Russians are great in many parts in the aeronautical
industry. They built the largest aircraft in history (which are still in use),
built some of the best fighter jets and technology related to it. But aircraft
engines aren't exactly top notch. While their first inspirations came fromresearch aircraft and captured German tech,
their first successful engine was a reverse engineered clone of the Rolls-Royce
Nene engine. The latter came from a visit of the engineers to the plant in
England and managed to legally procure a copy for research, creating the Klimov
VK-1.
This engine powered aircraft like the Korean War
famous Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 and the ubiquitous bomber Ilyushin Il-28 (NATO reporting
name: Beagle). The Russians went on to make more powerful engines for their
aircraft to properly compete with engines and aircraft from their Cold War
adversary, the United States. But the US was able to develop something that the
Russians took a while to counter, the high bypass turbofan. As stated before,
this engine sucks more air than what goes into the heating chambers in order to
provide a cool jet around the heated air in order to provide more propulsion
without requiring more powerful engines. This allowed the US military to fly
heavier jets while keeping fuel efficiency and great range, like the C-5 Galaxy
with the General Electric TF-39 engine (which was the CF6 family of engines
that powered all the wide-body, multiple aisle, airliners of that time).
Russian engines weren't great with low bypass
engines (the long & thin looking engines) as they did not have the same
performance as those like the TF-39. In fact, the most modern airliner thay had
at the time was the Ilyushin Il-86, which was powered by low bypass engine and
usually required the entire runway to take off due to the poor performance of
these engines. In fact, the Soviet Union tried to make a deal with the United
States and Lockheed to purchase a license to make Soviet L-1011 Tristars
because of its capabilities and engines (which would have made it the life
saver and biggest purchaser of this airline).
Imagine this possibility, one of the strangest and
coolest things that could've happened to aviation in the Cold War.
But the technology in the cockpit and engines was
too great to share to the Soviets. So aircraft engineer Vladimir Lotarev
designed the first high bypass engine for the Soviets, the Lotarev D-36.
It was a small engine, powering medium and small
sized aircraft like the unique looking Ukrainian Antonov An-72 (NATO name:
Coaler, Russian nickname: Cheburashka, a similarly looking large eared animated
character from that region),
Improved version An-74 (Cheburashka/Coaler-A)
the Yakovlev Yak-42 (with the unflattering NATO name: Clobber)
But their advancement to this engineering tech went
exponential when the Ivchenko-Progress design bureau, in Zaporizhia, Ukraine,
designed the Progress D-18T.
This engine was the largest engine, at the time (beaten
by the GEnx, powering the Boeing 787, GE90, powering the 777, and the Engine
Alliance GP7000 or the Rolls-Royce Trent 900, either of them powering the Airbus
A380), powering the largest mass produced aircraft today,Antonov An-124 (NATO
name: Condor)
and the largest aircraft ever, the swansong that is the An-225 Mriya
(Russian for dream/inspiration, NATO name: Cossack).
It would be ten years
before the west surpassed the Russian and Ukrainian designs with the General Electric
GE90 and the others previously mentioned. The Dream/Cossack continues to be the
largest aircraft flying and the Condor is somewhat larger than the largest
airliner, the A380. It is likely that Ukraine pushes manufacturing of the
An-124, assuming things calm down between Ukraine and Russia due to ownership
of designs of that aircraft. One can only Dream, at least we will have the American/Russian collaboration with the GE90 engines (Boeing 777-300ER):
No suelo
publicar sobre mi herencia latina o medios de subsistencia, con la excepción de
criticar de las tonterías que ocurren con el maldito Tri. Pero tengo que hablar
de la compañía antigua de McDonnell Douglas porque ellos hicieron un avión específicamente
con México en su corazón, específicamente variantes de aerolíneas para su uso con
el aeropuerto de la Ciudad de México. Ahora bien, no es porque la ciudad tiene
cierta exclusividad de otras ciudades cosmopolitas mundiales (a pesar de ser la
una de las más grandes en superficie como en población). La razón por la Ciudad
de México (DF o el Distrito Federal, algo así como la manera que la gente dicen
D.C. cuando hablan de la capital de E.U.A., el Distrito de Columbia) recibieron
un tratamiento especial de la fábrica de Long Beach, California, era debido a
que es una ciudad que está caliente y húmedo, y alto. Mientras esto suena como
una espléndida manera de pasar una noche íntima con algunas personas con
algunos rasgos físicos específicos, son tres ingredientes que combinan para dar
una patada en los huevos a las turbinas de un avión.
