Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) was the first airport that was used by b747-8F aircraft from operation in December of 2011. Boeing 747-8F is a cargo/freight carrier aircraft, that comes under the heavy category of aircraft. The Boeing 747-8F is the upgraded form of the 747-the 400, with new engine wings and increased wing span, and a wide fuselage.
The most interesting thing about this aircraft is that it is the only commercial in-production cargo aircraft with a nose dose. That allows efficient loading of extra-large cargo shipments on the aircraft. The B-747 8F can carry 16% more cargo volume and give 17% more fuel efficiency other than its B747 freight family. The aircraft can carry a payload of 139 tons with a volume of 24462 ft3 in its main cargo deck.
During the process of the layout and configuration of 747-8, certain airplane dimensions were reviewed to make it operational on the existing 747-400 airports safely and effectively. B747-8 has identical exterior measurements as the 747-400 possessed. But there few exceptions which include an 11.4-foot (3.5-meter) wider wingspan (fully fueled) and an 18.4-foot (5.6-meter) greater length. It has the proficiency to fly into renowned global airports, having the same pilot type ratings, and much the same aircraft and ground handling instruments.
Characteristic of B747-8F
| Cockpit crew | Two |
| Accommodation: 13–14 467 (356 Y, 87 J, 24 F) | 46 96×125″ pallets + 2 LD1 |
| Cargo volume | 30,832 cu ft (873.7 m³) |
| Cabin width: | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
| MTOW | 987,000 lb (448 t) |
| OEW | 434,600 lb (197.1 t) |
| Max. | 292,400 lb (132.6 t) |
| Fuel capacity | 63,034 US gal |
| Cruise speed | Mach 0.845 (485 kn; 898 km/h) |
| MMO | Mach 0.9 (516 kn; 956 km/h) |
| Range | 4,265 nmi (7,899 km) |
| Ceiling | 43,100 ft (13,100 m) |
| Engines (4×) | 66,500 lbf (296 kN) GEnx-2B67 |
| Auxiliary power unit | Pratt & Whitney PW901A/C |
| Avionics system | Rockwell Collins |
BOEING 747-8F carries 34 main desk pallets
Airlines operating B747-8F
| Airlines operating B747-8F | No. of aircraft |
| AirBridge Cargo | 12 |
| Atlas Air | 6 |
| Cargolux | 14 |
| Cathay Pacific | 14 |
| Air Belgium | 2 |
| Korean Air | 7 |
| Nippon Cargo Airlines | 8 |
| Polar Air cargo | 6 |
| Qatar Airway Cargo | 2 |
| Silk Way West Airlines | 5 |
| UPS Airlines | 28 |
Operation of B747-8F
Different principles allow an aircraft to make its operation on airport infrastructure.
- Performance of the aircraft
- Maintenance facility available for any relevant failure
- Regulation of operations with safety
Performance of aircraft
Aircraft performance requirements are presented as:
- Takeoff run required (TORR)
- Takeoff distance required (TODR)
- The accelerate-stop distance required (ASDR)
- Landing distance required (LDR)
Boeing 747-8F Performance
The aircraft belongs to the 4F category in the airport reference code, which means that its ‘reference field length is more than 1800m and the wing span is fall in the F category for runway requirements. The Boeing 747-8F required take-off is 3292 meters – 10,800.39 feet and the distance required for landing is 2134 meters – 7,001.23 feet
| Airfield Characteristics ICAO Code E / F | Meters | Feets |
| Runway Width | 45 / 60 | 148 / 197 |
| Runway + Shoulder Width | 60 / 75 | 197 / 246 |
| Taxiway Width | 23 / 25 | 75 / 82 |
| Taxiway + Shoulder Width | 44 / 60 | 144 / 197 |
| Runway – Taxiway Separation | 182.5 / 190 | 599 / 623 |
| Taxiway – Taxiway Separation | 80 / 97.5 | 262 / 320 |
| Taxiway – Object Separation | 47.5 / 57.5 | 156 / 189 |
| Taxi lane – Object Separation | 42.5 / 50.5 | 139 / 16 |
ICAO Design Code
About the airport requirements, one of the primary differences between ICAO Code E and Code F is the Runway-to-Taxiway segregation conditions, for Code E 598.7 feet (182.5 meters) and Code F 623 feet (190 meters). Currently, globally recognized airports have been built with Code E segregations, hence, to keep conformity towards the ICAO standards, they would be demanded to abolish the current taxiways and reconstruct them an additional 24.6 feet (7.5 meters) away from one another.
