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IFALPA Meetings Programme 2006

March 2006

I F A L P A. . . . . newsThe Global Voice of Pilots

Airbus A380 Briefing

I F A L P A. . . . .The Global Voice of Pilots news

March 2006

IFALPA’s VIP Visitto Airbus

By Bruce D’Ancey Executive Director

IFALPA’s President, Captain Dennis Dolan, recentlyled an IFALPA delegation on a VIP visit to Airbus’Headquarters in Toulouse, France.The main aim of the visit was for Airbus to briefIFALPA on the A380 and its progress towards certi-fication, which is scheduled to be achieved laterthis year.The two and a half day visit included a meetingwith the President and Chief Executive Officer ofAirbus, Mr Gustav Humbert. Mr John Lauber,Senior Vice President Product Safety was the hostfor the visit and this high level of representationwas maintained throughout, with presentationsfrom senior members of both the engineering andflight operations departments of the A380 pro-gramme.As well as comprehensive briefings, the invitationalso included opportunities to view cabin mock-upfacilities, the production line and the A380 FlightTest Centre, which is where the ‘Iron Bird’ is locat-ed. For thoseunfamiliar withthis term, it is asystems test rigwhich allows allmechanical andelectrical sys-tems to be thor-oughly testedwithout therequirement foran airframe.There was alsoa tour of thetelemetry room,where real timedata is down-loaded and dis-played during allA380 testflights.

IIFFAALLPPAA ppiilloottss ggeett ttoo ggrriippss wwiitthh tthhee AA338800The highlight of the visit was an opportunity foreach member of the IFALPA delegation to fly theA380 simulator, which was an unforgettable expe-rience, especially for the non-Airbus pilots.On the last day we received a briefing on the A350programme, with an overview of the aircraft,together with a detailed presentation of the flightdeck design.IFALPA is grateful to Airbus for the opportunity tomeet with senior representatives of the A380 pro-gramme and especially for the time given byAirbus’ President and CEO, Mr Gustav Humbert. Itis a clear indication that Airbus recognises theimportant role that IFALPA, and therefore the linepilot, plays in the world of commercial aviation andwe are grateful for the time, resources and effortthat Airbus devoted to the organisation of our visit.The following pages are an opportunity for us toshare some of the details of the A380 programmewith our Member Associations and I hope you findthe articles enlightening as well as interesting.


March 2006

With much fanfare and even a world wide live feedof the first flight, the A380 took to the skies in Aprilof last year embarking on a flight test programmewhich is expected to be completed by the end ofthe year, with certification and service entry (withSingapore Airlines) shortly after. In many quartersthe A380 is seen as the manifestation of the differ-ence between Airbus’ vision of the future of theindustry and that of their main rival Boeing. Bothmanufacturers are confident that passenger andcargo traffic will continue to grow at or near tradi-tional rates. The difference of opinion comes withhow this increase in traffic is best served. Boeingargues that growth will come from point-to-pointhub bypass operations with smaller (in terms oftraffic) city pairs served with direct long haul serv-ices. Quite so, counters Airbus but that while hubbypass traffic will increase, capacity increases willstill be required on major trunk routes.Furthermore, says Airbus, the two types of growthare not mutually exclusive, pointing to its ownA330/340 and 350 programmes as evidence.Remarkably, Airbus says that it doesn’t regard theB-747-400 as a competing product but rather aspredecessor arguing that the A380 is the next log-ical step in the evolution of air travel, following onfrom the DC3, Constellation, B-707, B-747 andindeed B-747-400, as the industry has demandedmore economy and range from airliners. The proof,of course, of any aircraft is in the order book andAirbus has been posting steady orders for the

A380 which to date have reached 159, which iswithin 100 of the 250 total aircraft that manyobservers estimate Airbus will need to sell to makethe programme break even.

Freighter market significantIt is also worth noting that of the firm orders placedso far, 17% are for the A380-800F freighter ver-sion. Airbus and the airlines which have placedfreighter orders say that the increases in payloadversus operating costs will make the cost of acqui-sition of a new build aircraft realistic and prof-itable. Obviously, this turns the accepted wisdomthat argues the realities of freight operation eco-nomics demand second or even third life aircraft.Who hasn’t heard the old joke “If your aircraft isolder than you, you just might be a freight dog”?Nevertheless the arguments are compelling withone customer for the freighter saying that theimprovement in unit operating cost is on a par withthose of the B-747F compared with the B-707.

Better by designThere is no doubt about it, the A380 is a large air-craft, and one with a number of superlatives con-nected with it. Some of these of course are merelymedia hype talk of 800 seat all-economy versions,as well as luxury layouts which will include saunas,bars and ‘love nest’ suites that have grabbed theheadlines. But even if the hype is stripped away,

A380 UpdateAnd BriefingA380 UpdateAnd Briefing


March 2006

the aircraft boasts some astounding facts. Muchhas been said for example of the 80m wingspancompared with the B747-400’s 64m span and itsimpact on airport operations. But consider thecomparison between the A320’s wing and theA380’s horizontal stabiliser; in terms of span theA380 stab is 89% that of an A320 wing but interms of area the stab is 68% larger.

Ambitious targetsIn order to make the A380 a desirable product forairlines Airbus has laid down a number of ambi-tious targets for the aircraft. Using the B747-400as the baseline, the company is aiming for a directoperating cost reduction of between 10 and 20%,and a 24% reduction in maintenance costs. Inaddition, Airbus is aiming to make these targetswhen the A380 enters service. These goals areattainable, says the company, thanks to the weightsavings from the use ofcomposites togetherwith aerodynamicimprovements. Much ofthe weight savings hascome from the extensiveuse of composites whichare used throughout theaircraft. In total, some25% of the aircraft willbe constructed usingcarbon and aramid com-posites including mostof the empennage andthe centre wing box. Inaddition, a glassfibre/aluminium lami-nate (GLARE) isemployed in the upperfuselage skins. This lam-inate, says Airbus, willreduce weight by

between 15 and 30% compared with solid alumini-um alloy skins, and will also reduce maintenancecosts associated with corrosion and minor dam-age. But materials are just part of the weightreduction solution. Significant savings are alsooffered by changing the hydraulic system to a5000psi system (this compares with the moreusual 3,000psi). The higher pressure route allowssmaller diameter plumbing to be used which yieldsthe obvious benefit of a weight reduction but alsogains a further reduction by reducing the volume offluid required by the system. In addition, the com-pany says it has managed to reduce the partscount in the hydraulic system which furtherreduces weight while also cutting maintenancecosts.

Propulsion system maturingThe engine certification programmes are proceed-ing on target, with the Rolls Royce Trent 900 seriesgaining certification in October of 2004 while theEngine Alliance GP7000 model was certified by theFAA in December of last year. Both engines havebeen tested to operate at a maximum thrust of88,000lbs, although engines of the passenger ver-sions of the A380 will be derated to 70,000lbswhile the freighters will have up to 72,000lbs ofthrust available.

IFALPA President Capt. DennisDolan (left) and Airbus CEOGustav Humbert discuss the A380.

While there is much that is new inthe A380 cockpit it maintains theAirbus CCQ concepts.


March 2006

Airbus takes the CCQ concept to theA380In developing the flight deck of the A380 the chal-lenge facing Airbus was the creation of a cockpitwhich incorporates the latest innovations in avion-ics and information systems while retaining thecommonality with other family members requiredfor Cross Crew Qualification (CCQ). The companystarted by retaining the ‘dark cockpit’ philosophy ofits smaller aircraft as well as the side stick controlsand fly by wire architecture of earlier models.Improvements have come in the form of the inclu-sion of eight Multi Function Displays (MFD). TheMFDs are larger than those in earlier aircraft andare interactive and accessed using either a key-board or track ball Cursor Control Unit (CCU). Inaddition to the usual array of information the larg-er size of the MFDs allows greater resolution aswell as additional data to be displayed, for exam-ple, a vertical profile portion in addition to theusual horizontal information found on the HIS.Staying with navigation data, due to the interactivenature of the new MFDs, pilots are able to inputroute changes directly to the navigation displayusing the CCU and keyboard. Another addition tothe information system is the inclusion of an air-port navigation page which will doubtless reducethe workload in manoeuvring an aircraft of this sizeat busy airports. Behind the displays there is a newFlight Management System (FMS) which includesan ATC interface that can display graphicallydatalinked ATC requests and clearances. The A380 will also feature electronic flight bagarchitecture which Airbus calls the OnboardInformation System.