Tom Hanks como la Ehecatl, dios del viento. Chavo universitario como la turbina de avion
Para empezar, ¿alguna vez ha hecho ejercicio afuera, como trotar? ¿Si es así, te
diste cuenta de que usted se le acaba el aire más rápido en el verano que en el
otoño o invierno? Aire caliente es menos denso que el aire frío . Eso significa
que las moléculas están más separadas y hay que respirar más aire para obtener
la misma cantidad de moléculas aéreas que en un tiempo más fresco. Lo mismo
ocurre para un motor a reacción. Estas máquinas necesitan que tragar más aire
para producir el mismo empuje como en un día frío. Así que un avión tarda más
en conseguir más empuje en el verano y tiene que utilizar más pista como
resultado.
Así pasamos al aire húmedo. Para
aquellos que vivieron en alguna parte que se convierte pantanosa en el verano,
como en Veracruz, Habana, Caracas, Rio de Janeiro, Cataluña, etc. también se
observa que les falta aire cuando se pone muy húmedo. Incluso como un fodongo,
es posible que te desesperas al punto de buscar un bonito lugar con aire
acondicionado. Por lo menos yo lo hago, pero yo vivo en desierto y los lugares
húmedos son tierras míticas que a veces visito cuando tengo la feria o ganas de
viajar a esos lugares en mi mapa que dicen "aquí hay dragones."
Los motores de aviones son
como un corredor en un área húmeda en verano. La corredora generalmente es
corto de aliento y tiene a jadear con más frecuencia si están acostumbrados a
un clima más agradable. Lo mismo sucede con la turbina de un avión. La máquina
está luchando para conseguir el mismo empuje que con aire más frio y necesita
más tiempo para llegar a una velocidad adecuada para despegar. Esto significa que
necesita una pista más larga.
Y llegamos a mayores altitudes. A medida que se asciende el aire se vuelve
menos denso ... y usted tiene la idea; un transeúnte está reviviendo la corredora, el
huevon está dentro pidiendo un hamburguesa con muchas papas fritas en un
McDonald's con aire refrigerado, y estoy respirando a través de mi camisa con
la vana esperanza que va a mejorar mi respiración. Así que ahora entienden que clima
caliente, aire húmedo, y tierras altas = pistas largos, caso resuelto. Pero no,
esto no es la solución para el aeropuerto del DF.
El aeropuerto internacional "Benito Juárez" es como muchos aeropuertos
urbanos en donde fue construido en las afueras de la ciudad hace un siglo pero ya
está ahora profundamente cerca del centro metropolitano debido al crecimiento
de la población. La política local han impedido a moverlo a otra parte (como el
infame Peje contra los granjeros) y la ampliación de las pistas de aterrizaje
significa luchar con los barrios vecinos para demolerlos al extender este
asfalto. Las pistas de aterrizaje fueron construidos originalmente para la era
del jet de la década de los 1960s, donde los aviones eran de una sola pasillo y
el tamaño de un avión de Interjet (o Easyjet, Southwest, TACA, Copa Airlines, GOL
Airways, dependiendo de donde estás leyendo esto). No fueron hechos para los
A380, 777, 747 y otros aviones masivas que entran y salen de este aeropuerto en
la actualidad.
Así que cuando
los aviones jumbo aparecieron por primera vez en los años 1970, había un problema.
