A380 LAX escort

At LAX we call airport operations on 123.45 for both departure and arrival while operating the 747-8. There's an escort to and from the runway. As we're parked near 25L on the south complex, it's not much of a taxi. 25R is the normal takeoff runway on the south complex, but the A380 and 747-8 can't use it. So if 25L is closed, we taxi all the way over to the north runways.

Yeh, the 380's are big. Sorta stubby looking. The deck angle on climb out seems really low. Impressive airplane. I believe they're the only "supers" out there. We just go as "heavy". I'm not sure if there's a weight for super or if its just a 380 thing....

Other airports have some other operational requirements for the 380, 747-8. A lot of taxiways can't be used. In Chicago we get an escort for a taxiway that crosses a bridge. As we fly both types of 747, and the cockpits are very similar, you have to pay special attention as to which plane you're in and what requirements pertain to you.

 

Lou, what is the purpose of the escort?

 

I thought that one of Boeing's big selling points for the 747-8 over the A380 was that it would be able to use all of the airports (and runways) that all earlier 747s used, with no modifications of either the airports or the procedures necessary.

This description seems to refute that point......

 

Jim, could we have a combination of weight/ wing span working here? I haven't had time to check figures but it might be an airport / airplane problem too.

 

Honestly, I'm not too sure. In Tokyo, Hong Kong, Anchorage, and Chicago there isn't one. Except Chicago when we cross the bridge. LAX seems to have its own procedure. Basically we call before pushback, and they follow us out to the runway. I didn't realize they checked the runway after takeoff (per OPs first post). On landing, they're waiting for us. A few taxiways we use require "judgemental oversteer". But not in LAX. Judgemental oversteer is where we taxi the nose gear past the turn in order to keep the main gear on centerline. It's a normal procedure in the 400, but not required. The wingspan on the -8 isn't too much bigger...224 vs 213. I believe the #1 and #4 engines are in the approximate position as the 400 (not too much further outboard). The main external difference is the length. 232 vs 250. A friend of mine works for LAX Operations. I'll see what he says....

 

Looking for stowaways

 

Wonder if the A380 clipping the regional jet had anything to do with the restrictions?

 

I used to fly for United Express many years ago. Just about every other landing was in LAX. You're right, 24R is the normal landing runway of the 2 north runways. If they're aren't any departures, 24L is sometimes offered. The crew may have requested 24L as its 10,285 in length vs 8925 for 24R. With a headwind, 24R isn't a problem. But with no wind and a heavy weight, it gets a little short. Especially for a crew that is probably making one of their first landings in the plane.

I'd post the LAX airport chart, but I'm on my iPad and not at home. Not sure how to post pictures from an iPad. Anyways, the chart says, "for A380,B747-800,B777-300/300ER, A340-600 contact LAX Airport Operations for aircraft movement procedures." First off, it's interesting how some charts call us 747-800 and others 747-8. Looking at the list, I'd assume length was the issue as all but the 380 are close to the same length.

I typically fly into LAX at night now. But I don't think I've ever seen a 777 with an escort.
As far as frequencies, we use the same as everyone else other than calling airport ops prior to pushback and after landing. I'm not sure what the Singapore would have been told other than to either contact departure or continue monitoring tower frequency.

I sent a message to a friend that works at LAX, but haven't heard back yet...

 

Maybe they're NOT inspecting the runway, maybe they're looking for 380 parts that departed the mothership....



FWIW, not a 380 fan, or an Airbus fan but am a big Boeing fan.

 

LOL... Sorta thought the same thing.....

 

For everyone's benefit, here's the current airport diagram for LAX:

http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1213/00237AD.PDF

 

In the 747-400, we never have an escort. The Jeppeson chart (10-9) which I can't post from my iPad only mentions the planes I posted before.

Yeh 133.9 is tower for the north runways. The south use 120.95. Typically we contact the tower near the approach end of the runway. Sometimes ground will tell us to contact them at an earlier point. After departure, tower tells us when to contact departure. Typically it's the first radio call we get when airborne. Sometimes tower tells us to continue to monitor their frequency. If they need to turn us quickly, it's an easy quick radio call. But when we're told to contact departure, there can be a bit of a gap between switching frequencies and establishing contact if its busy. So if a turn is needed, it may take awhile to coordinate it. I believe that's the reason we sometimes stay on tower frequency longer.

The order for radio calls is the same for the bigger planes (A380,747,etc)... 1 clearance delivery, 2 ground control, 3 tower, 4 departure control. The only difference is that the A380 and 747-8 and I think 777-300s and A340-600s have to contact Airport Operations prior to pushback (123.45). Not a great frequency as that's the general air to air frequency. So sometimes some chatter on the frequency. We also call them after touchdown. We always monitor the appropriate frequency (ground control) on the primary radio and use a second radio for that call. So you won't hear tower or ground tell them to contact airport ops.

As far as weights go, the 747-8 max takeoff weight is 987,000. I believe the A380 is 1,200,000. But I could be wrong about that last number.

 

I talked to my friend the works at the airport. The A380 is normally restricted to a 200 ft.wide runway for takeoff. At LAX, that's only 25L. As this isn't practical, 24L has been approved for takeoff (150 ft. Wide). But an escort must do a runway check after takeoff. The signage next to the runway has been damaged due to the larger wingspan with engines relatively close to the runway edge. New signs will be moved further away from the runway in the near future.
As the 747-8's engines are in a similar position as the 400's, there's no need for the runway check following departure.

Some of the taxiways have adjacent access roads for vehicles. These can pose a threat. So the escort is there for that reason. I'm assuming most traffic (drivers) that use these access roads can't tell the difference between a 400 and a -8. So the escort makes sure the taller vehicles are clear.

Runway 25R isn't available for both the A380 and the 747-8 as there isn't adequate distance between the runway and adjacent taxiway.