Something Up there

Trip to Musée de l’air et de l’espace

2006-06-09T14:26:00.000+08:00

The “Musée de l’air et de l’espace” is located on the Le Bourget airport in the north of Paris. That journey took me more than an hour from my hotel. I took a train, bus and a 5 mins walk to reach there. Tickets are €7 for the museum, and an additional €2 for a visit to the Boeing 747.

If I am not wrong, the 747 on display is a 747-200 because I don't see any upper deck doors.

The weather was cold around 12-15C and some of the exhibits are either outdoor or in an non heated hanger. Of course I was too engrossed in the exhibits than the cold. I love the 3 stage rocket that was on display! I am amazed how big the nozzle of engine! It is really an engineering marvel!

There is one World War II aircraft I like since schoolboy, it was the Spitfire. Although once I had visited the RAF Musuem at Colindale and the tour guide says that it was actually the Hurricane that won Battle of Britain. The Spitfires were more like the escort planes for the Hurricanes when they going for fleets of Heinkels, Junkers and Dorniers bombers.

Junker bomber

There is of course another personal favourite for modern aircraft for me is the Concorde. The engine used on the Concorde is the Rolls-Royce Olympus 593 generates about 32,000 lbf of thrust. (The new 777-300ER uses the GE90-115B currently the most powerful engine in the world with 115,300 lbf of thrust!)

2 on each wing and 4 altogether!

Well here are some other pictures I took at RAF Museum at Colindale I would like to share.

The infamous P41-Mustang

Pyscomotor test completed!

Next a Commerical Airliner for me?

Some interesting thing asked during a SIA interview

2006-04-29T20:09:00.000+08:00

What is the difference between Speed and Velocity?

Speed as you know is Distance moved per unit of time. Example like km/h, m/s, knots (nautical miles per hour) or Mach (Speed of sound 343 m/s or 1235 km/h)

Whereas for velocity, it is speed in a particular direction. As velocity is defined as a vector, therefore you need speed and direction to define it. So the average velocity of an object moving a distance during a time intveral in a straight line is:

V(velocity)= D(distance)/T(time)

Hope this helps.

How does a plane fly?

2006-04-26T11:24:00.000+08:00

This is a very fundamental question that a newbie will ask. Lets discuss the forces that acts on an aircraft during flight.

A = Lift, B = Thrust, C = Weight, D = Drag

So in order for an aircraft to have a level flight, this relations must comply.
A = C
B = D

If A greater C then aircraft will climb but if A lesser C the aircraft will descend. When B greater D the aircraft will speed up but if B lesser D then it will slow down. Therefore it is important to understand how all four forces work, then of course you need to understand how lift is created too.

While I have done some research on the internet for the 2 theories, I found out 2 that is used today are the Bernoulli explanation and the Newtonian explanation. Both contribute to an intuitive understanding of how lift is created.

Here is an excerpt from "How Stuff Works" site on Bernoulli

The Longer Path explanation (aka Bernoulli) holds that the top surface of a wing is more curved than the bottom surface. Air particles that approach the leading edge of the wing must travel either over or under the wing. Let's assume that two nearby particles split up at the leading edge, and then come back together at the trailing edge of the wing. Since the particle traveling over the top goes a longer distance in the same amount of time, it must be traveling faster.

Bernoulli's equation, a fundamental of fluid dynamics, states that as the speed of a fluid flow increases, its pressure decreases. The Longer Path explanation deduces that this faster moving air develops a lower pressure on the top surface, while the slower moving air maintains a higher pressure on the bottom surface. This pressure difference essentially "sucks" the wing upward or pushes the wing upward.

Here is another on Newtonian

Isaac Newton stated that for every action there is an equal, and opposite, reaction (Newton's Third Law). You can see a good example of this by watching two skaters at an ice rink. If one pushes on the other, both move -- one due to the action force and the other due to the reaction force.

In the late 1600s, Isaac Newton theorized that air molecules behave like individual particles, and that the air hitting the bottom surface of a wing behaves like shotgun pellets bouncing off a metal plate. Each individual particle bounces off the bottom surface of the wing and is deflected downward. As the particles strike the bottom surface of the wing, they impart some of their momentum to the wing, thus incrementally nudging the wing upward with every molecular impact.

Then again "How Stuff Works" has another explanation on Lift is generated.

Pressure Variations Caused By Turning a Moving Fluid
Lift is a force on a wing (or any other solid object) immersed in a moving fluid, and it acts perpendicular to the flow of the fluid. (Drag is the same thing, but acts parallel to the direction of the fluid flow). The net force is created by pressure differences brought about by variations in speed of the air at all points around the wing. These velocity variations are caused by the disruption and turning of the air flowing past the wing. The measured pressure distribution on a typical wing looks like the following diagram:

A. Air approaching the top surface of the wing is compressed into the air above it as it moves upward. Then, as the top surface curves downward and away from the airstream, a low-pressure area is developed and the air above is pulled downward toward the back of the wing.
B. Air approaching the bottom surface of the wing is slowed, compressed and redirected in a downward path. As the air nears the rear of the wing, its speed and pressure gradually match that of the air coming over the top. The overall pressure effects encountered on the bottom of the wing are generally less pronounced than those on the top of the wing.