Los aviones necesitan más pista de lo que había disponible en la Ciudad de
México, pero también no podían sacrificar su carga y asientos para ahorrar peso
y poder despegar de allí. El problema era tan grave que Boeing Aircraft Company
considero instalar cohetes para asistir (Rocket Assisted Take Off - RATO ) los
despegues de los 727 de Mexicana. Aviones militares normalmente utilizan RATOs
para llegar al aire (como el C-130 de transporte de los Blue Angels de la
Fuerza Naval Norteamericana)
Les juro que si existio!
Incluso hay video de un vuelo de prueba con estos cohetes :
Así que cuando McDonnell Douglas diseñó el DC- 10, que tenían en mente varios versiones.
El DC- 10-10 no tuvo el centro medio del tren de aterrizaje y tenía el motor
menos poderoso pero serviría vuelos nacionales dentro de los Estados Unidos de
América. El DC-10 -30 y DC- 10-40 tuvo motores más potentes, los tanques de
combustible más grandes, y un tren de aterrizaje central para llevar más carga
y pasajeros en viajes intercontinentales. Pero en el medio de estos dos estaba
el DC-10 -15.
Este avión fue diseñado específicamente para dos aerolíneas, Aeroméxico y Mexicana.
Este avión tenía la turbina General Electric CF6- 50C2F (puedes decir nomas "la
familia de turbinas, CF6" para ganar una estrellita de oro dentro de la
comunidad de aviadores si no eres un friki de aviación) del DC-10-30 , pero
tuvo la cantidad de tanques de combustible y tren de aterrizaje de un DC- 10-10
. Esto significaba que se trataba de un avión ligero con motores más potentes .
Y siguiendo el concepto de fuerza bruta (o la relación potencia a peso) usted tiene
un avión capaz de agarrar aire con la pista disponible en Benito Juárez.
Y también hubo una historia similar con avión de pasajeros más pequeños de
McDonnell Douglas, el DC-9 . Aunque no está diseñado específicamente para la
ciudad de México, hubo un DC-9-20, que tenía los poderosos motores del DC-9-30,
pero era el tamaño más pequeño de un DC-9-10 . Pero los aerolíneas mexicanos no
tuvieron ningún problema utilizando las versiones normales en la ciudad de
México y por lo que esta variante valió allí.
Es debido a eso que el DC-9 -15 y el DC- 9-30 perseguirán mis recuerdos como
algunos de los paseos más espantoso con la flota de Aero California con cariño
barato pero cómicamente mal mantenido.
I don't usually publish about my Latino heritage or
livelihood, with the exception of ranting about the maldito Tri. But the former
company McDonnell Douglas really had its heart set out with its clients in
Mexico. In fact, two airliners had variants designed specifically for their use
in Mexico City. Now, it isn't because the city has some exclusivity from other cosmopolitan
global cities (although being the one of the largest in area and population
doesn't hurt a bit). The reason Mexico City (or DF in Spanish for Distrito Federal or Federal District,
kind of like how people call the US capital D.C. from District of Columbia) got
special treatment from this Long Beach, CA manufacturer was because it is a city
that is hot, humid, and high. While this sounds like a splendid way to spend an
intimate night with a few people, they are three ingredients that combine to
give a groin-kick to an aircraft's engines.
Tom Hanks starring as nature and college kid as the jet engine
For starters, have you ever exercised during the year? If
you have, did you notice that you are out of air quicker in the summer than in
the fall, or winter? Hot air is less dense than cold air. That means the
molecules are further apart and you need to gasp more air to get the same
amount of air molecules than in cooler weather. Same thing happens for a jet
engine. These machines needs to swallow more air to produce the same thrust as
in a cooler day. So an aircraft takes longer to get more thrust and might use
more runway as a result.
So we move on to humid air. For those who lived somewhere
that becomes swampy in the summer, you also notice that you are short of breath
when it gets really humid. Even as a couch potato, you might try to desperately
find a nice place with air conditioning. At least I do, but I live in the
desert and those humid places are mythical lands that I sometimes visit when I
get the courage to travel to those spots on my map that say "here be dragons."
