A380 Landing

[mcjohn]

Anyone know where to find the takeoff and landing distances? The idea of alternates is quite interesting. Also, am I right in assuming that the larger the plane the higher the cross wind that it can handle? If so then it should be harder for this plane to get Wx'ed out of an airport right?

 

[32LT10]

The biggest Airbus I've flown is the A-320, but if the ultra-whale has the same flight control laws that its smaller sibling has, then crosswind landings will be a pain in the butt. I couldn't see much out of the ordinary in the small-screen video from the BBC, but it appeared to handle about like the 320 did as all the fancy flight-envelope protection laws were blended out at 50 feet to direct-law control, and your previously stable approach gets all squirly and shot to heck.

Then again, maybe the pilot was just having crappy day. Remember the old adage:

One smooth landing is skill.
Two in a row is luck.
Three in a row and someone is lying.

HAL

HAL,

I would second those thoughts. When I flew the bus I never used A/T for the approach and landing unless it was an autoland. The thrust movements from A/T and the die-by-wire flight path unstablizer logic that the POS has made it a real peach in x-winds. When I saw the video it looked just like a normal bus landing in a big wind.

 

[Iceman21]

Also, am I right in assuming that the larger the plane the higher the cross wind that it can handle? If so then it should be harder for this plane to get Wx'ed out of an airport right?

The issue of max crosswind component is not a matter of size, but more a matter of aerodymanics. True, most larger aircraft have a higher max x-wind component, but it not that much higher than many of the piston airplanes that are flown. For example, IIRC, the max x-wind on a MD-11 is 24kts.

 

[AdamKooper]

The bigger the airplane, the bigger the penis of the pilot. These pilots must be like horses.

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

The bigger the airplane, the bigger the penis of the pilot. These pilots must be like horses.

It's the other way around...

CE

 

[Publishers]

I was looking at the pitch adjustments being made and it seemed on the small screen to be pretty significant. Also looked like once he had the mains down, he was in a definite hurry to get the nose on the ground.

 

[retired guy]

The heaviest machine that I`ve landed was about 380,000 pounds. Having said that, the approach and touchdown as seen on that BBC video looked about right to me. The pilot was doing a bit on pumping the stick down the final, but nothing that far out of the ordinary. I suspect that (1) it was a windy day and (2) he was at a fairly light (for the 380) weight. I`m just an old retired airline pilot and certainly no aeronautical engineer, so does anyone have an idea at to why this plane has such a monsterous vertical tail? It seems about one third too large. I`m sure the Froggies that designed it know what they are doing, but it really seems outsized to me. BTW iceman, the MD 11 doesn`t have much rudder, that`s why the low cross wind number.

 

[wmuflyguy]

My guess is to increase directional control if 2 engines go out on 1 side of the plane (those are massive engines).

That is jsut my guess...that depends on a lot of things that none of us know though.

 

[tomgoodman]

Big tail

.. does anyone have an idea at to why this plane has such a monsterous vertical tail?

To facilitate the "inverted ribbon cut" maneuver at airshows.