Boeing's Intercontinental flies into the limelight (747-8 Sydney to DFW)

The Australian ^ | May 26, 2006 | Geoffrey Thomas

[Paleo Conservative]

The A380 doesn't have the range.

[Paleo Conservative]

If you want on or off my aerospace ping list, please contact me by Freep mail.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

The current CEO of Airbust said that not a single order for the new 747 will happen this year.

He's like the guy from the fedex commercial who thinks you get "french" benefits.

[July 4th]

It's like the B52. It's never gonna die. What a testament to the engineers of the 1960s.

[phantomworker]

"Why invest in an A380 (which Boeing claims involves 25 per cent higher trip costs) when the 747-8 will deliver 3 per cent lower seat-mile costs?"

Makes sense to me....

[phantomworker]

Joe Sutter: father of the 747:

http://www.connectedtraveler.com/sutter.html

[RayChuang88]

I think it's likely that Qantas is seriously looking at buying 5-6 747-8I's to fly between Sydney and Dallas and possibly from Sydney all the way to Johannesberg in South Africa.

[sheik yerbouty]

They're going to sell a good number of them..

[VOA]

the "747-8 burns 40 per cent less fuel than the first 747 and is 30
per cent quieter than the 747-400s in service with Qantas".

Talk about private enterprise and competition spurring on innovation.
And reducing fuel consumption and burning of fossil fuels.
You'd almost swear some sort of invisible hand had a part in it.

[cpdiii]

Peace also says that Boeing is also looking at fly-by-wire control for a number of the 747-8's control surfaces.At the Paris Air show some years back an Airbus (I think it was 320 or 330) using fly by wire flew into the ground doing a low slow pass. I know it saves weight but I like a mechanical redundancy system.

Roke or Puking Dog do know what caused that crash. Also any word out yet on the South West 737 that skidded of the runway this winter.

[appeal2]

To think that there was no CAD/CAM back then. They basically designed it with sliderules.

[Paleo Conservative]

Why stop at that number. DFW is American's largest hub and is just one stop away from most cities east of the Mississippi. QANTAS could divert much of the North American traffic that currently requires two connecting flights to DFW and require just one connecting flight. DFW has a brand new international terminal that is mostly empty. LAX is very close to capacity. If the DFW-SYD flight works out, why not add a DFW-MEL flight? With the addtional range, MEL-SFO should be easy.

[Henchster]

OK, let me be the first:

If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going!

[Prophet in the wilderness]

Heck, some were saying for years that the 747 was in it's twilight years in the last decade and that Boeing would not consider or build a new version of the 747, and eventually fade into history.
But, I believe that the 747-8I is going to sell well, maybe not like the 747-400, but, it will sell and the 747-8I was the plane that the 747 was suppose and refined to be.

The 747 .. still a miracle, still the original jumbo jet.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

Any engineers from Boeing on here at Freerepublic ? anyone know anyone from Being ?
I was wondering ?
To make the 747-8I even lighter , I was wondering if they can instead of making the panels that are under the fuselage were the triangle ram air ducts are to the landing gears that are made out of aluminum, with aluminum brackets, make all of the area and panels out of composites before the final design freeze is set this fall.
I saw a picture of a 747 that was in a ground accident were this area was damaged, and this area of the plane looks like some kind of outer shroud next to the fuselage.
If they can redesign it with composite panels, and some how put extra fuel tanks, they can make it lighter and improve the range even more.
Boeing ? maybe you can look into that idea and consider to make the 747 even lighter and improve the range.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

The military has the B-52 on it's books ( correct me if I am wrong ) up until 2040.

[nightdriver]

"It's like the B52. It's never gonna die. What a testament to the engineers of the 1960s."

Thanks! ;^)

I'll take that as a compliment!

(Mechanical Systems Staff, Landing Gear Mechanism and Control Systems, 747 project.)

[Prophet in the wilderness]

Hi Nightdriver.

I know the design freeze is frozen yet on the 747-8I, I was wondering ? can Boeing take a 2nd look at that area under the fuselage were the triangle ram air intake ducts are all the way to the landing gears, and some how make it lighter with composite panels ( unless it already is ) and some how ( that is ? if it is safe and feasible to so ) to put fuel tanks in that shroud under the fuselage ?
Would be great to improve the range and economics of the 747-8I even farther.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

opps, typo.
I meant, in line one ( I know the design freeze is not frozen yet on the 747-8I )

[Energy Alley]

The only restriction on flights between SYD and JNB is ETOPS - a 747-400 could fly that route today if they were so inclined.