A New Generation of Flying If people haven't been following up recently, well catch up on the latest on aviation history. Meet the 21st century aircraft...so who do you think is gonna win? The Competitors: Airbus A380 Jumbo Jet Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner About the Airbus A380 (From the Airbus Site) Designed in close collaboration with major airlines, airport and airworthiness authorities, the A380 brings new standards of comfort and better economics in an aircraft that is more environmentally responsible. Whilst doing all of this, it allows growth and reduced congestion from today's airports with minimum change. Most importantly, the A380 introduces competition to the large aircraft sector, completing the Airbus product portfolio. The A380, which will seat 555 passengers in a typical three-class interior layout, will enter airline service in 2006. The A380 will have the widest cabin in the world and a larger cockpit, but pilots transferring from the new generation Airbus family will easily familiarise themselves with it. For example the time for transition training from the A330/A340 Family is expected to be considerably less than the 25 days needed for transition training without commonality. Airbus have gone to unprecedented lengths to make sure the interior of the A380 presents travellers with a truly new way to fly. Vast cabin mock-ups were taken to eight major cities on three continents. 1200 frequent travellers -- male and female, of different nationalities and cultures- were interviewed to check acceptance and to refine the cabin. The research confirmed that the A380 cabin offers passengers unbeatable levels of comfort -- without adding unnecessary weight or drag to increase running costs. In addition, it gave Airbus designers a greater understanding of passenger reaction to the elements in the cabin, and how each of them vary according to the local culture. The A380 will allow airlines a really competitive advantage in passenger comfort. The main deck of the A380 is the widest in the world. Its floor area has 49% more floor space and 35% more seats than the 747-400. So airlines can make their seats wider and provide each seat with its own separate armrest; a frequent passenger demand. The A380 also gives airlines a lower deck on which lavatories, sleeper cabins, crew rest-areas, business centres -- or even a crche -- can be placed, so there is yet more space for more passenger amenities or seats, to make the aircraft more comfortable and so more attractive to passengers in economy, club or first class. About the Boeing 7E7 (From Boeing's Site) Eco-Friendly We are designing the most environmentally preferred airplane ever, whether in the air, in the factory, or on the ground. From initial design to the retirement of the airplane, we are seizing every opportunity to minimize the impact on the planets natural environment. By using innovations in aerodynamics and materials, we are creating an airplane that significantly reduces emissions such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide, helping to keep the air we all share cleaner. Our new airframes and engines also create quieter takeoffs and landings. Thats good news for the people in airport neighborhoods around the world. While in flight, the Dreamliner will provide a quieter ride for its relaxing passengers. The 7E7 Dreamliner is truly providing a new world of possibilities for the environment and aviation. People Friendly An airplane designed with passengers in mind, so you can feel good about flying again. As passengers, we want a flight experience that not only is hassle free but actually enables us to have an enjoyable experience along the way. From inception, the design of 7E7 Dreamliner has been guided by a desire to deliver on the passenger expectation for a superior experience. With the passenger in mind, advances in cabin technology are being incorporated to help people feel better during and after a long flight. The Dreamliner will provide higher humidity levels in the cabin to avoid dehydration and a more comfortable cabin pressure to give you the feeling of being at sea level while at cruising altitude. State-of-the-art acoustics, innovative lighting, constant internet connectivity, wider seats and aisles, bigger overhead bins, and bigger windows are just the beginning in the efforts we are taking to make the Dreamliner a new sensation for our passengers. And, point to point flying takes you where you want to go, directly and more frequently, avoiding the additional stress of connecting flights. This airplane is designed to connect city pairs that are up to 8,500 nautical miles apart. That means you can fly directly from New York to Tokyo, or from Santiago, Chile, to Madrid. Revolutionary A symbol of the enduring Boeing commitment to innovation Since 1916, Boeing has been at the frontier of human flight. In the mid twentieth century, Boeing pioneered commercial jet aviation, bringing the people of the world closer together. The 7E7 Dreamliner continues that voyage. It is truly a world airplane. Because of Boeings global business approach and its strategic partnerships around