47
On a pilot-vs-FBW system perspective, as mentioned in the comments to the question, the most notable difference is the authority priority:
Boeing trusts more the pilots: they can supersede the Fly-by-wire automatic commands by exerting enough force on the controls
Airbus trusts more the FBW system: if the system is fully functional ("Normal law") it will ...
45
I just wanted to comment on this question since some of my code is on the A380's GE engine.
Those engines are optimized for fuel efficiency at their cruising altitude and speed. The tradeoff that you fight against when designing the engine for cruising altitude is that it makes the engine hard to start, and the stall margin (the pressure and fuel combo you ...
43
It's a Fedex 777F N894FD in (probably) pre-delivery aerial photography/test flight accompanied by one of Boeing's chase aircraft.
After some maneuvers (shown below), the plane headed to MEM, Fedex's "SuperHub".
(Source)
The flight on flightradar24: https://www.flightradar24.com/2019-07-24/03:16/12x/FDX9032/2168b4b1 and flightaware: https://flightaware.com/...
39
No.
Firstly, as a comment noted, the takeoff was hardly "near vertical", the camera angle makes it look so. The takeoff angle in the video certainly is much steeper than a normal one, but Airbus aircraft are more than capable of doing the same - in fact an A350 did very much the same thing at the Paris Air Show.
The notion that an Airbus doesn't let the ...
39
This is the forward Master Call Light Panel installed in the ceiling of the cabin. A second one is located aft. These panels exist on all large aircraft for the cabin crew members to be alerted without staying at their seats.
The number and color of lights vary according to customer requested options for the cabin. Some lights may be duplicated to indicate ...
36
I like to train being able to determine the precise model of an aircraft.
I first try to tell if it's a Boeing or Airbus, and then I look at other details to determine the model.
The idea is to learn several differences :
cockpit windows shape (Boeing has an very specific angle) ;
nose shape (pointy nose on Boeing, "fat nose" on Airbus) ;
wingtips (...
36
Yes. Ignoring companies that used to exist but are now bankrupt/merged into Airbus or Boeing, you have companies from countries that aren't historically too friendly with the US and Western Europe. For instance, Tupolev makes the Tu-204, which is currently in production and seats over 175 passengers. The Ilyushin-designed Il-96 is a widebody in current use ...
35
If the engines are upgraded to "better" ones, the manufacturer would make it result in increased carrying capacity or increased range (or both), but not increased speed.
The limitation is the airframe. If you try to push it faster, you will run into aerodynamic problems, for example part of the flow is supersonic around certain areas of the wing. It is ...
32
It was tugged to that position via tug.
Angle of photo + possibly trying to offset weight, from centerline.
These planes are just being stored there. They'll be tugged to another location
before they even bother to start them up, and I believe most don't
have engines on at present.
They are quite close together.
(from @ratchetfreak's answer:) Turn the image ...
32
You can only hire so many people at one place, and also only find so much land there, so when the whole process no longer fits, there is no other option than start building components at other places and move them to the final assembly place.
In part, it is also historical. Airbus, but to an extent Boeing too, was formed by mergers of smaller companies as ...
31
The question is vague, not specifying on which Boeing and Airbus pair the problem lies on. For example Boeing 377 Stratocruiser is also a Boeing but I think there is very small possibility for someone to confuse it to an Airbus. Having said that, I consider a random pair of comparable aircraft, A320 (the left) and B734 (the right).
Nose
B734 has a more ...
31
It is the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) inlet door.
Image from Boeing Aero Magazine
30
There are two main systems of aircraft type designations: IATA and ICAO codes. The ones you mention are IATA codes (all 3-character) and are often used for shortened aircraft type designation in public information.
Both code types are listed here with the corresponding full aircraft types. As you can see, the IATA information covers the type and variant, ...
29
My understanding, primarily based on this archived NASA document (also linked to on the B757 Wikipedia article), is that there were several issues leading to the decision to make the 757 a special case.
First, there were some notable accidents where witnesses seemed to indicate the cause was 757 wake turbulence.
Cessna Citation - December 18, 1992 - ...
29
The "733" is the 737-300.
The "734" is the 737-400.
The "735" is the 737-500.
Then there is the 737-700, which would, by that convention, translate to the "737". But that's the general type, the 737 that encompasses all of the variants. So you can foresee plenty of confusion if sometimes "737" means the Boeing 737, and other times "737" is short for the ...
