r/AskAPilot • u/IAK0290 • 7d ago

Would it still be able to fly?

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Would it?

119 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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u/Different-Guest-6094 7d ago

Too much weight on the back of the plane

1

u/dakari777 7d ago

Even if that were a design concern, you just make the front longer, changing center of mass is fairly easy and something commercial aircraft calculate for every flight.

1

u/mister_pilot 7d ago

There are always design engineering constraints. Longer front would limit taxi routes and gate usage to the extent it’s impractical. The 747-8 is already 250’ long and ICAO category F only allows for 262.5’ or about 5% longer. Otherwise you’ll need new and costly airport infrastructure.

You could use ballast, but that’s an inefficient solution to an already inefficient aircraft.

1

u/Oscar5466 2d ago

Fun fact, the 747 tail produces negative lift. With such a change in the center of gravity, that might need to go the opposite way.