The resulting design, saysAirbus, will offer a greater flexibil-ity to adopt later upgrades andenhancements to avionics soft-ware with minimal hardware orwiring changes required. At the same time the companysays that the commonality withearlier Airbus family memberswill ensure that CCQ will be areality on the A380. The philoso-phy is that once rated on oneAirbus FBW aircraft a pilot onlyrequires a differences trainingcourse rather than a full type rat-ing course to be rated on any

other member of the company’s range. In theorythis means that a pilot could operate a 100-seatA318 one day and an A380 the next. How oftenthis will occur in practice is of course open to ques-tion. A number of airlines currently roster theirpilots to operate both narrow body twins as well asA340s already although this tends not happen onthe same duty day.

Impressive handling in the terminalareaThe aerodynamics improvements employed byAirbus in the wing design of the A380 have result-ed in wider benefits than reductions in drag andfuel burn. The combination of single slotted flapsand ‘droop nose’ leading edge devices on theinboard portion of the wings allow a Vref as low as131kts, or about the same as an A321. This in turnleads to improved field performance with the A380needing 2,100m (6,900ft) of runway when landingat MLW. Meanwhile, runway required for takeoff issimilarly impressive with an A380 at MTOW (at SeaLevel and ISA +15C) requiring 2,990m (9,800ft) ofrunway (Trent 970) and 3030m (9941ft) of runway(GP7270). These figures, say Airbus, are significantimprovements on a B-747-400 which requires540m (1,800ft) more runway for takeoff and 160m(500ft) more for landing. This assumes again theaircraft is at maximum takeoff or landing weightand a sea level airport at ISA +15C.

...in the cruiseThe wing/engine combination also offers animpressive initial climb performance. Airbus esti-

Bit more inertia than the CRJ700! Capt. Jo Puffchecks out the A380’s hand flying qualities.


March 2006

mates that an A380 at MTOW will need less than25 minutes to reach FL330. This compares veryfavourably with the B-747-400 but doubtless it isnot only a function of the A380’s aerodynamics butthe wing area. Inevitably when the companystretches the A380, as it no doubt will, this is anarea where performance will suffer. Once estab-lished in the cruise phase the A380 is expected toturn in cruise speeds comparable to the A330 andA340. This can be maintainedfor routes up to 8,000nm (atmax pax payload). The chiefbenefits of this will be thatsome marginal “westbound inwinter” routes, which meanpayload reductions at present,will be operable year round.

..and on the groundThere has been much discus-sion of the impact of the A380on airport operations and cer-tainly a number of airportshave had to make investmentsin runway, taxiway and apronimprovements. Additionallyinvestment has been made inpassenger handling too.

Interestingly, Airbus says thatwhile the A380 requires 21pieces of equipment to servicethe turnaround only two will haveto be new designs: a tow tractorand the upper deck hi-lift cater-ing vehicle. Airbus also says theterminal stands for Code F air-craft may have the additionalbenefit for airports of increasingthe flexibility of terminals sincetwo smaller aircraft could usesuch stand when not required byA380s, which is and option itsays is not available with Code Estands. Furthermore, saysAirbus, currently there are 21 air-ports ‘A380 ready’ a number itexpects to double by the end of2007, and which will reach 63 by2010.The flight test and certificationprogramme has seen some slip-page, but then how many all new

aircraft programmes haven’t had some delays?When the A380 finally enters service withSingapore Airlines later this year the industry willsee the launch of its latest and largest niche air-craft or possibly the dawn of the next era. It wouldseem with an order backlog of the best part of 150aircraft and the industry once again growingsteadily the latter is the more likely.

