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> it was just about four-engine planes becoming too expensive to run Four engines are also less safe than twin engines. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but
by WalterBright 4mo ago
> it was just about four-engine planes becoming too expensive to run
Four engines are also less safe than twin engines. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but Boeing did the math and made the case.
- anonymars 4mo agoCan you link to the source?
- WalterBright 4mo agoMy time working on Flight Controls at Boeing.
- angled 4mo agoNot sure if you ever make it over to HKG but there are quite a few cargo 747s that still seem to be making the rounds. CX and others have them on the GA / cargo side, and when on Lantau you often see (and hear!) them on final or takeoff. I think CX would hate to retire them because from what I understand their load capacity is unparalleled. And you can load horses in them! There'll always be money from that for HAECO to keep them aloft. It's even better when you're at the bus terminal at HKIA and watching them fly overhead...
- WalterBright 4mo agoMy dad took me to Frankfurt AM to watch the first 747 to land there. Wow!
- anonymars 4mo agoCan you at least explain the reasoning then?
- zz0rr 4mo agothere's a book on this, "How Boeing Defied the Airbus Challenge: An Insider's Account" I don't know if it lays out the safety math but it goes very deep on twin engine safety and some of the fights over the a340 vs. 777 regulations
- JKCalhoun 4mo agoMy understanding is that the 747 has the highest safety record of any commercial plane. Is that not true?
- timw4mail 4mo agoHard to beat other planes that have not had fatal crashes or hull losses, especially when you consider the Tenerife crash.
- WalterBright 4mo agoThe Tenerife crash was due to pilot error, not any problem with the 747.
- timw4mail 4mo agoWhile true, aircraft fatality statistics generally are not split that way. The 747 is a safe aircraft, but there have been a lot of fatalities associated with it, due to pilot error, terrorism, improper repair/maintenance, etc.
- dotancohen 4mo agoIsn't that because the twins are designed to a higher standard, due to regulations such as ETOPS? It's not something inherent in two vs four engine designs? I remember when the US Navy was rejecting single engine aircraft, and the F135 had be be proven literally bulletproof before they would even look at the F-35.
- WalterBright 4mo agoEngine designs get better and better over time, and tend to become new minimums in safety standards.