C. Lift component

D. Net force

E. Drag component

When you sum up all the pressures acting on the wing (all the way around), you end up with a net force on the wing. A portion of this lift goes into lifting the wing (lift component), and the rest goes into slowing the wing down (drag component). As the amount of airflow turned by a given wing is increased, the speed and pressure differences between the top and bottom surfaces become more pronounced, and this increases the lift. There are many ways to increase the lift of a wing, such as increasing the angle of attack or increasing the speed of the airflow.

Confused already? Why not try this experiment. While driving or someone else is driving, stick your palm out (Make sure there are no other cars in the opposite direction). Place it horizontal like a wing on an aircraft, while the car is still moving change the angle of your palm. You will realise that your palm will be push up or down when you change the angle of your palm, it something quite similar to the expalnation above.

Though it is not the best experiment, but it will give you a rough understanding how would a wing work. Also by trying out the different angles of your palm, you realised that different attack angles push your palm up or down.

Happy Experimenting.

Cadetship for SQ

2006-03-11T22:45:00.000+08:00

Did a small research on Cadetship for Singapore Airlines, and found some interesting pictures and comments. Cadets selected has to go through a regiourous training for 15 months before Second Officer (SO). As SO, training continues for about 9 months and they are checked out as First Officers (FO). Training is tough, and not to mention the strict selection process during the interviews and medical checkups. The company selects the best that will operate the most modern fleet in the world!

After been accepted in the cadet program, they will be sent to OutwardBound Singapore (OBS) for 21 days to learn about teamwork and team building.

After that, they will be sent to Singapore Flying College (SFC) http://www.sfcpl.com/ to do their Pretech Paper, Performance Paper, ATPL, Post-Tech Paper and of course their first solo.

Bene Docere in Latin means (Teaching It Right)

After completing that phase, they will be sent to Western Austraila Perth, Janakot to get their multi-engine Commerical Pilot License with Instrument Rating (CPL/ IR) on Cessna 172R and Beechcraft Baron Be86. Training at Janakot is the toughest as cadets have to shuffle between sorties, lessons and self-study. Length of Training can last between 9-12 months. Length of training depends on indivdual performance and weather.

Finishing Janakot, they will come back to Singapore Learjet Tech Paper before flying off again to Brisbane's Sunshine Coast Maroochydore Airport. There they will do their jet training on the Learjet L45 for about 3 months.

Then it is back to Singapore again, 747/777/320 Tech Paper and 1 month of Simulator. They will most likely already known if they will be in SIA, Cargo or SilkAir.

SQ Fleet notes

2006-03-11T01:32:00.000+08:00

With Singapore Airlines already ordered 10 A380 with 15 on option the total break down of the fleet is as stands

B747-400 (MEGATOP) PW4056 --- 27
B777-200ER (JUBILEE) Rolls-Royce Trent 892 --- 15
B777-300 (JUBILEE) Rolls-Royce Trent 892 --- 12
B777-200 (JUBILEE) Rolls-Royce Trent 884 --- 31
B777-300ER (JUBILEE) GE90-115B --- 19 (Ordered) 13 (On option)
A340-500 Rolls-Royce Trent 553 --- 5
A380-800 Rolls-Royce Trent 970 --- 10 (Ordered) 15 (On option)

Total 90, 29 (Ordered) and 28 (On option)
The first to arrive will be the 777-300ER and will be using the GE90-115B. It is the largest, most powerful jet engine in the world. Developing some 115,000 pounds of thrust.
Singapore Airlines is also the largest Boeing 777 operator in the world.

Singapore Airlines A380 website

2006-02-24T20:20:00.000+08:00

The site has details on the A380 specs used by SIA.Seats are going to be less than 480 as compared to the 555 arrangement from Airbus. http://www.a380.singaporeair.com/home.html.

Anyway, it is a great site to visit if you are interested in the SQ A380 development. There are wallpapers/screensavers/gallery on the page to spruce up your laptop or PC.

Cannot wait for its first official commerical flight.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380

2006-02-10T00:54:00.000+08:00

The Airbus A380 is a double-decker, four-engine airliner manufactured by Airbus. First flew on April 27, 2005 from Toulouse, France.

Commercial flights should begin in late 2006 after 15 months of testing, with the delivery of the first aircraft to launch customer Singapore Airlines. The A380 is the largest passenger airliner in the world, topping the Boeing 747, which was the largest for 35 years. However, the Antonov An-225 retains the record of being the world's largest commercial aircraft.

The A380 (F-WWOW) takeoff to Singapore on 6 November, 2005

Design
The new Airbus will initially be sold in two versions: the A380-800, carrying 555 passengers in a three-class configuration or up to 800 passengers in a single-class economy configuration. Expected range for the -800 model is 15,000 km (8,000 nautical miles).

The second model, the A380-800F dedicated freighter, will carry 150 tonnes of cargo 10,400 km (5,600 nautical miles).

