B A R R Y wrote in
:

Dudley, Bertie, Bob Moore, Capt. Doug...


On my recent viewing of the A380 low and slow passes over some P&W
locations, I remarked how quiet the airplane was. During these passes
the aircraft was noticeably pitched up (maybe 150 knots?), and
slightly "dirty", just as the far simpler craft I usually fly might be
in a similar "slow flight" situation. I've been told by P&W employees
that the plane was loaded up with ballast, and far from light.

The most common remark I get from non-pilots on the lack of noise is
"he was at idle", as they compare it to a plane descending. My
response is that the 380 was maneuvering and maintaining altitude,
which would require more than idle power, maybe a lot more, just like
a smaller craft being flown in it's own version of slow flight.

Am I thinking along the correct lines, that an airliner at a decent
weight would require more than idle power to maneuver and maintain a
constant altitude while slow? I have zero jet time, but this would
only make sense. The Pratt guys agree with me, but they haven't flown
airliners either.

Well, hopefully idle power ould bring you down! If the damned thing flew
around at idle all the time you'd never be able to land it.
Mind you, there's flight idle and ground idle. I don't know if the 380 has
flight idle al the time it's airborne or not, but even that's not usually a
lot of power (imagine limiting your idle to say, 1300 revs minimum in your
172 or whateve while ou were airborne and you have an idea)
They're getting much quieter nowadays.
They're not being given a lot of choice in the matter as restrictions grow.

Bertie