Furthermore, the taxiway-to-object separation condition is another significant difference, which outlines the requirements for Code E 155.8 feet (47.5 meters) and Code F 188.6 feet (57.5 meters). In order of merit, airports having Code E need to improvise to be in complete conformity with the ICAO standards (Code F) which is an additional 32.8 feet (10 meters) of separation. Although the alteration in the framework would be exorbitant, it will result in increasing airport capacity which they had not been aware of before, that can cater to the need for increased spacing.
FAA Requirements for B747-8F
FAA has stated that Boeing 747-8, being in the category of Airport Design Group (ADG) VI airplane, has the permit to operate on taxiways that are constructed by ADG V standards, as well as the airports where the ADG taxiway/runway segregation distances are built to ADG V standards.
For runway operations, Boeing assimilated data to demonstrate that the 747-8 can efficiently operate on an ADG V runway with a width of 150 feet (45,7 meters) although ADG VI stipulates a distance of 200 feet (61 meters). Using operational procedures, in certain cases, airports can facilitate aircraft in the movement area of the airport. For example, to keep sufficient segregation distance, operations on a parallel taxiway constructed to less than the necessary separation standards may be impeded to aircraft with smaller wingspans when a 747-8 is taxiing
Departure Performaance
The departure performance of any aircraft is influenced by the maximum takeoff weight. The maximum weight a pilot can attempt to take off from an aircraft due to structural or other limitations is known as the aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight (MTOW). The heaviest weight that has been demonstrated to meet all applicable aircraft airworthiness requirements is MTOW. The aircraft’s MTOW is unaffected by runway length, temperature, or altitude.
B747-8 maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is 975,000 pounds -447t)
There are certainly other factors that needed to be taken care of for the smooth departure
- Take Off Distance: 3292 meters – 10,800.39 feet
| Take-Off | V2 175 kts Distance 3190 m MTOW 447696 kg |
| Initial Climb (to 5000 ft) | IAS 230 kts ROC 2500 ft/min |
| Initial Climb (to FL150) | IAS 260 kts ROC 2000 |
| Initial Climb (to FL240) | IAS 260 kts ROC 1500 ft/min |
| MACH Climb | MACH 0.85 ROC 1000 ft/min |
Approach Performance
SOPs frequently stipulate that the aircraft must be in compliance with the criteria for a “stabilized approach” at a predetermined point during the final approach. This is done to cut down on the chance that the plane won’t land because it’s not on the right flight path or doesn’t follow appropriate standards. If the aircraft does not meet the stabilized approach criteria at the designated point or at any time thereafter, a go-around must be instituted.
In order to land on or beyond the aiming point during a 3-degree approach, aircraft are expected to flare at a height of approximately 50 feet (15 meters) above the ground at the threshold.
The landing’s performance can vary greatly as a result of this. The factors which need consideration for the approach performance of B747-8.
- Maximum landing weight 312,000 Kilograms (688,000 Pounds)
- Landing Distance: 2134 meters – 7,001.23 feet
Final approach and landing requirements
| Cruise | TAS 510 kts MACH 0.86 Ceiling 430 Range 8000 NM |
| Initial Descent (to FL240) | MACH 0.85 ROD 1500 ft/min |
| Descent (to FL100) | IAS 250 kts ROD 3000 ft/min |
| Descent (FL100 & below) | IAS 220 kts MCS 210 kts ROD 1500 ft/min |
| Approach | Vapp (IAS) 145 kts Distance 2680 m |
Maintenance of B747-8F
The Boeing 747-8 has a longer maintenance interval than other its old B747-400.