Capts Dennis Dolan andChristian Denke examine theA380 avionics mock up.

While testing continues, constructionof the early production aircraft is wellunderway..


March 2006

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Following a recruitment and selection cam-paign which began in October of last year,Capt. Paul McCarthy has been appointedIFALPA’s representative to ICAO. Paul is, ofcourse, well known to many in theFederation having served in a variety ofroles both in IFALPA and US ALPA, includingmost recently as IFALPA Principal VicePresident Technical Standards. Prior to his retirement from flying Paul wasa Captain with Delta Air Lines for over 30years. During his airline flying career Paulamassed more than 22,000 hours on avariety of aircraft including the B-727, MD-88, B-757, B-767, L-1011, MD-11 and B-777. In addition to his extensive flying back-ground, Paul is also a qualified lawyeradmitted to the Massachusetts State Barand a member of the Florida and FederalBar Associations.

McCarthy named IFALPA representative to ICAO


March 2006

MarchNo Meetings Scheduled

April24-26

228th Principal Officers’ MeetingIstanbul, Turkey

Contact: Heather Price [email protected]

28- 2 May

61st Annual ConferenceIstanbul, Turkey


May3

1st Executive Board MeetingIstanbul, Turkey


29 – 1 June

Accident Analysis Committee MeetingRome, Italy

Contact: Arnaud du Bedat [email protected]

June11

International Flight Engineers MeetingParis, France


12-14

Aircraft Design and Operation CommitteeMeetingParis, France


14-16

Air Traffic Services Committee MeetingParis, France

Contact: Valerie Godfrey [email protected]

19-21*

Aerodrome and Ground EnvironmentCommittee MeetingBejing, China

Contact: James Eales [email protected]

22*

Airport Liasion Representative SeminarBejing, China


July10-12

Human Performance Committee Meeting

Singapore


AugustDates TBA

2nd Executive Board Meeting Venue TBC, Europe

Contact Heather Price [email protected]

September12-14

Carribbean and South America RegionalMeetingSanta Cruz, Bolivia

Contact: Carole Couchman [email protected]

IFALPA Meetings 2006During the 227th Principal Officers’ Meeting held recently at Interpilot House the following programmeof meetings was approved by the PO group. Even so, few dates are not yet confirmed as indicated below.Meanwhile, the timing of and venues of the European and North American Regional Conferences isdependant on the progress of the Federation’s reconstruction and will be announced shortly.

Dates to be confirmed



March 2006

HHaavvee aann iiddeeaa ffoorr aann aarrttiiccllee oorr wwaanntt IIFFAALLPPAAnneewwss ttooccoovveerr yyoouurr ssttoorryy?? Contact Gideon Ewers, IFALPAMedia and Communications Officer Tel. +441932 579041 or email [email protected]

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25-26

Industrial Committee MeetingPrague, Czech Republic

Contact: Rick Brennan [email protected]

27-29

SCAMPI Committee MeetingPrague, Czech Republic

Contact: David Clayton [email protected]

October2

Safety SeminarRio de Janerio, Brazil


3-5

Accident Analysis Committee MeetingRio de Janerio, Brazil


9-11

Dangerous Goods Committee MeetingBali, Indonesia


18-20

Security Committee MeetingMexico City, Mexico


30- 1November

Africa – Middle East Regional ConferenceBeirut, Lebanon

Contact: Carole Couchman [email protected]

Helicopter Committee MeetingMemphis, USA


November3-9

3rd Executive Board MeetingTokyo, Japan


Date TBC

Air Traffic Services Committee MeetingFrankfurt, Germany

Contact Valerie Godfrey [email protected]

27-29

Asia-Pacific Regional ConferenceAuckland, New Zealand

Contact; Carole Couchman [email protected]

29

Airport Liasion Representative SeminarAuckland, New Zealand


30-2 December

Aerodrome and Ground EnvironmentCommittee MeetingAuckland, NewZealand

Contact James Eales [email protected]

December2-4

Aircraft Design and Operations CommitteeMeeting Auckland, New Zealand


11-13 *

Human Performance Committee MeetingBogota, Columbia



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