Earliest possible A380 type plane?

[Just Leo]

It screams nazi mega-project, doesn't it.

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

Originally Posted by modelcitizen

English-speaking person, keeping a straight face: "That's a big Fokker, isn't it?"

German companion: "Oh, yah."

Ja, ja but dese fokkers, dey was messerschmidts!

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

Originally Posted by DD951

Hmm, from some poking around, it looks like it might have been possible to make a good chunk of the 377's lower level into a second passenger cabin at the expense of a large part of the cargo hold if someone had an operational requirement for it, but I don't think anyone tried developing the airframe in that direction.

Another possibility from the immediate post-war era could have been the Lockheed R6V Constitution, which first flew in 1946, though it was considered a failure- the USN felt it was too expensive to operate, while Pan Am ultimately decided it was too big & underpowered to be practical even though the design had originally been proposed to them as something that would exceed the performance & capacity of the Constellation, effectively killing the proposed airliner version; the 2 prototypes in USN service also turned out to have too short of a range & prone to engine overheating; a turboprop motor being developed by Wright might have salvaged the design but never got outside the prototype stage

Interestingly, the constitution only carried 168 passengers. Which is a lot for 1946, but nothing like a 380.

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

Originally Posted by Just Leo

It screams nazi mega-project, doesn't it.

Ja. The gigant was something, wasnt it? Especially before they put engines on it.

[Michel Van]

Originally Posted by Dathi THorfinnsson

Ja. The gigant was something, wasnt it? Especially before they put engines on it.

Original the Gigant was planned as glider with no engine !
that oger was pull by a monstrosity call the He-111Z, two He-111 bomber bolted together with there wings on a 5 engine.
http://www.wwiivehicles.com/germany/...-bomber-01.png
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgknGWDkOI
But too much He-111Z with Gitgant crash during takeoff or pullcable rip during flight or a easy target for Allies fighters
so they equipped the Gigant with Engine, with same result: Crash during take off or landing or a easy target for Allies fighters...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OvyO...eature=related

[Just Leo]

History is full of really big airplanes, usually underpowered. What history needed was turbofan engines in the 70,000 lb thrust class.

[Luath]

Originally Posted by modelcitizen

Vickers had planned a double-decker VC10, http://www.vc10.net/History/DDVC10_page5.html

Edit: I think that the prospect of that had been in the 1960s.

(VC10 info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VC10#cite_note-6 and http://www.vc10.net/index.html )

Huh, I didn't know Gerry Anderson worked for Vickers.

[Anderman]

Originally Posted by Xavier

I'm pretty sure that Boeing originally planned for the 747's upper deck to extend all the way to the tail.

There was a doubledecker design from Boeing

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2360...48918155DrQvBs

[Bureaucromancer]

Originally Posted by DD951

Hmm, from some poking around, it looks like it might have been possible to make a good chunk of the 377's lower level into a second passenger cabin at the expense of a large part of the cargo hold if someone had an operational requirement for it, but I don't think anyone tried developing the airframe in that direction.

Sure, but there's really not that much stopping someone from cutting emergency hatches hatches in the holds of most widebodies and sticking passengers down there.

[Just Leo]

The Convair XC-99 could carry 400 troops on two decks. Too much trouble. Based on the B-36 wing, one built and operated.