QatarAirways From Qatar, joined Sep 2008, 0 posts, RR: 1 Posted (10 years 12 months 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 1042 times:
I have noticed many private aircrafts such as the Oman 747SP with a bulge on top of the fuselage. This holds some communications equipment. It is also found in some commercial aircraft like JetBlue's A320s so they can receive DirecTV transmissions.
No I have some questions:
-How do these bulges affect aero-dynamics?
-Are they installed as options from manufacturers or are they added later?
-Are they fitted on with heavy work such as drilling etc. or is it simple?
If you enlarge the picture you'll see that there is a sort of bulge in the top of the aircraft near the front section of the fuselage. Is this a bulge or part of a cloud in the background. If it is, is this normal in the A330s or is this a possible indication of Email/Internet or Live TV on board?
Pmk From United States of America, joined May 1999, 664 posts, RR: 2 Reply 1, posted (10 years 12 months 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 1028 times:
Okay,
First of all the OMAN 747SP's bump is not for communications, it is for a Chandelier! Let it not be said that these people make sacrifices....That bump is quite pronounced and probably does cause some drag, however in that role it makes little difference. Now the antennas on other aircraft are low enough to be under the A/C's boundary layer and cause almost no drag.
PW100 From Netherlands, joined Jan 2002, 1982 posts, RR: 10 Reply 7, posted (10 years 12 months 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 977 times:
All KLM 744, 743 and M11 [not sure about the 767] have bulges on top of their fuselage. They are satelite comunications antennes [ie. for GPS nav; on-board telephones, irect TV-not on KL, etc].
There are different types:
The small vertical white-plates are for VHF radio-cummunications from and to the cockpit, and can be found both under the fuselage as on top of the fuselage:
Rule of thump: these bumps usually are antenneas. If they are on top of the fuselage, they serve satelites [or HF com, signals which bounce of between the earths atmoshere, and can bounce round the world]. If they are under the fuselage, they serve earth bound stations...
PW100
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