Airbus A-380 virtual tour.

[Redlinerobert]

Check out the accomodations on this bad boy. 

http://www.a380delivery.com/qantas/panos/tour/tour/

[Carrington]

Thats awesome, i cant wait to graduate so i can start designing stuff like that.

[Fishing Rhino]

The cockpit was the most interesting for me.

What I found curious was that some of the controls were mirror images of the left and right sides.

Controls and even the screens were reversed on the opposite sides.

I would expect them to be the same on both sides. Get used to one side of the plane then get switched to the other in an emergency and in a critical situation where you are trained to turn or switch a left side control, if you reach for the left side control, it will be the wrong move.

Two of the main screens are reversed. Looks nice, but it certainly increases the liklihood of making the wrong move if you have to switch seats.

It's like looking at the gauges in your vehicle. Switch them around and you'll spend more time trying to read them, and less time with your eyes on the road.

I know these guys are trained to the Nth degree, but to reverse the location of controls and monitoring screens for the sake of symetry makes no sense to me.

It is a "bad boy"

[choupique]

While I am not familiar with the A380 I do know from experience that usually all the information on those displays can be moved to whichever display the pilot or copilot chooses.  The displays were most likely set up this way to provide symmetry for the picture.  As for the switches they perform perform a function based on the information currently displayed on a given display or the switch is located in a standard position and performs a specific function and will be displayed on the proper page no matter what display it is on.

[Fishing Rhino]

While I am not familiar with the A380 I do know from experience that usually all the information on those displays can be moved to whichever display the pilot or copilot chooses. The displays were most likely set up this way to provide symmetry for the picture. As for the switches they perform perform a function based on the information currently displayed on a given display or the switch is located in a standard position and performs a specific function and will be displayed on the proper page no matter what display it is on.

Good point about the displays.  That makes perfect sense.

The other thing thatcaught my eye were the two panels outboard of the displays.  The panels closest to the displays were lighted and had four knobs in the corners and two plugs or knobs in the middle.  Just outboard of those is a two knob panel, whose functions are clearly reversed.  Can be seen by the position information around each knob.

I have no idea what they do, probably not critical functions regarding control of the plane in an emergency.

I've always been interested in these things on any type of machine.

[Carrington]

From my experience of flying small aircraft, such as 2 seaters.  Most of the knobs have very little use.

[choupique]

Not sure what they are for but I would agree they are most likely not critical for flight.

[Catt]

I'm trained Manufacturing Engineer on the Airbus A300, A310, A320, & A330/340

The A380 uses the same cockpit layout and operating procedures as the Airbus A320 and A330/A340 Families, ensuring that pilots qualified on other Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft can step into the A380 with minimal additional training.

Airbus cockpits are as Fishing Rhino noted are reversed; if you look at it on full screen you'll notice this clearly; look at the key pad next to the throttle controls.

Now to answer Fishing Rhino concerns, in emergency or critical situations there is no need to switch seats, plus once landing sequence (elevation, angle of attack & speed) is detected by the computer it will land itself. Airbus has a very complex computer system on board, more so that most Boeing planes and are quite failsafe.

[choupique]

I'm trained Manufacturing Engineer on the Airbus A300, A310, A320, & A330/340

The A380 uses the same cockpit layout and operating procedures as the Airbus A320 and A330/A340 Families, ensuring that pilots qualified on other Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft can step into the A380 with minimal additional training.

Airbus cockpits are as Fishing Rhino noted are reversed; if you look at it on full screen you'll notice this clearly; look at the key pad next to the throttle controls.

Now to answer Fishing Rhino concerns, in emergency or critical situations there is no need to switch seats, plus once landing sequence (elevation, angle of attack & speed) is detected by the computer it will land itself. Airbus has a very complex computer system on board, more so that most Boeing planes and are quite failsafe.

Learned something new today,  like I said I am not familar with the A380 or any of the Airbus aircraft.

[Catt]

If you left click on the screen you can move the screen left, right, up, & down; you can also zoom in & out!

This is very similar to the simulator I trained on except I could pull up each individual panel & those panels associated to that panel. The simulator would run me through a series of emergency & critical situations. Even the mechanics that were to work on the planes had to go through similar training because like today's car the first thing checked after the plane lands is a computer read out that showed codes which relate to problems encountered.

After 12 yrs of experience with Boeing fly by cable planes fly by wire planes are very fascinating!

[Catt]

Sorry Robert I know you are more concerned with creature comforts while some of us are fascinated with how it's built 

[choupique]

If you left click on the screen you can move the screen left, right, up, & down; you can also zoom in & out!

This is very similar to the simulator I trained on except I could pull up each individual panel & those panels associated to that panel. The simulator would run me through a series of emergency & critical situations. Even the mechanics that were to work on the planes had to go through similar training because like today's car the first thing checked after the plane lands is a computer read out that showed codes which relate to problems encountered.

After 12 yrs of experience with Boeing fly by cable planes fly by wire planes are very fascinating!

I have to check our aircraft for error codes and faults and  troubleshoot the possible causes, however our pilots are normaly fairly quick to inform us of any problems encountered during flight so I don't have to do it after every flight.

[Fishing Rhino]

I'm trained Manufacturing Engineer on the Airbus A300, A310, A320, & A330/340

The A380 uses the same cockpit layout and operating procedures as the Airbus A320 and A330/A340 Families, ensuring that pilots qualified on other Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft can step into the A380 with minimal additional training.

Airbus cockpits are as Fishing Rhino noted are reversed; if you look at it on full screen you'll notice this clearly; look at the key pad next to the throttle controls.

Now to answer Fishing Rhino concerns, in emergency or critical situations there is no need to switch seats, plus once landing sequence (elevation, angle of attack & speed) is detected by the computer it will land itself. Airbus has a very complex computer system on board, more so that most Boeing planes and are quite failsafe.

I understand the plane can be controlled from either seat.  It was a what if question.  How it would come about I have no idea other than Murphy's law.   

How long does it take for a co-pilot, when he gets promoted to operating the joy stick with the opposite hand, and to get used to the reversed key pad?

[Bassn Blvd]

The cockpit was the most interesting for me.

What I found curious was that some of the controls were mirror images of the left and right sides.

Controls and even the screens were reversed on the opposite sides.

I would expect them to be the same on both sides. Get used to one side of the plane then get switched to the other in an emergency and in a critical situation where you are trained to turn or switch a left side control, if you reach for the left side control, it will be the wrong move.

Two of the main screens are reversed. Looks nice, but it certainly increases the liklihood of making the wrong move if you have to switch seats.

It's like looking at the gauges in your vehicle. Switch them around and you'll spend more time trying to read them, and less time with your eyes on the road.

I know these guys are trained to the Nth degree, but to reverse the location of controls and monitoring screens for the sake of symetry makes no sense to me.

It is a "bad boy"

LOL, I was thinking the same thing.  At least you'll go out in style if it crashes.

[J. M. Richardson]

The A-380 is a sweet plane. It is kind of similar in construction materials to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Not to hijack the thread, but on the topic of airplanes one of the head engineers on the 787 came in and gave a presentation at ISU on the features and testing of the composite (mainly) body of the Dreamliner. It was definitely interesting stuff. The control system has built loops to twitch the flaps, ailerons and elevators to make the ride more pleasant for passengers. I am assuming the 380 will have similar features (since they are competing aircraft).

[Redlinerobert]

Not a problem Catt, I can't imagine what the private one that was purchased looks like finished.