Getting ready for the boarding the A380
12 October 2006
A wing span of 79.8 meters, length of 72.75 meters, height of 24.08 meters and a seating plan able to accommodated 555 people makes the new Airbus A380 the world’s largest passenger aircraft. Initially a single deck aircraft was considered, however, further research proved that a twin deck configuration would mean that a significantly lighter structure would be required with the added benefit of only minimal modifications to airports and their infrastructure.
However, new passenger boarding and disembarking bridges for the A380 are required world-wide, and also at Johannesburg International Airport. FMC Technologies, who are responsible for the supply and installation of these boarding bridges for ACSA (Airports Company of South Africa), approached Cape Town based, Petrel Engineering to design and manufacture a replica section of the A380 in order to test and align these “boarding bridges” thereby ensuring safe loading operations, for both passengers and aircraft.
The general public is unaware of exactly ‘what it takes’ to load and off load an aircraft and a realistic simulation of aircraft movement, and wind forces etc., had to be tested. The Petrel team immediately took up the challenge of building a mobile structure where a “mock-up” fuselage can be raised to a height of 10.260 meters above the ground, taking into careful consideration a characteristic wind speed of up to 120 km per hour. Unlike any other aircraft, the A380 with its twin decks requires two accesses for entry and exiting the aircraft. This was another feature that had to be taken into account.
At least two airports in South Africa need to be prepared for the landing and disembarkation of people from the worlds largest passenger aircraft. Therefore, Petrel designed this huge testing device so that it can be dismantled and transported from one airport to another.
Petrel Engineering is well known for it’s ability to handle large scale mechanical projects such as Research Stations in the Antarctic and the Funicular Railway at Cape Point, proving that sophisticated technology is available, not only in the Western Cape.
