Author Topic: What's up with Airbus?  (Read 4002 times)

Offline Chairboy

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What's up with Airbus?
« Reply #135 on: December 10, 2005, 01:09:04 PM »
The Tupolev equivalent to the 737 is the Tu-134, right?  Airdisaster.org has 26 accidents on record, and about 1,000 were built.  2.6% crashed.

4,867 737s have been delivered, with 114 hull loss accidents with just over 3,000 total fatalities, according to wikipedia.  2.3% crashed.

The direct Airbus equivalent is the A320 series.  Of 2,571 delivered, there have been 11 hull loss accidents with 327 fatalities.  .4% crashed.

Considering how unscientific this is, the numbers are remarkably similar between the Tupolev and the 737, and unusually low for the Airbus.

Mitigating factors, the A320 has been in service since 1987 while the 737 has been in service since 1967, so airframe age and total service hours have to skew it, but it's still interesting.  

BTW, I'm from a Boeing family and have no particular love for Airbus, before anyone jumps down my throat.  I'd love to see some numbers analysis that include airframe hours, I'm sure we can produce a fact based comparison to replace the innane "If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going".
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Offline Yeager

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What's up with Airbus?
« Reply #136 on: December 10, 2005, 01:16:58 PM »
easy.  if your really interested just do a hull loss/fatalities review on the 737 from 1967 to 1984.  Compare that to the airbus a320, which has only been in service since 1988.
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Offline Chairboy

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What's up with Airbus?
« Reply #137 on: December 10, 2005, 01:27:56 PM »
Well, Yeager, thanks for rephrasing my last two paragraphs!
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Offline Dago

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What's up with Airbus?
« Reply #138 on: December 10, 2005, 01:32:37 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Chairboy
The Tupolev equivalent to the 737 is the Tu-134, right?  Airdisaster.org has 26 accidents on record, and about 1,000 were built.  2.6% crashed.

4,867 737s have been delivered, with 114 hull loss accidents with just over 3,000 total fatalities, according to wikipedia.  2.3% crashed.

The direct Airbus equivalent is the A320 series.  Of 2,571 delivered, there have been 11 hull loss accidents with 327 fatalities.  .4% crashed.

Considering how unscientific this is, the numbers are remarkably similar between the Tupolev and the 737, and unusually low for the Airbus.

Mitigating factors, the A320 has been in service since 1987 while the 737 has been in service since 1967, so airframe age and total service hours have to skew it, but it's still interesting.  

BTW, I'm from a Boeing family and have no particular love for Airbus, before anyone jumps down my throat.  I'd love to see some numbers analysis that include airframe hours, I'm sure we can produce a fact based comparison to replace the innane "If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going".


Also one must consider that the A320 since inception has benefitted from the tremendous gains in aviation safety due to introductions of new systems and programs, not the least include GPWS and EGPWS, TCAS, better radar including color radar, windshear detection systems, GPS, CRM programs, deicing programs, sterile cockpits  etc etc.
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Offline beet1e

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What's up with Airbus?
« Reply #139 on: December 10, 2005, 02:15:13 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Staga
Have you read the news from Nigeria? Another Boeing written off from the books.
The news is saying it was a DC9, but according to a Wikipedia link for Sosolito who operated the flight, they had a fleet of just one aircraft - an MD81.

Offline Dago

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« Reply #140 on: December 10, 2005, 02:16:38 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by beet1e
The news is saying it was a DC9, but according to a Wikipedia link for Sosolito who operated the flight, they had a fleet of just one aircraft - an MD81.


To the average person, an MD81 is just a long DC9.  Basically that is what it is.
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Offline Fishu

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What's up with Airbus?
« Reply #141 on: December 10, 2005, 02:17:28 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by beet1e
The news is saying it was a DC9, but according to a Wikipedia link for Sosolito who operated the flight, they had a fleet of just one aircraft - an MD81.


MD81 = DC-9-81

Offline beet1e

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« Reply #142 on: December 10, 2005, 03:10:34 PM »
ah - rgr that.

Offline Fishu

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« Reply #143 on: December 11, 2005, 12:53:06 AM »
Apparently it was 5N-BFD, DC-9-32

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/719374/L/

Offline Chairboy

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What's up with Airbus?
« Reply #144 on: December 11, 2005, 01:40:08 AM »
Spooky photo.
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Offline Sparks

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What's up with Airbus?
« Reply #145 on: December 11, 2005, 04:44:34 PM »
Cryano - that was probably the Hydraulic crossdrive pump you heard. It is frikking loud and sounds odd because it pulses.  As I understand it (I'm avionics and not that familiar with A320 hydraulics) the aircraft has three independant hydraulic systems and if the drive to one system fails the other systems drive a pump which tries to maitain pressure in the other system. On the ground when they shut an engine down you can hear this running.

In terms of what I will fly in - it's the quality of staff I look for.  Ryanair is all Boeing and run by a crook with unprofessional staff and I won't touch them with a barge pole.  I've flown on old A320's with British Airways without a worry.

If it's dependancy on electrics you're worried about then better look closely at the new Boeings as well - B777 systems are an interesting learning curve .......  
I was in the jump seat of a 747-400 some years ago going into Heathrow and we got assigned to a hold.  The pilots looked at each other and selected the hold pattern and entry and then hovered their hands over the yoke. The auto-pilot flew the plane straight thorugh the hold and then tried to enter a high G turn to enter the far side - software bug - the pilots had seen it before and were ready to dis-engage the auto .....

Airbus hasn't got exclusive rights to major electrical gremlins and I'm sure with 787 Boeing will keep the competition hot.