28
Being used but out of production:
Ilyushin Il-62 (up to 195 seats): last one built in 2010. Totally built 287, 13 remain in service
Tupolev Tu-154 (up to 176 seats): last one built in 2013. Totally built 923, 61 remain in service
Ilyushin Il-86 (up to 350 seats): last one built in 1995, since 2011 only in military use. Totally built 106, 4 remain in service
...
28
Boeing did have a small regional jet called the Boeing 727. This plane was designed to operate at smaller airports, with independence from ground facilities as a selling feature. The best example is that the 727 had built-in stairs in the rear underbelly of the aircraft. This could be opened in flight until some hijacker known as DB Cooper jumped out to make ...
25
Boeing aircraft primarily feature a traditional "yoke" system, which allows pilots to directly control the plane:
In contrast, Airbus aircraft use a "fly-by-wire" system via a joystick which transmits electrical signals to control the plane:
Airbus aircraft limit pilots' capabilities in situations that require extreme action to be taken; the computer may ...
25
The Boeing 777X website states that this is to enable a more efficient wing (read: wider span) while maintaining the airport gate and taxi footprint of the classic 777 (which ensures airlines can use the 777X on roughly the same airports and intermix operations with the classic fleet).
25
It looks like an air-air photography trip by Boeing - the lead airplane is a LearJet, a type often used for this type of job with a turreted camera sticking out of the floor for views to the rear, ie for head-on shots of the target aircraft which in this case is a 777.
24
From here:
The amount of flex is really a product of the material. The wing requires a specified ultimate strength; with metal, that translates into a given amount of flex. This can be varied within limits, but it is really the material, its stiffness to yield point ratio, and its fatigue properties, that control how much flex you are going to end up with....
24
The descent angle helps to reduce the lift that the wing needs to provide, in two ways. It leads the aircraft into higher density air, where more absolute lift is possible at the same Mach number. That takes a while, but a more immediate effect comes from pointing the aircraft's nose downwards. Then, part of the gravity-induced forces can be counteracted by ...
24
Those are Boeing's customer codes. They denote which airline the aircraft was originally built for, not necessarily the airline that owns/operates the aircraft currently. For example, Southwest's customer code is H4 but they operate some 737-7BD's, which are from the AirTran acquisition. In your case, the Q8 means it was originally built for ILFC, a leasing ...
24
Many modern aircraft have been designed with winglets, and older ones have been retrofitted with them. They allow a wing to produce more lift with less drag. However, the benefit is even greater if the wingspan is simply extended.
The downside of increasing wingspan is that wingspan affects many aspects of airport infrastructure, especially taxiways and ...
23
The wings of the Boeing 787 are so flexible because its carbon fiber material can be stretched more, and the high aspect ratio of 11 will magnify this effect. In flight, all you will feel is less shaking due to gusts, because the wing will dampen load changes more effectively. On the ground, the wing might have less tip clearance, because less in-built ...
23
Yes, see the Ethiopian Airlines hijacking in February 2014.
From this BBC article about MH370:
The security of the cockpit door offers protection against intruders, but it also prevents action being taken if something does go wrong. Last month the co-pilot of an Ethiopian Airlines flight waited for the pilot to go to the toilet before hijacking the ...
22
According to this document by Boeing:
Altitude: How High Is Just Right?
Today's airplanes are pressurized to a typical cabin altitude of 6,500
to 7,000 feet (1,981 – 2,133 m), with a maximum certification altitude
of 8,000 feet (2,438 m). Because the advanced composite materials that
make up the 787’s fuselage do not fatigue, the 787 can be ...
22
Currently, the 777 has engines that have a max thrust of 115,000 lbf, for a total of 230,000 lbf of thrust. The 747-8 has engines with a max thrust of 66,500 lbf, each, for a total of 266000. And just to throw in for comparison, the A380, currently has engines each producing 72,000 lbf of thrust, and a total of 288,000 lbf.
Right now the 777 has some of the ...
22
A Pod-Pak is a aerodynamically shaped enclosure to transport an extra engine under the wing.
From 'Flying Magazine', Nov 1959:
Spare engine in “Pod Pak” is the airlines' modern method of
transporting extra engines to maintenance points. Nine major airlines
flying Boeing 707s have ordered Pod-Paks. This spare suspended below
the wing of a Qantas ...
20
Big difference is on Boeing with a yoke, it is like two linked steering wheels in a car. The pilot not flying can easily see what the other pilot is doing with his controls, as the yoke in front of him moves along with the other pilot's inputs.
On the airbus models with a side stick, the pilot not flying cannot see what the other pilot is asking of the ...
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