Line Maintenance: 1,000 flight hours
Hangar Maintenance: 10,000 flight hours, 24 months
Heavy Maintenance: 8, 8, 6 years
The Boeing 747-8 comes with a fully e-Enabled that helps the ground maintenance unit use a ground wireless system connected with the airline’s operator which enhances the efficiency of the operation. The e-enabling allows airlines to transfer information or data from aircraft for predictive and preventive maintenance and trending.
Take advantage of maintenance information which includes line replacement unit errors or any other message related to maintenance. The wireless capability is the basic feature of the aircraft but this is not required in load data. The B747-8 uses the same ramp and cargo handling equipment that was used before in B747-400.
The tow tractors used for this 747-8 are also the same were in 747-400 but due to higher take-off weight it requires a larger towbar and also for its larger nose landing gear tires, it uses certain tow barless tow vehicles. The fitting of the towbar attachment with the aircraft remains unchanged.
Boeing is providing airlines with reliability data analysis tools to perform their own fleet reliability test. This help the airline to determine the cost of the schedule interruptions view the comparison fleet level, and access Boeing service bulletins through the direct link. The reliability tool and navigation tool are very useful for the customer to make informed decisions based on reliability.
Operation of B747-8F at Dubai International Airport
First B747-8F that make its landing on the Dubai International was of Luxembourg-based Cargolux airlines. Therefore, we can say that Dubai international meet all the operational requirements for this 747-8F. The 747-8F is 5.7m longer than its previous 747-400 but the weight of the aircraft is reduced with the help of advanced composites which leads to low maintenance costs. Other airlines like UPS also now make operations from B 747-8F at Dubai Airport.
Operation of 747-8 at Existing Airport
In the US, the FAA (federal aviation administration) has qualified the airports for the operations of B747-8 with parallel runway and taxiway centerline distances which were the same for 747-400. Moreover, Boeing is working with FAA, CAA, and different airports around the world that accommodate B747-400 to make the airport compatible with the B474-8 operation safely and economically. Boeing demonstrated in 2011 that B747-8 can be safely operated on the taxiway that is utilized by its previous version B747- 400. Furthermore, the pilot is allowed to fly this aircraft with the same pilot type rating and ground handling facilities also use the same equipment.
The B747-8 offers operators to have the privilege and increased capacity of making operations on existing airport infrastructure because its wing span puts it in the ICAO code F group. Even more in some cases, the application of operational procedure will allow the B747-8 to make its operation on the existing 747-400 airports.
Evaluating B747-8 Operations at B747-400 Airports
In the last few years, Boeing has worked with approximately 80 CAAs and more than 200 global airports to assess the 747-8 operations at 747-400 airports. Even, the construction of many of the airports where the 747-400 currently flies is lower than Code E standards, and there are only twelve or so air terminals overall where the major development regions are established to Code F standards (such as Hong Kong-HKG, Dubai-DXB). In order to maintain a fleet of larger aircraft, airports are beginning to upgrade their infrastructures and portray a mix of Codes D, E, and F.
Conclusion
The Boeing 747-8F is the aircraft that was launched with A380 in competition. As we have seen that A380 has changed the infrastructure demand of many airports due to its operational characteristic the B747-8 also contribute to it. Now the airport has to be rebuilt so that they become compatible with these modern aircraft. Due to their dependent nature ie, both the aircraft and the airport are highly dependent on each other to make both ends meet. The adaptation of new technology in modern aircraft is forcing the airport to make its equipment and infrastructure change with us.
That’s why before building the airport a long-term strategy is adopted and a master airport plan is made. Boeing is also making it keen to afford other regulating agencies to make its aircraft operational in different parts of the world. Those airports that are using old technology navigation aids and shorter length runways have no other choice but to adopt the change to meet the end.
Even though Boeing has not overburdened the airport facilities but a little amount of change is enough to make the operation possible for 747-8F. Boeing is working across the world in the US, Europe, and other areas that are accommodating 747-400 to have facilities for the operation of 747-8 as it is more efficient and reliable than 747-400 and environment friendly.
Written by Guest writer, Mohammad Adil.
