RAT extended

"You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much" (youcantellafinn) 09/15/2015 at 08:53 • Filed to: planelopnik, a380, rat

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This is a video that was posted on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! about a year ago. It shows an Airbus A380 landing at the paint shop. As it is turning onto a taxiway at ~24s you can see the ram air turbine extended. I’ve noticed this on a couple other videos as well. Is it standard practice to have the RAT out on landing for A380’s? The video should start at around 22s. Keep an eye on the port side inboard flap mechanism fairing and you’ll see the ram air turbine out while they are cutting between cameras.

ETA screenshot of said RAT. I’m acronym happy today. WTFBBQOMGLOL!

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 09/15/2015 at 09:05

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I did some googling, and buried in a forum post about RATs I found this statement accompanying a photo of the RAT deployed on an A380:

Here the RAT is engaged (as always at the end of ferry- and CFFs)

I’m not sure what CFF stands for, but one of the F’s is likely “ferry.” My best guess is that the RAT is deployed at the end of a ferry flight just to make sure it is functioning properly before the airliner is painted and delivered.

Flavien Vidal > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 09/15/2015 at 09:06

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It most likely is used just to help power the whole plane if reactors are not turning fast enough during taxiing and may not produce enough electricity for the whole plane’s needs.

It’s just used to produce electricity, so i don’t see any other reasons for them to be used. My father is a A330 pilot who knows a thing or two about A380s... i could ask him next time I talk to him if you want.

ShiroZ31 > ttyymmnn 09/15/2015 at 09:50

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Cabin First Flight. You can find more videos on YouTube searching for that term.

ttyymmnn > ShiroZ31 09/15/2015 at 09:58

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Thank you, Shiro.

ShiroZ31 > ttyymmnn 09/15/2015 at 10:20

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My google-fu is strong today.

ttyymmnn > ShiroZ31 09/15/2015 at 10:21

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Stronger than mine. Or at least more patient.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ttyymmnn 09/15/2015 at 11:07

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Good info, thanks.

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 09/15/2015 at 11:12

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Another commenter said that CFF stands for Cabin First Flight. So again, my guess is that deploying the RAT is part of the shakedown process.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Flavien Vidal 09/15/2015 at 11:15

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ttyymmnn and Shiro have good information. It looks like it is SOP to deploy the RAT at the end of ferry flights and CFF.

I don’t think the RAT would be able to provide any power while taxiing. since it is wind driven I assume it needs a decent amount of airspeed to provide any useful power. Even at ground idle the engines would be able to provide power to the whole airplane, and if they are parked there is an APU that is capable of providing power even if the engines are shut down.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ttyymmnn 09/15/2015 at 11:20

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I saw Shiro’s comment and that makes a lot of sense to me. A safety system like the RAT is something that makes a lot of sense to test on a first flight, and periodically after that. It is the kind of system you hope you never use, but want to know that it will work when you need it to.

ShiroZ31 > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 09/15/2015 at 14:45

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It’s common practice to check out all the safety-critical systems during first flight(s).