[HN Gopher] Airbus Beluga
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Airbus Beluga
Author : tosh
Score : 84 points
Date : 2022-01-01 10:31 UTC (12 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (en.wikipedia.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (en.wikipedia.org)
| mbertschler wrote:
| Does anyone know what kind of payloads this plane is used for?
| Something relatively light but requiring a large volume?
|
| As there are only 5 of those built, there doesn't seem to be a
| big demand for these, and the payload capacity is the same as the
| standard body version.
| kingosticks wrote:
| There are also now 6 Beluga XLs with approx 30% larger cargo
| hold than original Beluga.
|
| I'm curious if Airbus ever lease them out to others for
| transporting big things other than wings.
| sofixa wrote:
| > I'm curious if Airbus ever lease them out to others for
| transporting big things other than wings.
|
| There are multiple airlines specialising in that business,
| like Antonov Airlines, who use huge An-225(largest plane in
| the world by most metrics) and An-124(second or third largest
| by most metrics) for outsized cargo.
| Symbiote wrote:
| You might consider reading the linked article, or the one for
| the Beluga XL, which would answer your question.
| kingosticks wrote:
| Thanks so much for the tip. I looked at it but it's all
| folded on the mobile view and I totally missed it. However,
| the beluga xl article holds no information regarding this
| that I can see.
|
| Other than other vehicles and containers, this is pretty
| cool:
|
| > In 1999, a Beluga carried a large painting, Liberty
| Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix,[20] which had hung
| in the Louvre in Paris since 1874
| marcellus23 wrote:
| The linked article goes into quite a bit of detail on why these
| planes were developed and what they're used for.
| [deleted]
| Brian_K_White wrote:
| article said
| byroot wrote:
| Aircraft parts such as wings etc. Airbus facilites are split
| across several countries, so it's simpler to move oversize
| parts like this.
| xvf22 wrote:
| The payload capacity is more based on volume/dimensions and not
| strictly weight.
| djohnston wrote:
| I would imagine this aircraft has some pretty bespoke
| aerodynamics with a lot of extra training required.
| larusso wrote:
| One of my favorite weird plane. I saw it multiple times at the
| ILA in Berlin. Last time it was positioned between an A380 and
| the AN-225 (if I was not mistaken).
| blamazon wrote:
| Greetings weary web traveler. Before you leave this comments
| section you must behold the majesty of the 'Beluga Livery'
| displayed on the Beluga XL:
|
| https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22Beluga_XL%22_A3...
| jacquesm wrote:
| I saw this plane once in person, no picture will ever do it
| justice. That something that size can fly at all without being a
| dirigible is absolutely amazing.
| trebligdivad wrote:
| Yep! I saw it overhead, and the Beluga smile/eye is just
| wonderful; it was on it's way to Chester, UK (BAE???) from
| Hamburg.
| Eikon wrote:
| This must be because you haven't seen the AN-225!
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225_Mriya
| jacquesm wrote:
| I occasionally visits NL, but I've always missed it. I would
| be happy to drive out for that.
| jacquesm wrote:
| Too late to edit, I->It
| kergonath wrote:
| I saw it a couple of times from the mountains near Toulouse,
| and this was my impression as well. It is fascinating to watch;
| it does not look like it should be able to fly, with its
| oversized belly and (relatively) tiny wings. It really looks
| more like a zeppelin than an aircraft.
| jacquesm wrote:
| Also, and this is probably an optical illusion, it appears to
| move so slow.
| kergonath wrote:
| Yes, I noticed that as well. I assume that this was because
| it was so big and I was seeing it from quite a long way
| away (it was in the mountains, and the atmosphere was very
| clear). Though I have no idea how fast it actually is.
|
| Still, it made the whole thing surreal.
| xvf22 wrote:
| Saw it both in flight and on the ground in Toulouse and it was
| oddly majestic.
| kilroy123 wrote:
| I too saw one in Toulouse, very good way to describe it.
| jacquesm wrote:
| That's the right term.
|
| The A380 on final has that quality too.
| badrabbit wrote:
| The 100K lb capacity is interesting. An 18 wheeler truck has 80K
| lb capacity, I would have thought it could carry multiple full
| capacity containers.
| nawgz wrote:
| Its primary use is to transport airplane components between
| Airbus facilities, as Airbus has manufacturing facilities
| producing various components (wings, fuselages, etc.) across
| multiple countries. These things are not easy to move on roads.
| Toutouxc wrote:
| That you can fit something inside a plane doesn't mean the
| plane will be able to lift off the ground.
|
| Beluga is meant to carry oversize cargo, but not overweight
| cargo -- it's based on an Airbus A300 with a roughly 100k lb
| cargo capacity, but with a huge fuselage. Same wings, and worse
| aerodynamics.