The aircraft engines are like a jogger in a humid area in
the summer. The jogger usually is short of breath and has to gasp more
frequently if they are accustomed to nicer weather. The same thing happens to
the jet engine. The machine is pushing to get that thrust with the same air and
needs more time to get the aircraft to a proper speed to take off. This means
it needs a longer runway.
And we get to higher altitudes. As you go higher air becomes
less dense...and you get the idea; the jogger is being revived by a passing
police officer, couch potato is inside ordering a number 6 at an air
conditioned Wendy's, and I'm breathing through my shirt in a vain hope that it
will improve my breathing. So you are
now saying, Hot, humid, high = longer runways, case solved, right? Not in the
case of Mexico City.
The Benito Juarez International Airport is like many urban
airports where it was built in the outskirt of a city in an era long ago but is
now deep within the metropolitan complex due to population growth. Local
politics have prevented moving it elsewhere and extending the runways means
fighting with nearby neighborhoods to demolish them to extend the asphalt. The
runways were originally built for the original Jet Era of the 1960s where
jetliners were single aisled and the size of a Southwest (or Easyjet, Air India
Express, GOL Airways, etc. depending where you are from) aircraft. They were
not built for the A380s, 777, 747, and other massive jumbo jets going in and
out of this airport today. So when jumbo jets first came to the scene in the
1970s, there was a problem. The airliners needed more runway than what was
available in Mexico City but also needed to keep its cargo and seats to profit
from these flights. The problem was so serious that Boeing Aircraft Company
considered installing Rocket Assisted TakeOff (RATO) devices onto Mexicana
727s. These are essentially rockets slapped onto an airliner to get it to
takeoff. Military aircraft normally use RATOs to get to the air (like the Blue
Angels C-130 transport).
I swear I'm not making this up!
They even filmed a test flight with these rockets:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPn_iN3eeBA)
So when McDonnell Douglas designed its three engined big
fella, the DC-10, they had in mind many versions. The DC-10-10 would not have
the middle center landing gear and less powerful engine but would serve
domestic flights in the United States of America. The DC-10-30 and DC-10-40 would
have more powerful engines, larger fuel tanks, and a central main landing gear
to carry more and travel intercontinental. But in the middle was the DC-10-15.
This aircraft was specifically designed for two airlines, Aeroméxico,
and Mexicana. This aircraft had the same
powerful General Electric CF6-50C2F (just say the "CF6 family of engines"
and you get a gold star sticker amongst pilots if you aren't the aviation nerd
type) engines of the DC-10-30 but had the body and fuel tanks of a DC-10-10.
This meant that it was a lighter aircraft with more powerful engines. And
following Jeremy Clarkson's concept of POWEEERRRR over everything (or greater thrust
vs. weight ratio) you have an aircraft capable of getting to the air with the
available asphalt at Benito Juarez.
And there was also a similar story with McDonnell Douglas' smaller
airliner, the DC-9. Although not specifically designed for Mexico City, there
was a DC-9-20 that had the powerful engines of the DC-9-30 but was the smaller
size of a DC-9-10. But the Mexican airliners had no problem using the normal
variants in Mexico City.
As a result, the DC-9-15 and DC-9-30 variants will haunt my memories
as some of the scariest rides with the fondly cheap but hilariously bad
maintained Aero California fleet.
It would be ten years
before the west surpassed the Russian and Ukrainian designs with the General Electric
GE90 and the others previously mentioned. The Dream/Cossack continues to be the
largest aircraft flying and the Condor is somewhat larger than the largest
airliner, the A380. It is likely that Ukraine pushes manufacturing of the
An-124, assuming things calm down between Ukraine and Russia due to ownership
of designs of that aircraft. One can only Dream, at least we will have the American/Russian collaboration with the GE90 engines (Boeing 777-300ER):
.jpg)