The 787-10 move on aviation's chess board is about check mating the regional and high density route potential, cornering the market. It is known as -10 to followers of aviation's progressions. This -10 will serve all the potential high density regions of the world such as China, Malaysia, and India. The aircraft will pack in customers Like South West Airlines does in the United States cross country routes but only with a larger scale than what Southwest offers. Instead of 160 seats on the 737 Max, serving 320 million US citizens from coast to coast. Boeing intends to send over the most efficient, high capacity capacity aircraft it can to 1.4 billion people from coast to the Himalayas. I see the relevant correlation plainly as a scale-like enhancement in the planet`s most densely populated areas of the world.
The -10 will move 340 passengers with work-man like efficiency, better than any other aircraft in the world. Plus seat them in unparalleled comfort and passenger advantages on the market serving those high density regions of the world. The up scaled efficiency is marked with MTOW tonnage adjusted to maximizing range with the right fuel weight for achieved range of flight within a customer's own airlines internal network of routes, like in the China market potential.
The -10 stretched is the -9, but with more length, and the fuel capacity of the -9. Therefore, it will fly 7,000 miles, and not the 8,500 miles of the -9. Since the -10 is a revenue hauler for higher density markets, it has a long legged range in most of the two isle world (this range covers 90% of the twin isle routes), instead of the all world -9.
What are those revenue markers? Markers are the designs for 323 passengers in three classes, where the -9 is designed for 290 in three classes, an airline exec will note, "we can fill more than 323 on a -10 for daily routes transcending China, and further out regions!
The 787-8, with Thompson Air, currently hauls 291 passenger across the ocean on its 787-8, that is generally rated for 240 passengers in 3 classes. However, it uses a two class model of Premium economy and Plus Economy with respective room of 45" (inch), and 38" seat pitch dynamics. Most airlines today are lucky to have 34" seat pitch dynamics in economy class as found on a conventional single isle aircraft.
Using the Thompson Airline Model for China or a Singapore Airline on a -10, that will fly 7,000 miles, is easy to seat passengers in a high density array with about 340 tickets punched at the gate. The -10 now becomes a super craft which is immensely up scaled from how a Max will be used in the 4,000 mile range markets, where the Max carries only about half the passenger seats that a China or Singapore customer requires. The -10 will face off with the A-350 9,s and 10's. How will that play out? Since neither aircraft has reached the market yet, there is plenty of back room design tweaking going on at this stage. But, the big issue that will affect the customer market, is how much added weight is put on the A-350 for fuel storage cells, and fuel dead weight as its weight penalty? The A-350 wants to pack on the fuel in a competition of long legged routes and will try to push the fuel economy envelop at the same time, in order to meet or exceed the Boeing product for the 787 family of aircraft.
Meeting or equaling 787 economics, retains loyal customers for Airbus. Beating Boeing with higher fuel economy per seat, will steal from Boeing's base of customers. On the other hand if Boeing holds the line on operational efficiency it will win the day with its 787 campaign. The unknown Knight riding the gallant stead has yet to appear in this "B" movie classic. That is the 777-X! We have all heard about this knight in shinning armor, but we will not know if it can win the joust that will change the airplane wars. It will though do just that, if it lives up to expectations, and squash the whole Airbus scheme of world dominance as an air framer. Putting the airline wars in a quasi fantasy and realistic point as in a "metaphor speak", is very appropriate dimension of reality.
The unknown night will joust this fall on the Arabian peninsula. The reality, can Boeing pull off a victory and unlock the 787 from Airbus' hold over Europe? The answer is in the final chapter of the 787 saga. The ending has not been disclosed, so I will leave any reader with this thought. If boasting counts in the game of Horse Shoes and Grenades, meaning getting close to a ringer with its verbal grenades, Boeing will win the game of Horseshoes. In summary, the 777-X is just as important to the 787 program as its execution of the the 787 build plans. If it all comes together as spoken by Boeing (boasts), then Airbus will have made an "in vain" attempt in knocking that "Knight" off the horse, and will not or cannot stop the 787 checkmate.
"The coolheaded captain credited with saving a Qantas Airways Ltd. QAN.AU +0.78% super jumbo jet after a fiery engine explosion in 2010 relied on some distinctly unconventional piloting.
In the midst of the crisis, with the crippled Airbus A380 leaking fuel while he maintained a holding pattern and the crew tried to sort through a torrent of computer-generated cockpit alerts, Capt. Richard de Crespigny switched tactics. Rather than trying to decipher the dozens of alerts to identify precisely which systems were damaged, as called for by the manufacturer's manuals and his own airline's emergency procedures, he turned that logic on its head—shifting his focus to what was still working."
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The pilots solution
confronted with Sensory overload in a crises, was to shut down the damage, and
focus on what can we fly with, and go for what is working? An old fighter pilot
mentality arose saving the passengers lives while ignoring all the bells, whistles
and horns going off in the cockpit, which confused the fly by committee crew
into action. These bell and whistles are supposed to aid crew not confuse the
crew during a catastrophic event that was unfolding in seconds. The pilot was
on his evaluation flight and had no advantage from any user manuals for the
A380 engine event, and its ongoing total system failures. It was just instinct,
logic and skill overriding the Airbus A-380 emergency cacophony of noise and
confusion and hundreds of simultaneous messages.
He brought in the A380 and wrote a new book for aviation on how to
handle human sensory overload and save the aircraft and its passengers.
The design engineers have taken note, and changed how information is
handled in all new aircraft under development today, for both Airbus and
Boeing. In fact it would be great to inform the crew what they do have for a
plan B exigency drill. Having system lights that go green during an exigency
event, where taxing the nominal system needs instant clarity, so the crew can
quickly move to back to flying or gliding, by using the green signal lite
systems and its capabilities instead of trying to decipher any red coded
systems initially. A red light shouldn't continuously squawk incessantly,
but have a system cut out from noise after 30 seconds and then blink red
thereafter, until the crew can address at that the moment. A pilot can decide
quickly what will fly the aircraft or if the pilot can assume a glide path for
a recovery landing.
This is just one thought for flight management. The main thing is
to:
- simplify
pilot options of a hugely complex aircraft,
- give
the crew committee the best information during decision making,
- And
present best available options with priorities.
Similar to a A-1 Abrams battle tank with its battlefield targeting
computer systems. Target by seeking, the most important item first and work
through to a solution. It is more important to not have the cabin squawking all
at once while the crew is in momentary shock and is forming an initial plan of
action. Maintain a professional composure during a time of finding options,
where seconds really do count. Taking on best information to keep the plane
flying is more important than shocking the team with simultaneous alarms.
Ultimate decision making is not the computer's job, since it is only
an information source, but assists the flight with pilot inputs. The Pilot and
crew need all the information managed, and on the table to make the best decision.