| bobthepanda wrote:
| Right, a fuselage and other things the plane is likely to be
| carrying are big, but also hollow (they are meant to fly in
| the end)
| krisoft wrote:
| And that is why I always roll my eyes when a journalist uses
| the weight of a jet airplane to "translate" the weight of some
| heavy object. Airplanes are surprisingly light compared to
| their size. One cannot pick up an airplane[1] just like that so
| most doesn't realise this.
|
| 1: Notable exception :)
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9x1TRbeC_0
| jacquesm wrote:
| Lol at that exception. That guy must have had the time of his
| life there.
| jacquesm wrote:
| Yes, but even an 18 wheeler truck could not load a container
| full of steel.
|
| Max weight and max size are upper limits, reach one and the
| other no longer matters.
| jrootabega wrote:
| Careful not to get it caught in the mail slot.
| adolph wrote:
| The Wikipedia article has a likely error. Airbus constructed
| SuperGuppies under license. The final operating aircraft is one
| made by Airbus.
|
| https://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N941NA
| coin wrote:
| Yup. For a long time there was a saying that every Airbus made
| was transported by a Boeing.
| gregoriol wrote:
| It's amazing how small other planes look like when being loaded
| inside:
|
| https://simpleflying.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1280px-F...
|
| https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Airbus_b...
|
| https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/F-GSTD_B...
| kingcharles wrote:
| It's planes all the way down!
| herodoturtle wrote:
| Yo dawg, I heard you like planes.
| game_the0ry wrote:
| A plane that can transport other planes. I call that - plane
| inception. A plane within a plane.
|
| What if the plane inside also had a small plane? It would be a
| plane inside a plane inside a plane.
| jacquesm wrote:
| Well, now at least we know what it eats.
| game_the0ry wrote:
| Planes are weird. Sometimes I look at like 747 or a monster like
| the beluga, and think - how the fuck does something that big and
| heavy even move on the ground, and then _fly_ across the ocean?
|
| A plane transporting another plane inside is almost too much
| process.
| ___q wrote:
| lift
| Tijdreiziger wrote:
| Do you even lift, bro? :P
| sdoering wrote:
| Living near Hamburg, Germany and working in the city (pre Covid)
| I saw it quite often when it approached for landing at the Airbus
| facility.
|
| Compared to all other air traffic going to the regular airport it
| definitely looks quite interesting, when in flight. I actually
| enjoy seeing it as something of engineering ingenuity.
|
| When my SO and me bought our house the seller was working at
| Airbus and told me that he found it pleasant to fly in as a
| passenger when he needed to visit the French facility for work.
| Simon_O_Rourke wrote:
| I saw it one afternoon coming in to land at Hamburg, and I
| initially thought I'd had one too many Astra beers. It's
| definitely unique looking, but the roll rate and noise don't
| appear too unusual.
| jacquesm wrote:
| If anything it moves very stately simply because of it's
| geometry. It's not exactly a sports plane or a fighter. But
| it flies and quite reliably so.
| benhurmarcel wrote:
| > he found it pleasant to fly in as a passenger when he needed
| to visit the French facility for work
|
| He must have worked there a long time, Airbus haven't done that
| for decades.
| sdoering wrote:
| I am not absolutely sure if he flew to the French site with
| the Beluga or if this were different situations I mixed up.
| He told both. Him flying to France and him finding the Beluga
| experience pleasant.
|
| So maybe it was me mixing things up.
| [deleted]
| j765 wrote:
| Boeing has a similar aircraft as well:
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Dreamlifter
|
| Not quite as bulbous, though.
| defterGoose wrote:
| And then of course there's the Super Guppy, which I'm pretty
| sure is how the Cylons came down to earth undetected...
|
| https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_Spacelines_Super_Guppy
| coolspot wrote:
| This boeing is chonk!
| Hadek wrote:
| I love a few miles from the Hawarden airport and see these things
| fly over ever couple of days. I love to watch them slowly fly
| over, they are beautiful and ugly at the same time
| robhawkes wrote:
| I live near the Airbus factory in Broughton, Wales (near Chester)
| and you used to see the previous generation Beluga flying over
| once or twice a day as they picked up new wings.
|
| I still occasionally get to see the new XL variant coming in to
| land and they are absolutely gigantic, especially as they pass by
| roughly a mile or so from my house.
|
| Such a weird and wonderful sight, I get excited every single
| time.
| mdturnerphys wrote:
| I got to see NASA's Super Guppy land and unload a T-38 (I think)
| at Ellington Field 15 years ago while prepping for a flight on
| the Vomit Comet. It's pretty absurd to see a plane come out of a
| plane.
| cblconfederate wrote:
| This guy ponders whether the Beluga can be converted to a huge
| passenger plane.
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AySkO26_PR4
|
| It actually can't lift the huge load. The Boeing dreamlifeter is
| better at it
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(page generated 2022-01-01 23:02 UTC)