available until next year, a total of 120 aircraft will have to be repaired. Airbus says about one-third of the 76 in service-aircraft already have incorporated the repairs.

The retrofit entails replacing all of the 23 hybrid ribs (made of a mix of 7449 aluminum and composite) with all-metallic ribs made of 7010 alloy. The rib feet also will be redesigned to strengthen them, and an inspection manhole in the area where the cracking occurs will be strengthened.

There are several causes for the wing-component cracking problem. One is the use of a specific aluminum alloy (7449) and its heat treatment. The alloy saves weight, but it rendered the component more brittle, which caused cracking. Another is in attaching the wing skin to the ribs, where excessive loads were placed on components during assembly. The situation was compounded by a failure to properly account for the temperature-induced material expansion and contraction during operations.

EASA still has to sign off on the fix. That will require validating the proposed repair during flight trials using an instrumented Airbus A380 test aircraft.

To avoid future problems, Airbus will make changes beyond those immediately needed. For instance, ribs 48 and 49, at the outer end of the wing, will be replaced even though no cracks have been found in them because they are made with 7449 aluminum alloy.
"I'm putting an end to this f*ckery." - Rayna Boyanov

User avatar
Verbal
Posts: 3576
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 9:04 pm
Location: Planet Bacterion

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Verbal » Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:01 pm

http://agmetalminer.com/2012/02/14/crac ... e-systems/
The firm says the finishing of the holes, the application of the fasteners, and the less flexible nature of the 7449 T7651 alloy used, have all contributed to undue stresses in the area of the bond.
Just for grins, I tried to look up the properties for this 7449-T7651 alloy in my employer's material properties database. It's not there. Which means we don't use the stuff. Draw your own conclusions.
"I'm putting an end to this f*ckery." - Rayna Boyanov

User avatar
Sickbag
Posts: 2969
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 2:10 pm
Location: Spine-fuhrer of Hoboken

Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Sickbag » Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:15 pm

Draw your own conclusions
Can I draw mine in orange crayon?
2022: The year of the Squid Singularity


Return to “Aviation Discussion Forum”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests