Bold giant bowled-over

From the outset, the development of the A380 had been seen as more than simply being a big airliner. It had been seen as Airbus and Boeing pitting their commercial outlook against one another. Airbus went big and Boeing went long. While one manufacturer saw the future in less frequent, high density loads, the other sought new, efficient technologies servicing a smaller passenger load more frequently and with potentially greater range.

It was a bold move by Airbus. In an age where fuel costs are squarely in focus, the age of the four-engined airliner was seemingly nearing its sunset. Furthermore, the aircraft’s size called for varying aspects of infrastructure to be modified to accommodate its expanse. From parking bays to taxiways, terminal design to baggage halls, everything had to be considered. For the A380 didn’t merely call for more room to move but existing systems had to cope with a tsunami of passengers with each arrival and efficiently process them.

And while many will judge Airbus’s choice, the history of aviation would read very differently if such chances had not been taken in the past.

Undoubtedly, there were sceptics when the biplane lost a wing to become the monoplane and surely a flying boat is the only safe way to traverse an ocean by air? In more recent times, the security of four engines was traded for two and Extended Twin Operations (ETOPS) came to the fore.

In each case, there were not only technical challenges, but cultural ones as well. People had to accept a new way of doing business and that takes time.

Even today, there are bold new frontiers looming. From concepts such as the ultra-long-haul that stretch existing norms to revolutions that suggest human pilots will one day no longer inhabit the flightdeck. As always, the technology leads the mindset and it is not merely the industry that needs to be satisfied. The commercial fare-paying passenger also has a great deal to say on the matter.

In the airline business, the commercial considerations are paramount. These may stem from capturing the passenger market or from economic fundamentals. For many passengers, the A380 was a wonderful experience. Quiet and a pleasure to travel in, it was not the passengers that put paid to the aircraft’s future, it was its fiscal viability — four engines proved two too many.

The Boeing 747 has seen 50 years of service with airlines around the world, but it too is approaching its twilight rapidly. It was born before the fuel crisis of 1973 and has survived in many makes, models and roles. An adaptable airframe that was also considered to be ‘stretched’ even further, although insufficient commercial interest was forthcoming.

In the 787 and the 777X, Boeing has sought out range and twin-engined efficiency. Significantly, should their vision of ultra long-haul flying not grasp the anticipated commercial interest, the aircraft are still efficient on sectors of a more conventional duration. Unlike the four-engined aircraft, which no longer has a fallback position. Along these lines, the A350 range is emerging from the Airbus stable and the A330 continues to prove popular, with its neo variant announcing its future. For the moment, efficiency and range will seemingly continue to form the mantra.

One can’t help but ponder where and when the next significant shift will surface. Will there be a breakthrough in battery technology that sees the dawn of electric aircraft? In turn, will these aircraft see today’s hi-tech machines go the way of the dinosaur, just as they relegated four-engined airliners to history? What will it take to begin easing the human out of the flightdeck? The technology is evolving and there are moves towards trials of single-pilot freight aircraft. The human has been removed from a number of airborne applications in a military sense and the generations coming through will be far more at ease with robotics and unmanned craft of all descriptions.

Cultural acceptance may not be as great a hurdle for travellers of the future and the brave new world may not be so far away.

Change is inevitable and nowhere is it more obvious than in aviation. From frail craft of rag and tube a century ago, we have moved beyond the speed of sound and even beyond our planetary neighbours. The rate of progress has been astounding and it would be a brave individual to bet against any possible development in our future. Aviation has proved time and again that we can never say never.

For the moment, we are witnessing the passing of the goliaths. One harshly at the hands of commercial reality and the other gracefully bowing out after half a century of service. Ultimately their fate will be the same, a memory of a time gone by through nostalgic eyes. Perhaps one day four engines will again take passengers into the sky, their electric power cells fed by the sun and their path navigated remotely by a bank of computers at sea level. Who knows? Never say never.

‘Change is inevitable and nowhere is it more obvious than in aviation. ’