FAA Requires 10 Miles Behind 747-8
10-05-2010, 06:44 AM
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FAA Requires 10 Miles Behind 747-8
I remember my flying days in the Mighty C-172. We were behind a corporate jet at BFI and I got a little too close behind it during taxi. I could feel the heat blasting our way. Never sweated so fast, so hard before. Behind a 787, I would be toast (literally and figuratively). 
Boeing news | FAA requires extra distance behind Boeing's 787 and 747-8 | Seattle Times Newspaper
Boeing news | FAA requires extra distance behind Boeing's 787 and 747-8 | Seattle Times Newspaper
As of Tuesday, October 5, 2010:
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday rescinded an order issued just last week that mandated 10 miles of separation for aircraft landing behind either of Boeing's two new jets.
"It was issued prematurely," said FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown. "There were a number of errors."
The order applied to the 787 Dreamliner and the new version of the jumbo jet, the 747-8. Brown said the two aircraft should not have been included in a single order.
A new order giving the necessary separation distances for the 747-8 will be issued in the next few days, she said. A new order for the 787 Dreamliner will not be ready for more than a week.
The 747-400 jumbo jet now in service requires separation of only 4 to 6 miles from following aircraft, depending on the size of the airplane behind it.
The FAA document issued last week said studies showed the 747-8 and "possibly" the 787 created more turbulence spiraling backward from the wingtips than comparable aircraft. It therefore instructed air traffic controllers to increase the spacing between the Boeing jets and planes following behind.
Brown said the order was intended to apply only to Boeing's flight-test airplanes, although that qualification was omitted from the order. Boeing has six Dreamliners and four 747-8s in flight tests.
"We're gathering data on these test flights," Brown said. "There are likely to be modifications as we get more data along the way."
Another error was that the title of the FAA order used an incorrect name for one of the jets, referring to the 747-800 instead of the 747-8.
Separately, the document included incorrect data about the weights of the two planes relative to the Airbus A380 and to each other.
The 747-8 jumbo jet is 21 percent lighter than the A380, not 27 percent as the document stated. And the maximum takeoff weight of the 787 Dreamliner is just over half that of the 747-8, not one-third as the order stated.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday rescinded an order issued just last week that mandated 10 miles of separation for aircraft landing behind either of Boeing's two new jets.
"It was issued prematurely," said FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown. "There were a number of errors."
The order applied to the 787 Dreamliner and the new version of the jumbo jet, the 747-8. Brown said the two aircraft should not have been included in a single order.
A new order giving the necessary separation distances for the 747-8 will be issued in the next few days, she said. A new order for the 787 Dreamliner will not be ready for more than a week.
The 747-400 jumbo jet now in service requires separation of only 4 to 6 miles from following aircraft, depending on the size of the airplane behind it.
The FAA document issued last week said studies showed the 747-8 and "possibly" the 787 created more turbulence spiraling backward from the wingtips than comparable aircraft. It therefore instructed air traffic controllers to increase the spacing between the Boeing jets and planes following behind.
Brown said the order was intended to apply only to Boeing's flight-test airplanes, although that qualification was omitted from the order. Boeing has six Dreamliners and four 747-8s in flight tests.
"We're gathering data on these test flights," Brown said. "There are likely to be modifications as we get more data along the way."
Another error was that the title of the FAA order used an incorrect name for one of the jets, referring to the 747-800 instead of the 747-8.
Separately, the document included incorrect data about the weights of the two planes relative to the Airbus A380 and to each other.
The 747-8 jumbo jet is 21 percent lighter than the A380, not 27 percent as the document stated. And the maximum takeoff weight of the 787 Dreamliner is just over half that of the 747-8, not one-third as the order stated.
Last edited by vagabond; 10-05-2010 at 08:49 PM. Reason: news flash!
10-05-2010, 11:42 AM
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Maybe true, but this is all cautionary since they don't know what it's actually going to be like. Nothing like the old Gov't to suprisingly be overbearing, controlling, and most likely wrong
10-05-2010, 05:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Ewfflyer
Maybe true, but this is all cautionary since they don't know what it's actually going to be like. Nothing like the old Gov't to suprisingly be overbearing, controlling, and most likely wrong
10-06-2010, 04:32 AM
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Originally Posted by 2StgTurbine
Are you suggesting that the FAA is being too preemptive? Would you rather have them to wait for an accident/incident before they do something? Once these start flying regularly we have more information, but for now I welcome the FAAs cautionary stance.
10-20-2010, 06:06 PM
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On Again, Off Again, On Again
FAA reinstates requirement to stay back from Boeing 747-8
As expected, the Federal Aviation Administration has reinstated a requirement for airplanes to stay at least 10 miles behind Boeing's 747-8 aircraft, in most cases.
The new order (pdf), signed Monday, is effective for one year from Nov. 1.
Earlier this month, the FAA said it planned to require aircraft to remain 10 miles behind the 747-8 and 787 Dreamliner when the new jets enter service, because studies show the jets may create more substantial wakes than existing wide-bodies.
The agency then reversed itself, saying the order had errors and was intended to apply just to flight-test aircraft, and new ones would come soon.
The new order applies just to the 747-8, notes that the FAA has not issued final standards for the aircraft and says: "The analyses of computational models suggest that the (747-8) wake vortices are similar to those generated by the (747-400). The separation standards and procedures contained in this notice are conservative. Flight test data is currently being collected for the B748. Final guidance will be issued once the flight test data have been evaluated."
As expected, the Federal Aviation Administration has reinstated a requirement for airplanes to stay at least 10 miles behind Boeing's 747-8 aircraft, in most cases.
The new order (pdf), signed Monday, is effective for one year from Nov. 1.
Earlier this month, the FAA said it planned to require aircraft to remain 10 miles behind the 747-8 and 787 Dreamliner when the new jets enter service, because studies show the jets may create more substantial wakes than existing wide-bodies.
The agency then reversed itself, saying the order had errors and was intended to apply just to flight-test aircraft, and new ones would come soon.
The new order applies just to the 747-8, notes that the FAA has not issued final standards for the aircraft and says: "The analyses of computational models suggest that the (747-8) wake vortices are similar to those generated by the (747-400). The separation standards and procedures contained in this notice are conservative. Flight test data is currently being collected for the B748. Final guidance will be issued once the flight test data have been evaluated."
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