The Airbus A380, the world’s first “superjumbo”, is a plane nervous flyers will love. Capable of seating up to 800 passengers, Airbus promises state-of-the-art safety and stability features.
The A380’s maximum cruising altitude of 43 000 feet means it can fly above most other air traffic, as well as most turbulence-causing weather systems, thus ensuring a smoother flight. Sensors mounted on the wings monitor air-flow patterns for signs of turbulence and adjust controlling surfaces appropriately.
The aircraft, powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, has excellent aerodynamics, low weight for its size and a high thrust-to-weight ratio. All this enables it to “fly better and more easily”, explained Airbus A380 marketing manager Corrin Higgs.
It handles like a single-aisle aircraft and is able to operate under difficult conditions and from difficult airfields. With plenty of reserve power, it has short, easy take-offs from airfields as short as 3 000 metres.
This was demonstrated to members of the media who had a grandstand position next to the runway just behind the point where the aircraft performed a number of “touch and go” take-offs during the successful auto-landing trials.
The landing process — traditionally one of the most dangerous parts of the flight — has also been improved. A “brake to vacate” function automatically calculates the amount of braking required during landing. Previously, pilots had to make a judgement call on the amount of braking needed, sometimes adjusting this on the path down the runway.
The plane visited OR Tambo International Airport last Sunday during its technical route-proving flight around the world, which will take it over both the North and South Poles. This is the final step before it can be certified to operate as a commercial airliner, signifying the beginning of the “superjumbo” era.
Enthusiastic crowds at OR Tambo International Airport found every possible vantage point to witness its arrival — in airport observation decks, beyond the airport perimeter fence at both ends of the runway and standing on the roofs of buildings behind the control tower area.
They would have seen at once that, despite its popular depiction, the aircraft’s dimensions are not completely out of scale with those of the other large aircraft. In fact, the Airbus A340-600 actually has a longer fuselage, measured from the aircraft’s nose to its tail.
Though it has grabbed the South African imagination, thoughts must now be turning to flying in it. Actually taking a seat in what could be the world’s longest metal tube, crammed with nearly a 1 000 people, could be daunting to some. But, according to Higgs, not one of the 166 aircraft ordered by or committed to so far by 15 airlines would have the 800-plus seat, one-class seating configuration option available.
All the airlines had instead chosen a three-class 555-passenger layout, which leaves plenty of room for facilities such as bars and private compartments, which are unique to the aircraft. These would be found in first class, but seating and walking space would be improved across the board. An in-flight entertainment system would benefit from an innovative fibre-optic network. Spacious cabins, shorter and broader than in other large aircraft, would mean more balanced passenger flows, Higgs said.