Cockpit

Flight deck
Airbus made the cockpit layout, procedures and handling characteristics similar to those of other Airbus aircraft to reduce crew training costs. Accordingly, the A380 features an improved glass cockpit, and fly-by-wire flight controls linked to side-sticks.

There are two Primary Flight Displays, two navigation displays, one engine parameter display, one system display and two Multi-Function Displays (aka MFD). These MFDs are new with the A380, and provide an easy-to-use interface to the flight management system replacing three multifunction control and display units. They include QWERTY keyboards and trackballs, interfacing with a graphical "point-and-click" display navigation system.

Engines
Either the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP7200 turbofan engines may power the A380.

Technological features
As compared to the Boeing 747 the colossal size of the A380 requires novel approaches to application of technologies, especially for weight saving purposes, in order for it to meet its performance guarantees. Many of the technologies first used here may later be used by other jetliners as operational experience is accumulated.

New materials like aluminum -glass-fibre laminate, carbon-fiber reinforced plastics, glass-fiber reinforced plastic and quartz-fiber reinforced plastic are also used extensively in wings, fuselage sections and on doors.

New and advanced avionics architecture includes Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA), Avionics Full Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX)/ ARINC 664, Network Systems Server (NSS), Power-by-wire flight controls, 350 bar (35 MPa) hydraulic system, advance electrical generation, LED and High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting and Electrical thrust reversers.

Amenities
Given the history of the airline industry, the A380 will significantly expand the improvements that the 747 made more seats and lower seat-distance costs - while providing wider seats and better amenities. With 555 passengers, the A380 represents a 35% increase over the 747-400 in standard three-class configuration, along with a nearly 50% larger cabin volume - meaning much more space per passenger. Singapore Airlines will have 490 seats on its A380s.

A mockup by Airbus shows a roomier cabin for Economy Class

Maybe a Minibar for the First and Business Class Passengers

Airport
Changi International airport has upgraded certain gates and holding rooms in the existing terminals to facilitate boarding from the A380's double-decker design. In addition a new terminal has been built to cater to the A380s.

3 doors boarding

Construction
Airbus operates 16 manufacturing sites across Europe with exception of wing component to be made by Indonesian aircraft manufacturer, IPTN. The European manufacturer will produce most of parts for the new A380 airliner.

The first completed A380 at the "A380 Reveal" event in Toulouse

Fitting the tail section of the aircraft

Fresh from the hanger without SIA colours.

Development
After years of research, Airbus decided to proceed with the â‚¬ 8.8 billion A380 project in 1999, the final budget settling at about â‚¬ 12 billion. The double-decker layout would provide higher seat capacities, and hence cost savings, than a traditional design.

The A380's wing has been designed to cope with a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 590 t, albeit with some strengthening required, allowing for a future stretch. The stronger wing (and structure) is used on today's freighter version, the A380-800F. This approach sacrifices some fuel efficiency on the initial passenger model but the sheer size of the aircraft coupled with the significant advances in technology over the years should provide lower operating costs per passenger than the various versions of the 747.

First flight to South East Asia
On 6th November 2005, the A380 embarked on a tour of South-east Asia and Australia, partly as a promotion, and partly as part of its long-haul flight testing.

Delivery
Airbus has not publicly announced delivery dates, though they have recently notified airlines that delivery will be delayed by up to six months, which means Singapore Airlines will receive the first A380 in the fourth quarter of 2006 The new plane's entry into service, first with Singapore Airlines, will take place between London Heathrow and Sydney via Singapore from late 2006. Subsequent routes by Singapore Airlines may include the Singapore - San Francisco route via Hong Kong, as well as direct flights to Paris and Frankfurt.

Specifications

General characteristics
(800F Freighter in brown)

Flight crew: 2
Capacity: 850 passengers in 1 class or 555 in 3 classes, with up to 66.4 tonnes (146,400 lb) of cargo in 38 LD3s or 13 pallets 152.4 tonnes (336,000 lb) of cargo (158 t option)
Powerplant: 4 x 311 kN (70,000 lbf) turbofans. Either Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP7200
4 x 340 kN (76,500 lbf)

Dimensions
Length: 73 m (239 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 79.8 m (261 ft 10 in)
Height: 24.1 m (79 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 845 mÂ² (9,100 ftÂ²)

Weights and fuel capacity
Typical Operating Empty Weight: 276,800 kg (610,200 lb) 252,200 kg (556,000 lb)
Maximum takeoff: 560,000 kg (1,235,000 lb) 590,000 kg (1,300,000 lb)
Maximum fuel: 310,000 litres (81,890 US gal) 310,000 l (352,000 l option)

Performance
Normal cruise speed: 0.85 M (approx 902 km/h, 560 mph or 487 kt)
Maximum cruise speed: 0.89 M
Range: 15,000 km (8,000 nautical miles) 10,400 km (5,600 nmi)
Service ceiling: 13,100 m (43,000 ft)

Pictures courtesy from Ethan21, Yankeat77, Planepictures.net, Airliners.net, wikipedia.org and Airbus.