the world, talented people from many countries will make important contributions to building this innovative airplane. Boeing Dreamliner will provide a business solution for airlines everywhereoffering unsurpassed operational flexibility. Technical breakthroughs include the use of advanced composite materials throughout the airplane. Advanced supercomputers allow for twenty-first century design based on computational fluid dynamics, for maximum speed and fuel economy. Exciting improvements in passenger comfort will change flight forever. The Dreamliner continues the Boeing tradition of advancing commercial aviation, and providing the platform for the future. Efficient Exciting breakthroughs make it more efficient and more economical. Thats good news for airlines and their passengers. 20 percent lower fuel consumption than other airplanes its size. Also see Fuel Efficiency. Mach 0.85the speed of the 747 and 777 in a smaller airplane Excellent cargo capacity for increased revenue. Visionary design. An innovative silhouette for superior aerodynamics and a revolutionary collaboration between global companies. Advanced materials. The use of new, lightweight composite materials for the primary structure provides resistance to fatigue and corrosion and significant weight reduction. Advanced systems, including common core open systems architecture, an all-electric environmental control system, and airplane health management processes and technology for improved safety and flexibility as well as reduced maintenance. The completely modern flight deck has controls designed to share a look and feel with previous Boeing models while allowing easy flexibility to incorporate the latest technology. An integrated business solution. Boeing has incorporated exceptional economic advantages into the lifecycle of the airplane from purchase through years of service and support E-enabled for total connectivity. Crews get sophisticated technical data in real time while passengers enjoy in-flight Web and e-mail access. Fuel Efficiency Technical advances deliver 20 percent fuel savings per passenger. Engines. Advanced engine design provides a ten percent improvement in fuel efficiency; Materials. Replacing heavy metal body parts with lighter non-metal composite parts makes the plane lighter, which provides an additional three percent improvement in efficiency. Aerodynamics. Super computers allow for drag-minimizing, smoother design, providing another three percent in fuel savings. And, the wing area of the 7E7 is about 10 percent smaller than its much older competitor. The new wing shape with raked wingtips is streamlined and strong, yet flexible and light. On-board systems. More efficient on-board systems provide the final three percent of improvement. Integration. By introducing all of these technologies on a brand new design, we get another 3 percent benefit because the design can be optimized for the technologies. It all adds up to about 20 percent improvement in fuel efficiency. Its better for the environment, and the airplane costs about ten percent less to operate as compared to similarly sized airplanes. Photos: A380 on the far two left 7E7 on the far two right. So what do you think and who has the best concept? Who's gonna win?
Airbus and Boeing are always bad mouthing each other's work. For example on the 7E7 Interesting enough, Airbus recently announced they will be designing the A350, designed to target the 7E7 market...aahahaha.:cheeky:
Airbus' Megaplane Has A Weight Problem The giant A380 must keep pounds down to meet fuel-efficiency targets, making it hard to outfit [font=arial,helvetica,univers]In a cavernous factory on the outskirts of Toulouse, France, workers are painstakingly assembling a prototype of the Airbus A380, the biggest commercial aircraft ever built. Airbus says the double-decker jet is within its $13 billion development budget and on schedule for its first commercial flight, by Singapore Airlines Ltd., in the spring of 2006. But as the launch of this technological marvel draws near, its success increasingly will hinge on such seemingly mundane items as passenger seats and food-service carts.if (!window.adOb) document.write(''); [/font] To ensure that the A380 will be able to fly up to 14,800 kilometers nonstop while meeting ambitious fuel-efficiency targets, Airbus has told airlines and their suppliers that the plane's cabin furnishings will have to weigh 10% to 30% less than comparable ones on existing planes. ``The vendors have been told: 'If you do not get your weight down, you will not be on this program,''' says Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airlines Inc., which is scheduled to take delivery of 45 A380s, starting in October, 2006. CRUNCH TIME True, the launch of an aircraft always leads to a struggle between airlines who push for add-ons that increase the plane's weight and manufacturers who fret it will become too heavy to meet promised performance standards. Airbus warned suppliers of cabin furnishings well over a year ago that they would have to reduce the weight of many components. Even so, many suppliers and industry experts say tensions over the