Head.SmackOnTable();

There seems to be mass hysteria in the news right now, about the Airbus A380 – the massive double decker airplane that’s up in the skies. Apparently now that some news agencies have gotten around to reading some news, they have basically branded the A380 as unsafe because there are cracks, and you are risking your lives by flying on the planes. As usual, mass hysteria and paranoia has hit Twitter too. Lets take a look at the issue.

The A380′s wing is built up of multiple parts. One such set of parts, is the Wing Ribs – literally ribs that run down the length of the wings. There are approx 60 Ribs per wing, and 30-40 connectors per rib – that’s approx. 2,400 L shaped brackets in use, per wing. The cracks are appearing in two places, on the feet of the ribs – the connectors that join it onto the wing’s lower skin. NO RIBS ON THE A380 HAVE EVER CRACKED! Its the RIB FEET (aka attachment brackets) that have cracks.

There are two types of cracks, helpfully labelled Type 1 and Type 2:

Images are thanks to Doric Asset Finance.

Airbus have admitted that new wing ribs that are being shipped contain Type 1 cracks – so this means this is a manufacturing defect, not a stress related defect. Airbus have already have started adjusting their manufacturing process, as it appears that the CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer) attachment brackets are being manufactured with defects – the 4 metallic rib connectors that are used, as the primary structure for the wing, are not comprmised, only 26 CFRP polymer connectors. That’s 26 out of approx. 2000!

Now, the problem comes with Type 2 cracks – the cause for them, at the moment, is unknown. It’s believed to be stress related, but its unreproducible at the moment. What we do know is that EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) have issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) saying:

• For an aircraft that has between 1,300 FC and 1,799 FC (Flight Cycles), an examination has to occur within 6 weeks, or 84 FC, of the effective date of the AD (Which is 24 Jan)
• For an aircraft that has over 1800 FC, an examination has to occur within 4 days, or 14 FC, of the effective date.

IF cracks are found, contact Airbus for help (for which, they will provide replacement connectors, for them to be replaced, as part of warranty).

Airbus, and EASA have stated that cracked rib feet do not constitute a problem to safety, if is corrected. If left uncorrected, it MAY become a safety issue, but that could be said for any repairs at all to the aircraft.

I normally don’t do politics. Politics is bad. Like eating babies bad. But, this is a piss boiler. The Beeb ran an article called “Family life on benefits“. It talks about poor old Raymond (Not his real name), and his family of 7 children (plus a wife), they get £582.40 a week – or to put in other terms – £30k a year (after tax). Lets have a look at his story in detail. The majority of this story goes back to the whole “Benefits cap of £26k a year, how will people survive”. Here’s how they will survive.

• “Raymond, a former educational software writer, has been jobless since 2001…Ray says: ‘The market for my skills dried up 10 years ago – there’s a total lack of work in my area of expertise.” – Oh really? Funny that, because I started software development professionally roughly when your “skills dried up” – so that’s a load of cobblers.
• “I go out once a week, on a Friday night. I meet up with my mates in the pub and have three or four pints.” – I’m sorry, what? You’re going out, getting drunk, and hammered on our money? You dont have a job – you don’t deserve to go to the pub, and kill your liver.£20 A week saved
• “We get the Sky Movies package because we’re stuck in the house all week – otherwise we wouldn’t have any entertainment” – GO OUT AND GET A FUCKING JOB. Why should I pay for YOU to sit at home and watch movies all day? £15 a week saved.
• “Most of this goes on our eldest son’s bus fares to college and back. For me, if it’s less than five miles, I’ll walk.” – Buy your son a bike, he gets exercise, prolongs his life. £30 a week saved.
• “My wife and I have mobile phones, and so do all of the teenage children. You try telling teenagers they’re going to have to do without their mobiles and there’ll be hell to pay” – Its called learning how to be a parent and telling your 8 year old child that they don’t NEED a mobile phone. £32 a week saved.
• “Weekly shopping includes 24 cans of larger, 200 cigarettes and a large pouch of tobacco” – I’m sorry but this is the piss boiler. 24 cans of larger a week? 3 and a half pints of alcohol a day? 200 cigs? WHAT THE FUCK? YOU EXPECT ME TO PAY FOR YOU TO GET DRUNK? £70 a week saved now and hundreds of thousands saved in future, from having to replace a liver, cancer and early death.
• “On the cigarettes, my wife tried to give up, but she missed one appointment on the course and they threw her off it.” – Why did she miss it? She’s unemployed. She has nothing else to do.

How much is that? £167 a week, or in other terms, £8,600 a year.

What I think the solution is? Raymond is required to, by law, to turn up at a special council facility, every day, for a minimum of 10 hours. During those 10 hours, he will be slapped repeatedly around the face. He will get a 20 minute toilet break, then the slapping will continue.