Report: Airbus A380s Have Cracks in the Wings, Airbus Says "Don't Worr

[amdfangirl]

The cracks were first found on A380s deployed in the fleets of Singapore Airlines (SGX: C6L) and Qantas Airways (ASX: QAN) (which primarily operates out of Australia). The two airlines account 26 out of the 50 delivered passenger A380-800s, as the second and third largest A380 users.

BBC News quotes Airbus representatives as confirming the wing rib cracking, but insist it's harmless, and that passengers shouldn't be worried about the cracking wings. States the company, "We confirm that minor cracks were found on some noncritical wing rib-skin attachments on a limited number of A380 aircraft. We have traced the origin. Airbus has developed an inspection and repair procedure, which will be done during regular, routine scheduled four-year maintenance checks. In the meantime, Airbus emphasizes that the safe operation of the A380 fleet is not affected."

http://www.dailytech.com/Report+Airbus+A380s+Have+Cracks+in+the+Wings+Airbus+Says+Dont+Worry+About+It/article23699.htm

It dun matter if your plane has wings or not, it will still fly more or less.

 

[wanamingo]

This is why my carry-on is always a parachute

 

[gropouce]

Flagship of French industry.

Don't worry, it flies as well as an iron.

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

Lets hope its more air/less bus

 

[jsc]

It dun matter if your plane has wings or not, it will still fly more or less.

It's the "less" part that I worry about.

 

[riser]

The aircraft grade aluminum in the panels is extremely strong and can easily withstand the forces applied to it during flight while being cracked. You would be far more worried if you saw how thin the skin on the wings really was. Rest assured that the aircraft grade aluminum used is extremely strong and this isn't that big of an issue. It isn't part of a critical structure, only the rib covering.. ie part of the wing's surface.

 

[jsc]

Ummm, wings - actually the covering on them - provide lift. That strikes me as a critical function.

 

[riser]

If you're some of the covering it still isn't an issue. A significant portion would need to be missing for it to be an issue. Seeing some cracks in the panels isn't a big deal and can easily be fixed or repaired at the next scheduled service time.

 

[fazers_on_stun]

If you're some of the covering it still isn't an issue. A significant portion would need to be missing for it to be an issue. Seeing some cracks in the panels isn't a big deal and can easily be fixed or repaired at the next scheduled service time.

Which is some 4 years later, according to what I read.. Plenty of time for those cracks to turn into canyons ..

 

[riser]

Every four years? I've haven't kept updated but a friend's dad used to service commercial airliners. It was every 6 months for an inspection and repairs. Major repairs would go overseas to Taiwan. That last bit may help some people identify the 'former' airline.

 

[dogman_1234]

Which is some 4 years later, according to what I read.. Plenty of time for those cracks to turn into canyons ..

May I guide you to the FAR,( for the US of course.)

According to the FAA, there must be a general inspection of the aircraft before takeoff called a preflight. Every 100 or so hours there is a thorough inspection of the aircraft, followed by a 1000 hour engine inspection.

Basically, if the pilot dont see it...he dont see his job!

The way I see it, the A380 is too big for any runway and is too much. You want a luxury liner...go supersonic! We can have aircraft go about FL60,( 60,000 feet), and have them go for it!

I do not want to hear the whole sonic controversy because frankly...it is a bunch of crap to me! Boeing should be talking with GE, P&W, and RR to develop turbines that go 2x as fast for the aircraft while using 1/2 the fuel.

 

[fazers_on_stun]

^ Somehow I doubt the pilots & ground crew lift those aluminum (aka aluminium for those who lean British amongst us) wing panels to inspect the struts & spars before every flight. According to the original article, those parts get inspected once every 4 years since they are presumably non-moving structural parts.

Also, there was an update on MSNBC showing more extensive problems than first acknowledged. However Airbust is maintaining that the planes are still safe to fly..

 

[jsc]

They are safe - until the first one falls out of the sky. Then the people who were maintaing that the Airbus 380 was safe to fly will be saying "How could this happen."

 

[amdfangirl]

I'm sure a disclaimer will appear somewhere telling the public that Qantas used non-standard parts or something.

 

[fazers_on_stun]

^ Yep, maybe Unobtanium instead of Aluminium .

Everybody knows Unobtanium never cracks, although it is rather hard to come by..