A380's weight are running unusually high. And time is growing short, with airlines such as Singapore, Emirates, and Qantas needing to finalize supplier arrangements now to meet scheduled launches in 2006. One reason for the tension is that the A380 is heavier than Airbus had planned, even though big sections are being built with lightweight carbon-based composites. Since the plane's original design was approved in 2001, its expected weight has crept up by nearly 4 tons, to 243 tons, as Airbus added features such as quieter engines at the request of some airlines. The weight could notch up even more over the next few months as minor adjustments are made during final assembly, says Chris Stonehouse, an Airbus vice-president who oversees the A380 customer program. Even with the added weight, Stonehouse says, the plane will meet the performance guarantees spelled out in its contracts with the 11 carriers that have ordered it. If those terms aren't met, airlines could refuse to accept delivery or demand penalty payments. But the added weight has greatly restricted the airlines' maneuvering room when it comes to outfitting the A380's interior, which is designed to hold at least 555 passengers. Most airlines plan to entice high-margin first- and business-class passengers onto the A380 with add-ons such as Internet workstations, seats that convert into beds, and perhaps even partitions to create private sleeping compartments. But loading up the premium cabins with luxurious extras makes them weigh more, and airlines can't easily find offsetting weight savings in the economy cabins, where they're counting on squeezing in as many passengers as possible. As the plane's weight rises, fuel consumption increases -- an especially urgent concern at a time of soaring fuel prices -- and so do airport landing fees that are based on the plane's empty weight. That's why carriers and suppliers are scrambling to squeeze excess weight out of everything on board, from lavatories to lighting fixtures. ``It's a big problem and a big challenge,'' says Jacques Pierrejean, a veteran Paris designer who is helping Emirates plan the cabins for its A380 fleet. He says the pressure to cut weight on the A380 is greater than on any other plane he has worked on. The airlines' dilemma was underscored recently when Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. delayed the scheduled delivery of its first A380 by 18 months, saying its suppliers were unable to guarantee delivery of cabin furnishings in time to meet the summer, 2006, launch date. Virgin declines to give details, and other early A380 customers say their launch plans are on schedule. But the weight problem may be especially perplexing for Virgin, which has a reputation for lavish first- and business-class cabins, including such features as personal wide-screen TVs and an onboard massage salon. Many cabin suppliers can offer impressive weight savings by using next-generation materials -- but at a high price. Recaro Aircraft Seating in Stuttgart, Germany, says it can cut the weight of a seat as much as 30% by substituting carbon-based composites for steel in the frame and armrests. But the composites add more than $1,500 to the cost of a seat. ``Right now, the airline industry doesn't have the cash flow to pay for this,'' says Catharina Lbke, Recaro's head of strategic marketing. The use of new materials even extends into lavatories, where suppliers such as Hamburg's Dasell Cabin Interior are developing lighter composites to replace fiberglass walls and ceilings. But airlines can't count on composites for quick weight loss everywhere. Galleys, for example, are likely to remain mostly aluminum. Composites would not only cost more but also would have to undergo lengthy testing and certification for heat resistance. And airlines are reluctant to invest heavily in galley improvements because they don't generate revenue, says Tim Miner, sales director for galleys at Driessen Aircraft Interior Systems, a Dutch manufacturer. LIGHTER SOUNDS In other instances, new technology could do the trick without a substantial price hike. That's the case with in-flight audio and video entertainment systems. Supplier Matsu****a Avionics Systems Corp. says it has devised lighter but more powerful gear that will weigh at least 30% less and take up 20% less space than systems on existing wide-body planes. Despite the pressure, airlines say they're on track to achieve the needed weight savings. ``We've been working toward this goal for three years, and we're satisfied that we are where we should be,'' says Emirates' Clark. Even so, there's a risk that lighter-weight materials will make the plane less comfortable and appealing to passengers. ``It could go downmarket and look tacky,'' says Doug McVitie, a former Airbus marketing employee who's now a private aviation consultant. But the pressure to cut weight won't be going away. Two years after the A380 is scheduled to enter service, Boeing Co. (BA ) will introduce the 7E7, a midsize jet the company says will offer a 20% improvement in fuel efficiency over existing jets of comparable size. For airlines, there's no miracle diet in sight.
